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Post by andrewearlwood on Jan 25, 2024 11:44:35 GMT 8
A week before Kona.
I really hope the PTO fails miserably. They seem determined to undermine the sport at every opportunity in some ‘winner takes all’ blood sport with Ironman.
their whole business model is based on ‘I win because you lose’, which is fine for competition between athletes on a race course but brain dead for a sport as niche as triathlon.
already their 8 race series dilutes the entire premise behind the PTO hosting races in its own right (rather than simply ranking professional races and providing an end of season bonus pool): ie. to get ‘the best’ to race ‘the best’ with everybody bringing their ‘A game’ to the races, BECAUSE it is impossible for any athlete to race in peak form for 8 races over the course of a season. NOW they are forcing athletes to chose between their micky mouse series and Kona, thereby diluting the quality of both. Frack them.
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jan 25, 2024 17:26:09 GMT 8
Sam Long is ecstatic. Ostensibly because the race will be held just near where he lives. In truth it is because the PTO holding the race the week before Kona will make the field demonstrably weaker and he probably thinks gives him a chance to win.
Consider this: of the five PTO Open races that have been conducted thus far ALL of them have been won by Ironman Champions (even when one excludes the doper’s win at the US Open in 2022).
Canadian Open - Iden
US Open - Ditlev* (second to Colin the doper on the day)
European Open - Max
US Open 23 - Frodo
Asian Open - Blumenthal.
None of those will turn up at Los Vegas instead of Kona. All of them will skip the race. As will Laidlow (who came 4th at both PTO races in 2022). Of all the podium place getters over the past two years only West, Royle and Long are going to race Las Vegas. … and maybe some olympic triathletes making the transition after Paris.
The whole point of the 100km distance was to pit the beset long course and short course athletes against each other to race at their best. The PTO just took the race away from half of the best atheletes in the world (and then ones with the track record of actually winning these things).
It’s just as bad on the women’s side: hosting the european open the week after Nice f*cks the qualify of that race as well.
Worse - this isn't some ‘unfortunate and unavoidable’ coincidence. They knew Ironman’s race calendar for months before setting both races. This is a deliberate attempt to sabotage the sport by the PTO. I hate them.
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Post by prince on Jan 29, 2024 4:40:34 GMT 8
I think many athletes have actually already chosen, as I am sure the top 20 already have contracts and have many signed. Under the conditions, I have no doubt they would be under contract to attend most of the 8 races even where some of these races conflict (purposely) with key Ironman races. I wouldn't even be surprised if there is a race around July near the date of Roth. As I predicted, the war is on. There are too many comps and I hope in time, even the olympics change to a long distance format.
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Post by andrewearlwood on Jan 29, 2024 9:15:52 GMT 8
‘The war’ is f*cking stupid. What does it prove? Who has the biggest swinging dick? Slow hand clap. The whole raison d’être for the PTO is to help lever the position of professionals and elevate the sport. Wilfully setting out to wreck the big races of existing organisers is a suicide note for the sport. I lived through the fledging ITU’s efforts to wreck the old World Cup race on the Gold Coast. All that was achieved was the the best race organisers in the sport just left. ‘The war’ will just dilute the quality of what is meant to be the sport’s ‘signature’ races - the Ironman WC, Roth (if you are right about some deliberate scheduling clash) and even the PTO itself. You can’t tell me that the field would have been twice as deep in Singapore last year IF it wasn’t held a week before 70.3 WC … or 3 weeks before Nice IM WC for that matter.
Now, the women’s race at Ibiza will lack the quality because even if they do race, the likes of Anne, Lucy and Daniela will be belo par. The Las Vegas event will be robbed of up to a dozen real contenders because they will go to Hawaii instead.
I disagree with your ‘there are too many comps’ line. What’s there is however, is too many narcissistic psychopaths ‘running’ the sport.
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blobby
Junior Member
Posts: 69
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Post by blobby on Jan 29, 2024 9:58:30 GMT 8
Definitely agree with you Peter, really sad outcome for the sport and making it more difficult for the athletes. I get athletes will be able to determine "do I chase the $" or do I chase the WC title. I don't mind seeing a 70.3 WC a number of weeks before the IM WC, but the reverse is worse. As we go forward on split WC races the champs at Kona will then only be a WC for 10+ months. Not sure why Kona mens race was pushed out 2 weeks to the end of October. Will the weather be a factor due to links to the full moon, or will the best still win on the day.
How much communication has been held with the top 30 athletes in both female & male fields to gather their perspective. For those that are not in the top 10, this maybe a welcome opportunity for them to earn some coin, but won't be reflective of the "best" being in the field.
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