Triathlon legend Jan Frodeno could hardly believe what he was seeing when the chaos of the men’s race at Dubai T100 played out right in front of him recently.
Frodeno has won every race in the sport that matters, including Olympic gold, the IRONMAN World Championship (three times) and the 70.3 Worlds (twice).
And he was the expert summariser in the commentary box in Dubai when first three athletes rode past T2 and did an extra 8km lap on the bike before the majority of the field then headed to the finish line after seven rather than eight laps of the run.
What unfolded has been hotly debated ever since and in an exclusive interview with TRI247 last week, the PTO’s CEO Sam Renouf apologised to all the athletes involved in that run finale.
‘You do the math’
And Frodeno has now given some fascinating insights into the thought processes involved when something unexpected happens right in the middle of a high-pressure race environment.
Just as he said on commentary, the responsibility for the extra bike lap was very much down to the athletes – but the run situation was far more nuanced.
Writing in his latest Frodissimo Times blog titled ‘How To Count To Eight When Nobody Knows Whats Happening’, Frodeno first references an initial mistake from himself – rectified by some quick thinking – when he won the PTO’s US Open in brilliant style in 2023 on his comeback from a serious injury.
He said: “After last week’s drama, I thought it fitting to write a piece on decisions under pressure.
“Picture this: You’ve spent months clawing your way back from a hospital bed. The best triathletes in the world are here at US Open. You’re about to mount your bike when you notice – black swim skin still on, layered over your race suit like my son´s superhero costume.
“Heart sinks. Brain screams. But you do the math: overheating versus 15 seconds. Strip it off. Hand it to the referee who’s looking as confused as I am feeling. Welcome to elite sport, where we can do incredibly complex things under pressure and simultaneously forget how zippers work.”
When gut instinct kicks in
And then moving onto what unfolded in Dubai when Hayden Wilde, Mathis Margirier and Marten Van Riel rode past the chute to T2, he said: “Three leaders racing so hard they blow past transition and ride an extra 8km (if you really want my opinion – that’s on them).
“Then the run lap counting system implodes. Officials start waving athletes to the finish line after lap 7 (which, in my opinion, is clearly not the athletes fault).
“Almost all the athletes follow the officials in. Race over. A handful of athletes look around, think “that doesn’t feel like 18km,” and keep running. Lap 8.
“Pearson wins. So he should.”
But what was the mindset of Morgan Pearson – and Gregory Barnaby, Jason West and Jake Birtwhistle – that enabled them to have the confidence to trust their instinct and run on to complete the correct 18km distance? And how does it chime with Frodeno’s own US Open experience?
That’s something Jan explores alongside some real-world examples which will likely surprise you – sign up for his (free) newsletter to find out more.
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