issue #151: Sept. 4, 2025
Ah, oops, it seems like moving to a new newsletter day threw some of you off. Sorry! Reminder: The weekly newsletter now comes to you early Thursday mornings. More changes coming soon, too. Stay tuned.
And today’s a short one. I’d tell you why but I don’t feel like it. We've got a bunch of quick hits, results, and gearing up before championships go on forever and ever and ever.
- Kelly
“The biggest weekend in triathlon history”
Lol.
Obviously the combined WTCS and T100 was not the biggest weekend in triathlon history. But it was something. It happened! Races were won!
Word is the T100 French Riviera bike course was actually one of the best out there. All the pros have been raving. And somehow the PTO was able to really close down the French Riviera roads — which, if you’ve ever ridden there, you know is no joke. There are so many little towns and roads and driveways, whew. Getting that all sorted evidently involved very very many course marshals and police pre-riding ahead of the athletes. So kudos on that. And thank goodness, because it was whoa enough without cars.
However, as might have been obvious if also you’ve been to mass participation events before, it was simply not possible to continue this level of closure for the extended time period necessary for the age-groupers, so the age-groupers’ race was changed to a condensed multi-lap route. But, you know, learn some lose some. And, as best I can tell, there were about 1,000 age-groupers across the 100km, Olympic, and sprint.
(The WTCS was looped similar but different.)
Now, a short summary of the French pro races: The T100 was a podium of women everyone roots for. I mean who wasn’t happy to see Ashleigh Gentle back on top or Paula Findlay and Indie Lee with a good race. Also makes for a different winner for every single women’s T100 so far this year. Which is either really interesting or really not.
I was also rooting for Hayden Wilde to pull off the double win, but he won the T100 and went 11th the next day in the WTCS. So close.
The WTCS then, reportedly from people there, had bigger spectator crowds — partially because looped course probably, partially because French women winning in France (or going three of the top four, plus Jeanne Lehair who really does train a lot in France, so). Cassandre Beaugrand is quite the celebrity I gather.
T100
WOMEN
Ashleigh Gentle
Paula Findlay
Indie Lee
Lucy Byram
Ellie Salthouse
MEN
Hayden Wilde
Jelle Geens
Samuel Dickinson
Mathis Margirier
Rico Bogen
WTCS
WOMEN
Cassandre Beaugrand
Jeanne Lehair
Leonie Periault
Emma Lombardi
Beth Potter
MEN
Matthew Hauser (yes, again!)
Vasco Vilaca
Miguel Hidalgo
Dorian Coninx
Tom Richard
Do I *have* to care about shoe rules??
Because I’d really rather not. Yet, here we are again.
Imma sum up real quick: There are shoes that are illegal under World Triathlon rules because World Triathlon adheres to World Athletics shoe rules. (Ironman also sorta does, too.) World Athletics says you can’t wear shoes with more than 40mm stack height, and you can’t wear prototype shoes. Here is the full list of approved shoes.
For amateurs, honestly, I mean you could get caught with one of the pairs of market-available technically illegal shoes, yeah, especially if the refs at Kona (for example) do random checks. But in a mega marathon like New York? No, no one cares. And also you’re coming in 1,238th place solely for your own personal fulfillment, so what’s the saying: The only person you’re cheating is yourself.
But for pros the bigger issue becomes prototype shoes. