<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Pro Field - Tri247</title><link>http://www.tri247.com/index.html</link><description>Latest pro field articles from Tri247</description><item><title><![CDATA[Run with Chrissie: Richmond Park]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9625.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Following the highly successful inaugural Run with Chrissie last year, the current Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington is heading to the capital to host the next in the run series.

Hosted in the stunning backdrop of Richmond Park, triathletes, runners and Chrissie fans alike are invited to join Chrissie, patron of the Jane Tomlinson Appeal, on Sunday 26th February to take part in a 5K training run ahead of an hours training with Chrissie headed up by British Triathlon coaches.

&amp;ldquo;Since becoming a Patron of the Appeal in 2011 and having been inspired myself by Jane I want to do  everything I can to support the charity. The event we held in Leeds was  fantastic. It was great to meet so many budding sports men and women who not  only are interested in Triathlon and running but who continue to support the  Appeal. To be able to host yet  another event like this and share my passion with people, while raising funds  is incredible&amp;rdquo;, said Chrissie.

Having completed her first triathlon back in 2004, Chrissie is undefeated at the Ironman distance and is now four-time Ironman World Champion following her spectacular win at Kona in October last year. With a &amp;lsquo;Nothing is Impossible&amp;rsquo; attitude Chrissie continues to inspire others to achieve their personal goals.

Following the 5k run and training session participants have the opportunity  to pre-register to enjoy a buffet lunch at Roehampton University ahead of a Q&amp;amp;A session where Chrissie will share her passions and fears, inspiring others to take on a challenge and achieve the impossible. 

Whether participants sign up for the whole day or simply the training  session there is something for everyone.

Comments from previous participants&amp;hellip;
&amp;ldquo;It was such an amazing day with Chrissie Wellington. Truly inspirational! I feel very honoured and privileged that I had the opportunity to meet Chrissie and the other participants in the  day, as well of course being able to be involved in an event for such a great  cause.&amp;rdquo;

&amp;ldquo;I&#039;m not a triathlete - just a charity runner but am feeling sufficiently inspired to go look at some bikes! Watch this space.&amp;rdquo;

&amp;ldquo;Personally I thought the day and night were near on  perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed both. It is hard to put into words what yesterday  meant to me and I am guessing everyone else there. Not only did it give us a  chance to help generate a bit more money for your great charity, but we got  chance to brush shoulders with a living legend. Hearing Chrissie&#039;s story first  hand you just can&#039;t help but be inspired, she is truly an inspiration and such  a great human being. Another plus was that I got to mix with other people who  are interested in endurance sports, which was an added bonus.&amp;rdquo;

Chrissie has never shied away from a challenge and believing that anything can be possible given a bit of determination. &amp;ldquo;In 2005 I thought that  completing an Ironman was impossible. I said &amp;lsquo;you must be crazy&amp;rsquo; to do them. Now look at me.  If someone puts a hurdle in your way don&amp;rsquo;t stop just work your way around, over or under it. Live your dream!&amp;rsquo;

With a limited number of only 100 places available, the Jane Tomlinson Appeal would urge those interested to sign up now to avoid missing out on the  opportunity to train with a true British sporting legend. To find out more and to book a place visit www.runwithchrissie.com ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[LIVESTRONG pledges to raise $1million with Ironman]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9628.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Today, February 9th, the Lance Armstrong Foundation announced a new partnership with Ironman&reg; to help raise more than $1 million for people affected by cancer. Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, champion cyclist and the Foundation&rsquo;s founder and chairman, will compete as a professional athlete in several Ironman and Ironman 70.3&reg; races including Ironman 70.3 Panama, Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas, Ironman 70.3 Florida, Ironman 70.3 Hawaii and Ironman France. Armstrong is racing with the goal of qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i, on Oct. 13, 2012, and will be competing as a member of Team LIVESTRONG, which is adding these Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races to its endurance events series designed to raise funds for people affected by cancer.

