Search
shop

Lessons learned: Kyle Smith on a tough day at The Championship

Kyle Smith reflects on his day at The Championship in Samorin. It required a never-give-up approach
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Ahead of The Championship on Sunday, TRI247 columnist, Kyle Smith, told us that he was expecting that ‘mental toughness‘ would be required, stepping up to race a quality field just two weeks after finishing 11th at the IRONMAN World Championship in St George.

Pro View
Kyle Smith
New Zealander Kyle Smith is making his mark in the world of middle and full distance racing and led the IRONMAN World Championship into the run at St George in May. He’s also the training partner of Jan Frodeno and will be writing blogs here on TRI247 throughout the season.

That assessment proved to be correct, as he checks in post-race after a fifth place – just one second behind Miki Taagholt after a sprint finish – left him pretty proud, given the way the day started.

Advertisement

Spat out the back

“It was a very up and down day. I didn’t feel great in the water – I was pretty gassed, but just trying to hang on to the feet as much as I could.

The Championship 2022 Kyle Smith swim
Photo Credit: Jose Luis Hourcade

“Then I got on the bike and for the first time in my career, had to wave goodbye… I got shelled, spat out the back and I was really struggling to hold power. I was literally riding 150 watts lower than I wanted to be holding at that point in the race. I just decided that the only thing I can try is to do some sprints, just to try and get my legs back around before I pulled the pin.

“I did three by 10 second sprints to get the legs moving and yeah, the legs came back around, just in time for when Gustav’s group rolled through. I managed to jump on the back of Gustav’s group and kind of hang on for the last 60km of the ride into T2.

Proud

“Onto the run and all I could do was keep moving forward and I started picking up some guys slowly and wasn’t losing that much time and was actually feeling not horrendous.

“I just kept moving forward and started running down the podium, but unfortunately ran out of real estate at the end to get on the podium, but I’m really proud and proved to myself that you never give up and there’s always things you can try to get the legs back moving again.

“Definitely some lessons learned and racing two weeks after an Ironman is pretty fricking hard!”

Thor Bendix Madsen / Kyle Smith / Thomas Steger The Championship 2022 run
Photo Credit: Jose Luis Hourcade
Kyle Smith
Written by
Kyle Smith
Discover more
TRI247 podcast p/b Challenge Family episode 2
Go behind the scenes at Challenge Roth with the latest episode of the TRI247 podcast
Cadomotus Chronos triathlon cycling shoes
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Challenge Family Roth
Five things you need to know about the Challenge Roth bike course
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
latest News
Julie Derron wins T100 San Francisco 2025
Olympic medallist and T100 winner reveals she’s stepping up to full distance next
Sam Laidlow Challenge Roth press conference 2025
Challenge Roth 2025: Laidlow prompts groundbreaking move as Race Ranger data will be made public
Kat Matthews IRONMAN Texas Finish Line 2025
Kat Matthews and Magnus Ditlev top 70.3 Swansea fields as IRONMAN Pro Series heads to Wales
Kristian Blummenfelt Kristian Hogenhaug Casper Stornes IRONMAN Frankfurt 2025
Triathlon GOAT Mark Allen sends “great champions” message to red-hot superstar Kristian Blummenfelt
Zachary Josie bike
Age-group athlete with dwarfism says INCREDIBLE goal is “in his grasp” at Challenge Roth
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...