Hayden Wilde has reflected on his incredible quartet of September triathlons by admitting he had ‘gone to the dark side’ too many times during his epic feat of endurance that saw him complete four races in just four weeks.

With a puff of the cheeks and a shake of the head, it could perhaps be argued that Sunday’s WTCS Grand Final in Pontevedra had proved to be that one race too far for the Kiwi superstar.

Coming hot on the heels of his efforts in Supertri, IRONMAN 70.3 and T100, it is no wonder that he ‘ran out of gas’ as he returned to the Olympic distance in Spain with a creditable fifth-place finish.

Four races, three finals, one month

It would be fair to suggest there were more than a few eyebrows raised when he announced his intention to compete in four races across different distances and competitions, all in the space of just four weekends.

Throw in the fact that three of these races were also major finals where competition was expected to be fiercer than normal, and you have a recipe for one massive test of triathlon endurance.

The fact that he was able to finish as runner-up in one of the four, win a further two and then slip back into the Olympic distance while not at his best and still take a place in the top five says as much about his mentality as it does his fitness and skill levels.

Across the four races, he swam approximately 6.3km, biked 222km and ran 53.9km, collecting $209,800 in listed race prize money.

‘Gone to the dark side of the box’

It was no wonder then that, having finished second at the Supertri Pro Series Final in Jersey and winning both the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice and his latest T100 tour race on the French Riviera, he was proud of his achievements… even if Pontevedra had been something of a struggle.

Writing on his Instagram account following Sunday’s finale to his awesome foursome, he said: “Fought to the end ‘P5’ for me. Proud of the fight; ran out of gas early on the run. Too many times in four weeks I’ve gone to the dark side of the box.

“Best WTCS finish since the big crash; so proud of this one. Wasn’t pretty, as said, but got the job done and definitely beat my start number of 61. 😂

“Gives me a ton of confidence for next year. Also, thank you to everyone for following. My September of madness was wild!”

Taking on four races in four weeks may have looked extreme on the outside, but there was always a definite method to Wilde’s ‘madness’, as he looked to maximise the races left open to him in a season which has once again been hampered by enforced time on the sidelines.

Now for the T100 title defence

While last year was affected by the ‘big crash’ mentioned in his post, referring to his horrific collision with a truck that left him with a punctured lung, broken ribs and a fractured shoulder blade, this season has been impacted by lung inflammation that effectively put paid to his WTCS title hopes.

Each of the four races clearly served a purpose, with Supertri offering a bumper payday, the 70.3 Worlds providing him with the chance to finally earn his middle-distance crown, the T100 win strengthening his position at the top of the standings, and the WTCS offering a route back into the Olympic distance ahead of an expected renewal of focus on short-course racing in 2027.

With a men’s T100 race scheduled for Saudi Arabia on November 28 and the Qatar championship final set for December, few would be willing to bet against him picking up another couple of wins – and a few more thousands in prize money – to add to his collection.