&ldquo;I am grateful to Ironman for partnering with LIVESTRONG to raise funds and awareness for people affected by cancer,&rdquo; said Armstrong. &ldquo;In my career as an athlete and as a cancer advocate, I&rsquo;ve learned that progress demands partnership, but it&rsquo;s not without a struggle. And that&rsquo;s what Team LIVESTRONG is about &ndash; it&rsquo;s about purpose; it&rsquo;s about challenge and it&rsquo;s about empowering survivors to fight like hell. There&rsquo;s progress to be made with cancer and we invite anyone up for the challenge to join Team LIVESTRONG.&rdquo;

&ldquo;At 13 years old, Lance got his start in triathlon by racing in the IronKids&reg; Series,&rdquo; said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of World Triathlon Corporation. &ldquo;At 16 years old, he went pro and was considered a star in our sport. At only 18, he was racing against the best triathletes in the world: Mark Allen, Dave Scott and Scott Molina. We are happy to have him return to our sport. Lance is a fierce competitor and his involvement with Ironman and Ironman 70.3 is good for triathlon.&rdquo;

&ldquo;Lance&#039;s involvement at perhaps the toughest one-day event in all of sport sheds light on what surviving cancer can mean to millions around the world,&rdquo; said Scott Tinley, two-time Ironman World Champion and Ironman Hall of Fame Inductee. &ldquo;I remember Lance as a determined kid who channeled that competitive spirit into an amazing career as a cyclist, survivor and advocate for survivors of a horrible disease. A partnership between LIVESTRONG and Ironman will further improve the lives of people affected by cancer. People need to realize that Lance&rsquo;s foundation represents the use of sport to improve our world. There are only positive things that can come from having Lance join the Ironman family.&rdquo; 

&quot;It is exciting to see Lance Armstrong, one of the greatest-ever endurance athletes, coming back to race triathlons in 2012,&quot; said Craig Alexander, three-time Ironman World Champion and two-time Ironman 70.3 World Champion. 

&ldquo;Lance is an exceptional athlete; he&rsquo;s the type of person who wants to excel and be the best at whatever he puts his mind to,&rdquo; said Chris Lieto, multiple Ironman and Ironman 70.3 champion. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to see how his participation in our sport will draw attention to what it takes to be a triathlete and how challenging it can be. It will definitely bring triathlon more into the mainstream and I know pro athletes, including myself, will look forward to racing with him at future events.&rdquo;

Team LIVESTRONG has a limited number of entries for these events and people interested in joining Armstrong should visit www.TeamLIVESTRONG.org for more information. Athletes who are already registered for one of these Ironman or Ironman 70.3 events can still race as part of Team LIVESTRONG. General entry is also still available for each of these events and can be accessed at www.ironman.com.

Through this partnership, Ironman will serve as a gold-level sponsor for the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Series. As a sponsor, Ironman will donate four Ironman World Championship slots in 2012 and 2013 to be auctioned with proceeds going directly to LIVESTRONG.

LIVESTRONG is the brand of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, created in 1997 by the cancer survivor and champion cyclist to serve people living with cancer and empower communities to take action. The Foundation specializes in patient navigation services that help cancer survivors and their families overcome the insurance, financial, emotional and practical challenges that accompany a cancer diagnosis. As a member of Team LIVESTRONG, people walk, run, ride or tri in the fight against cancer in the LIVESTRONG Challenge Series or in other major athletic events around the world. By participating and fundraising for Team LIVESTRONG, participants join a group of committed individuals dedicated to inspiring and empowering people affected by cancer. To date, Team LIVESTRONG participants have raised $82 million for Foundation programs and services. For more information, visit TeamLIVESTRONG.org
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chrissie Wellington gets high in New York...]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9622.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[When Chrissie Wellington announced she was &amp;quot;taking a break from competing in Ironman during 2012 to explore other   opportunities&amp;quot;, I wonder if even she realised that &amp;quot;the chance to explore and seize new opportunities within triathlon and outside&amp;quot; would include...running up the Empire State Building!

The annual Empire State Building Run-Up is organised by the New York Road Runners Club (www.nyrr.org). Taking place yesterday evening (Wednesday), the event/race is exactly as indicated by the title - a run up the 86 stories and 1576 steps of the Empire State Building, finishing on the external observation deck.
Now, this is an event I know a little bit about...I did it myself in 1997 (report HERE), when 14:03 was my finishing time, enough for 31st out of 159 starters.

Well, Chrissie, not surprisingly, did better than I did - finishing in 13:15 for third place overall amongst the women, while men&#039;s winer Thomas Dodd won for the seventh straight year.


  
    Pos
    Men
    Women
  
  
    1st
    Thomas Dodd (GER) 10:28 
    Melissa Moon (NZL) 12:39 
  
  
    2nd
    Christian Reidl (GER) 10:36 
    Suzy Walsham (SGP) 13:08 
  
  
    3rd
    Mark Bourne (AUS) 10:55 
    Chrissie Wellington (GBR) 13:15 
  

]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Clarke and Blatchford kick off 2012 in Australia]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9619.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[British athletes, Will Clarke and Liz Blatchford begin their 2012 season this weekend as they take to the start line at the 2012 Geelong ITU Sprint Triathlon Premium Oceania Cup in Australia. [Ed: Blatchford&#039;s season actually started last weekend at Caloundra, Queensland where she finished third in the Gatorade Queensland Tri Series Enduro event...]

Olympic hopefuls, Clarke and Blatchford, are part of the UK Sport Lottery funded British Triathlon World Class Programme&rsquo;s 2012 squad and are acutely focussed on gaining selection for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The two athletes are currently training in Australia until the ITU World Triathlon Series event in Sydney in April. They will use the sprint triathlon event as an early season test as they build towards the opening race of the Series, and the first significant opportunity to achieve British Triathlon&rsquo;s Olympic selection criteria.

Clarke finished the 2011 season ranked ninth in the world with his two highlight performances including a second place finish in the Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship Series Hamburg and top-five finish in the 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon &ndash; ITU World Championship Series Kitzb&uuml;hel.

Clarke commented: &ldquo;I&#039;m really excited to get out there amongst it for the first race of my 2012 season. I&#039;ve been training really hard out in Australia and want to blow away the cobwebs with a good hard race. I&#039;m in decent shape but you never know with the first race of the season, the Australians are always strong at this time of year, so it&#039;s just a see how it goes race.&rdquo;  

Blatchford is one of the most consistent British performers, delivering three top-ten performances throughout the 2011 season and finishing eighth at the 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship Grand Final in Beijing.

Blatchford echoed Clarke&rsquo;s comments, adding:  &ldquo;Training in Australia has been good and I&rsquo;m looking forward to testing my form this weekend in the Geelong sprint event. I will use it to help me to find some speed and get race ready for the bigger races of the season. I&rsquo;ll be racing the Mooloolaba World Cup followed by Sydney, San Diego and Madrid WTS in my effort to gain Olympic Selection.&rdquo;

Blatchford and Clarke aren&rsquo;t the only British athletes racing this weekend. The 2012 Bridgetown ITU Sprint Triathlon Pan American Cup will also welcome Kerry Lang and Vanessa Raw in the women&rsquo;s race and Ritchie Nicholls and Harry Wiltshire in the men&rsquo;s event.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fastest British Iron Men]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9514.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Regular readers of Tri247 will be aware that your Editor does have more than a passing interest in triathlon statistics, especially of the iron-distance variety. Here is a brand new addition to my portfolio of iron-distance data.

I&#039;ve had this one almost put together for a while now, but recent events have somewhat delayed its completion and publication. With a new year, it was time to get it finished and published. Ironically, I must have had three separate enquiries in recent months from British professional iron-distance athletes about where they might fit into this type of ranking...now you know guys!

Having previously written, and subsequently updated, the Fastest British Iron Ladies article (charting every sub-nine hour 15 minute iron distance finish by British female athletes ever recorded), I wanted to do similar for the British men. I also left that article with the thought &amp;quot;If Chrissie Wellington has an 8:18:13 finish to her name, and the British men&#039;s Ironman record is 8:01:29, where would Chrissie&#039;s best sit in the British men&#039;s ranking?&amp;quot; Here is the answer to that one too...



Starting in 2009 and expanded throughout the last few seasons, I embarked on a project to pull together a variety of iron distance statistics and records. Links to all of the current reference articles can be found at the foot of this article, which variously cover both an International and a British perspective, finishing times and podium positions.

Part of this was for personal desire - I have a natural affinity to numbers, lists and records. When it comes to sports, I generally seem to have pretty good memory for facts and figures too. However, in relation to some of the information I was keen to find, I was surprised to find that I couldn&#039;t find data sets that I thought surely someone must have done this already? Apparently not. So, I went off and did it myself...

Having already looked at &#039;fastest times&#039; on world level within the Sub-9 (women) and Sub-8 (men) articles, I was keen to investigate that a little further with my British hat on to produce a comprehensive list of the fastest British iron-distance times.

For the British ladies at least, I expanded that HERE to incorporate a complete historical British sub-9:15 analysis.

And now for the British men. Well, the men and one particularly fast woman. What is collated below is my attempt to list every sub-eight hour 30 minute iron distance finish by British athletes ever recorded. 

British Iron Distance Finishes &amp;lt; 8 hours 30 minutes

  
    Count
    Name
    Event
    Year
    Swim
    T1
    Bike
    T2
    Run
    Total
  
  
    1
    Paul Amey
    Arizona
    2011
    00:48:47
    00:02:48
    04:22:37
    00:01:22
    02:45:55
    08:01:29
  
  
    2
    Tom Lowe
    Austria
    2011
    00:52:06
    00:03:16
    04:29:04
    00:02:15
    02:44:47
    08:11:31
  
  
    3
    Tom Lowe
    Arizona
    2010
    00:56:37
    00:02:53
    04:22:51
    00:01:12
    02:48:11
    08:11:44
  
  
    4
    Stephen Bayliss
    Austria
    2008
    00:46:03
    00:01:44
    04:39:38
    00:01:55
    02:44:33
    08:13:53
  
  
    5
    Julian Jenkinson
    Jumme/Detern
    1995
    00:50:36
    
    04:32:19
    
    02:52:26
    08:15:21
  
  
    6
    Spencer Smith
    Brazil
    2002
    00:45:29
    
    04:40:46
    
    02:49:25
    08:15:39
  
  
    7
    Stephen Bayliss
    Austria
    2011
    00:46:41
    00:02:27
    04:35:08
    00:02:00
    02:50:28
    08:16:48
  
  
    8
    Stephen Bayliss
    Austria
    2009
    00:47:32
    00:01:43
    04:32:32
    00:01:59
    02:53:20
    08:17:06
  
  
    9
    Scott Neyedli
    Western Australia
    2009
    00:47:24
    00:01:50
    04:35:41
    00:01:36
    02:51:16
    08:17:48
  
  
    10
    Stephen Bayliss
    Western Australia
    2007
    00:48:18
    
    04:35:09
    
    02:54:23
    08:17:51
  
  
    11
    Chrissie Wellington
    Roth
    2011
    00:49:49
    00:01:56
    04:40:39
    00:01:17
    02:44:35
    08:18:13
  
  
    12
    Stephen Bayliss
    South Africa
    2008
    00:47:29
    00:01:26
    04:36:54
    00:01:32
    02:51:02
    08:18:23
  
  
    13
    Chrissie Wellington
    Roth
    2010
    00:50:28
    00:01:56
    04:36:33
    00:01:25
    02:48:54
    08:19:13
  
  
    14
    Julian Jenkinson
    Almere
    1999
    00:54:19
    
    04:34:11
    
    02:52:00
    08:20:30
  
  
    15
    Spencer Smith
    Florida
    2001
    00:49:26
    00:02:10
    04:36:28
    00:01:22
    02:52:07
    08:21:30
  
  
    16
    Spencer Smith
    Arizona
    2006
    00:48:41
    00:02:24
    04:37:37
    00:01:39
    02:52:35
    08:22:56
  
  
    17
    Simon Lessing
    Lake Placid
    2004
    00:47:08
    00:03:03
    04:44:23
    00:02:00
    02:46:39
    08:23:12
  
  
    18
    Graeme Stewart
    Roth
    2009
    00:50:30
    00:01:50
    04:34:14
    00:01:09
    02:55:58
    08:23:39
  
  
    19
    Paul Ambrose
    Arizona
    2009
    00:48:15
    00:02:42
    04:34:43
    00:01:09
    02:58:07
    08:24:54
  
  
    20
    Julian Jenkinson
    Wolverhampton
    1998
    00:53:25
    
    04:43:05
    
    02:48:52
    08:25:22
  
  
    21
    Julian Jenkinson
    Wolverhampton
    2000
    01:00:42
    
    04:30:08
    
    02:55:26
    08:26:16
  
  
    22
    Graeme Stewart
    Barcelona
    2009
    00:53:39
    00:02:23
    04:33:20
    00:02:16
    02:54:57
    08:26:35
  
  
    23
    Scott Neyedli
    Port Macquarie
    2010
    00:44:35
    00:01:58
    04:42:06
    00:01:32
    02:57:47
    08:27:58
  
  
    24
    Tom Lowe
    Hawaii
    2011
    00:58:55
    00:02:09
    04:26:28
    00:02:37
    02:58:55
    08:29:02
  
  
    25
    Scott Neyedli
    Arizona
    2011
    00:51:37
    00:02:37
    04:32:15
    00:01:29
    03:01:07
    08:29:03
  
  
    26
    Paul Ambrose
    Louisville
    2010
    00:48:39
    00:02:18
    04:31:36
    00:02:17
    03:05:09
    08:29:59
  

# of Iron Distance Finishes &amp;lt; 8 hours 30 minutes by athlete

  
  
  
    Stephen Bayliss
    5
  
  
    Julian Jenkinson
    4
  
  
    Scott Neyedli
    3
  
  
    Spencer Smith
    3
  
  
    Tom Lowe
    3
  
  
    Chrissie Wellington
    2
  
  
    Graeme Stewart
    2
  
  
    Paul Ambrose
    2
  
  
    Paul Amey
    1
  
  
    Simon Lessing
    1
  
  
    (10 athletes)
    26
  

Fastest British Iron Distance Athletes (Best Time) 

  
  
  
  
  
    Rank
    Athlete
    Best Time
    Event
  
  
    1
    Paul Amey
    08:01:29
    Arizona 2011
  
  
    2
    Tom Lowe
    08:11:31
    Austria 2011
  
  
    3
    Stephen Bayliss
    08:13:53
    Austria 2008
  
  
    4
    Julian Jenkinson
    08:15:21
    Jumme/Detern 1995
  
  
    5
    Spencer Smith
    08:15:39
    Brazil 2002
  
  
    6
    Scott Neyedli
    08:17:48
    Western Australia 2009
  
  
    7
    Chrissie Wellington
    08:18:13
    Roth 2011
  
  
    8
    Simon Lessing
    08:23:12
    Lake Placid 2004
  
  
    9
    Graeme Stewart
    08:23:39
    Roth 2009
  
  
    10
    Paul Ambrose
    08:24:54
    Arizona 2009
  


British Male Iron Distance Record Progression


Commentary
Before we start - and just for absolute clarity (!) - finishing times in any triathlon, and in Ironman/Iron-distance in particular only tell part of a story. Courses are different, conditions are different and depending on who you believe, distances can vary too. Thus, work such as these listings is only part of an overall story. That said, times are a part of that story! Importantly, time is something that everyone &#039;gets&#039;, and being the fastest is a common theme among many sporting disciplines.

At the very top of the speed charts, the British record has been taking a bit of a bashing over the past 18 months. Tom Lowe broke the then British record of Stephen Bayliss in his first race at the distance in Arizona (2010), and then subsequently knocked few seconds from that in his second attempt (Ironman Austria 2011). With his third Ironman resulting in the fastest British men&#039;s performance at Kona to date, you would have to think that Tom has the potential to go faster still in 2012. And, if he wants to be the top of this list, he&#039;ll have to following Paul Amey&#039;s second place at Ironman Arizona 2011. Will Tom or Paul soon be &#039;upgrading&#039; to the Sub-8 listing?

While no longer the British record holder, Stephen Bayliss does have the most &#039;sub 8:30s&#039; on this list with five, and having won Challenge Vichy in 2011 will still have plans for more fast times and race wins in 2012 and beyond.

Julian Jenkinson held the British iron-distance record for 13 years from 1995-2008, describing his race in Detern, Germany at the European Iron-Distance Championships as &amp;quot;physically I had the best race of my life. This coincided with undoubtedly the fastest ironman course in the world on a cool deathly calm day that time trialists dream about&amp;quot;. And Julian is still racing. These days it&#039;s cycle time trials, but he&#039;s probably faster than ever - in 2010 he won the National 12-hour Championships (with a whopping 292.49 miles), and collected the British Best All Rounder (BBAR) title.

And what of Chrissie Wellington? Her 8:18:13 time from Challenge Roth 2011 is currently the 11th fastest British time recorded and makes here the seventh fastest British athlete ever. Can she go even faster?

There are two Scots on the list, and both are still racing. Scott Neyedli recorded his third best Ironman time at Arizona (2011), while Graeme Stewart combines racing alongside the day job as a full-time cancer research scientist. That hasn&#039;t stopped him setting a PB of 8:23:39, plus an 8:26:35.

Tri247 Iron-Distance Statistics Library 

  Sub-9 iron ladies: a history
    the definitive list of sub-nine hour female iron distance finishes
  Sub-8 iron men: a history
    the definitive list of sub-eight hour male iron distance finishes
  
  British Ironman success: Ladies
    the definitive record of  Ironman&amp;reg; podium finishes by British female athletes
  British Ironman success: Men
    the definitive record of Ironman&amp;reg; podium finishes by British male   athletes
  Home Nations Iron Distance Records
  the fastest ironman distance times achieved by each of the Home Nations   (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales)
  Fastest British Iron Ladies
  every sub-nine hour 15 minute iron-distance finish by British female athletes ever recorded.
  Fastest British Iron Men
    every sub-eight hour 30 minute iron-distance finish by British male (and female...) athletes ever recorded


Do you believe there is a performance missing here? If so, please do let me know   via editor@tri247.com. ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tri247 Iron-Distance Statistics Library]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9592.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Welcome to the Tri247 Iron-Distance Statistics Library
This collection of data has become something of a labour of love for your, at times, statistics obsessed Editor over the last few years. And thanks to plenty of athletes &amp;quot;raising the bar&amp;quot; of late, it has been almost as tough a job to keep it constantly updated as it was to produce this analysis in the first place. But, to the very best of our knowledge and research, all of these features are complete and we do our very best to keep them that way.

The latest addition to the library has been published today (1st Feb 2012) for the first time, which focuses on the Fastest British Iron Men. Specifically, I&#039;ve pulled together an analysis of all-time British sub 8:30 iron-distance finishes. Which of course, provides an interesting statistic itself - because not all sub 8:30 British iron-distance finishes have been achieved by men!

Have you ever wondered how Chrissie Wellington&#039;s best finishing times compare, relative to the British men? CLICK HERE for the answer.

Links to the full archive of the iron-stats articles can be found below. 

Tri247 Iron-Distance Statistics Library 

  Sub-9 iron ladies: a history
    the definitive list of sub-nine hour female iron distance finishes

  Sub-8 iron men: a history
    the definitive list of sub-eight hour male iron distance finishes

  British Ironman success: Ladies
    the definitive record of  Ironman&amp;reg; podium finishes by British female athletes

  British Ironman success: Men
    the definitive record of Ironman&amp;reg; podium finishes by British male athletes

  Home Nations Iron Distance Records
  the fastest ironman distance times achieved by each of the Home Nations (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales)

  Fastest British Iron Ladies
  every sub-nine hour 15 minute iron-distance finish by British female athletes ever recorded.

  Fastest British Iron Men
    every sub-eight hour 30 minute iron-distance finish by British male (and female...) athletes ever recorded


Do you believe there is a performance missing here? If so, please do let me know via editor@tri247.com. ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[British Triathlon confirms elite multisport squad]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9586.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[British Triathlon has confirmed the 11 athletes who will make up the 2012 Elite Multisport Squad for the upcoming season including current world champions Katie Hewison and Rachel Joyce.

The squad, financed by membership income from the Home Nations and administered by British Triathlon aims to support athletes who demonstrate genuine potential to win medals at ITU World Championship level in the non-Olympic multisport events. The squad concentrates on duathlon and long distance triathlon and comprises three levels: Duathlon Professional, Duathlon Development and Long Distance Professional.

Current ITU Duathlon World Champion, Katie Hewison has been named on the Duathlon Professional squad and is joined by Richard Hobby, Phil Wylie and Matt Moorhouse.. Katie entered multisport from the trigold programme back in 2009, and after graduating in 2010, went onto win the 2011 GE British Triathlon Female Elite Duathlete of the Year award.

Katie commented: &ldquo;Last year was an amazing experience to win my first world title in Gijon since coming into the sport from trigold back in 2009. To be named on this year&rsquo;s Elite Multisport Squad will really support me as I strive to retain my duathlon title in Spain in what will be a great year for everyone involved in our sport.&rdquo;

Rachel Joyce, holder of the ITU Long Distance Triathlon world title is named as a member of the Long Distance Professional squad. Rachel won gold in the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Henderson last year, and added an impressive fourth-place finish in the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championships behind two fellow Brits: Chrissie Wellington MBE and former standard distance ITU Triathlon world champion Leanda Cave.

Former ITU Duathlon world champion, Catriona Morrison joins Rachel on the Long Distance Professional squad alongside Mark Threlfall and Nicholas Ward Munoz, an athlete who recorded a top-15 finish at last year&rsquo;s ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships

The third level is the Duathlon Development squad and includes well-known age-group athlete Danielle Stewart who has made the jump to elite duathlon in 2012 after winning both European and world age-group duathlon titles in 2011. Exciting youngsters Rhys Park and George Schwiening, who both represented the GE Great Britain Team in ITU World and ETU European Duathlon Championships last year, will join Danielle.

Chris Kitchen, Director for Performance is delighted in the new squad announcement commenting: &ldquo;With two reigning world champions and some promising youngsters included within the squad, 2012 promises to be an exciting year for the Elite Multisport Squad. British Triathlon is committed to supporting British elite multisport athletes in the non-Olympic disciplines and aim to celebrate their successes in 2012.&rdquo;

Duathlon professional squad: Richard Hobby, Phil Wylie, Katie Hewison, Matt Moorhouse

Duathlon development squad: George Schwiening, Rhys Park, Danielle Stewart

Long distance professional squad: Rachel Joyce, Mark Threlfall, Catriona Morrison, Nicholas Ward Munoz
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jabra launch Sports headset]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9577.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Jabra, the mobile phone headset people, have released a Bluetooth version of their Sport model. Apart from the obvious delights of being an (almost) cordless product - there is a loop of cable between the two earpieces - it also has a strong triathlon connection as the company has entered a partnership with triple Ironman World Champion, Craig Alexander who will become an ambassador for the products.

The headset features US Military grade protection against shock, dust and rain, has the capability of being paired with two different handsets and as well as controlling your music player (functions are model/phone dependent) and handling your calls it can also control the Endomondo Sports Tracker app which is something else that&#039;s pretty neat and is well worth checking out if you have a GPS-enabled phone.

We&#039;ve currently got a unit on trial and we&#039;ll publish a review later on.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[WTC announces more pro changes]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9567.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) today announced changes and additions to the 5150 Triathlon Series. Professional WTC champions will have the opportunity for expanded automatic qualifying across three world-renowned championship events: the Hy-Vee 5150 US Championship, Ironman World Championship 70.3 and Ironman World Championship. Professional athletes will also have expanded opportunities for 5150 Pro Ranking (5150 PR) points with the addition of 5150 Triathlon Series races and select Ironman 70.3 races to the qualifying schedule.

&ldquo;This is a milestone for our sport,&rdquo; said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of WTC. &ldquo;Automatic qualifying for our champions across the three championship events will add an interesting and competitive dynamic.  With this change and the additional opportunities to earn points in the 5150 PR system, we&rsquo;re giving professional athletes a chance to add variety to their season and compete across different distances without compromising their qualifying opportunities. We&rsquo;re excited to see how this unites athletes within the triathlon community.&rdquo;

The 2011 Hy-Vee 5150 US Championship, Marine Corps Ironman World Championship 70.3 and Ford Ironman World Championship professional winners will each receive an automatic invitation to all three events in 2012, provided they validate their slots. With expanded automatic qualification, world champions like Craig Alexander and Melissa Rollison will not only be invited back to the race that they conquered the previous year, but also have the opportunity to race in the 2012 Hy-Vee 5150 US Championship.  Likewise, Greg Bennett and Lisa Norden will now be extended an invitation to compete in Kona and Las Vegas, provided they validate their slots during the 2012 qualifying period.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s encouraging to see WTC introduce this initiative with the 5150, Ironman 70.3 and Ironman champions getting the chance to race each other at these championship events,&rdquo; said Greg Bennett, 2011 Hy-Vee 5150 U.S. Championship Men&rsquo;s Elite Cup champion. &ldquo;Over time we will see some great battles between athletes who excel in their particular arena and are getting challenged by a different distance. Bringing the best in the sport together to race each other will be brilliant for triathlon, and I&rsquo;m excited to have the opportunity to race at all three championship events in 2012.&rdquo;

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to hear of the new qualifying system,&rdquo; said Mirinda Carfrae, second-place finisher at the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship and Hy-Vee 5150 US Championship. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an opportunity and great step by WTC to encourage the best athletes to compete at the biggest races across all distances.&rdquo;

The announcement of the automatic qualifying system comes at a significant point in triathlon history &ndash; prize purses are at an all-time high. Not only is the 2012 Hy-Vee 5150 U.S. Championship professional prize purse more than $1.1 million, but WTC has now increased the professional prize purse for the Ironman World Championship 70.3 and Ironman World Championship. The total 2012 Ironman World Championship 70.3 prize purse is doubling to $200,000 and the total 2012 Ironman World Championship prize purse is increasing to $650,000.

This season, the 5150 Triathlon Series will offer several new races and WTC has designated a number of Ironman 70.3 races around the world that will count toward the 5150 PR system as well. Professional athletes will have up to five of their highest scored races count toward their 5150 PR; at least one of those races must be a 5150 Triathlon Series event and up to two of the designated Ironman 70.3 races may count toward the total.

A full list including the qualifying schedule and points can be found on the Ironman Pro Membership website
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[ITU prize pool tops $2million]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_9537.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[The International Triathlon Union has confirmed the prize money for the 2012 ITU World Triathlon Series, with the total prize pool surpassing two million dollars next year. With an overall increase of 15 per cent, prize money from the eight series events and the year-end bonus pool will total $2.06-million (all funds USD).

&quot;Across the board we are seeing tremendous growth in our premier series - from spectators to participants to sponsors to broadcast partners and now with prize money for our elite athletes,&quot; said Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC Member. &quot;On the back this growth, 2012 is poised to be the greatest and most exciting triathlon season to date.&quot;

The Grand Final in Auckland will feature a $270,000 prize purse while the prize money for every other series event will be $170,000. Also, each race and the Grand Final will also now award prize money down to the 20th place, whereas in 2011 only athletes who finished in the top-15 claimed prize money.

Athletes will vie for an additional $600,000 in the year-end bonus pool which pays the top 30 ranked women and men - up from top-20 - at season&#039;s end. This figure is up from $500,000 in the 2011 season. Overall, it means that there is an increase of $260,000 to the overall pool, up from $1.8-million to $2.06-million.  Finishing the year atop the series rankings will not only earn an athlete the coveted title of &quot;ITU World Champion&quot; but also net $60,000 of the bonus pool.

The 2012 ITU World Triathlon Series kicks off on 14-15 April in Sydney, Australia.  With eight events in eight different countries, the 2012 ITU World Champions will be crowned at the Grand Final in Auckland, New Zealand on 20-22 October.
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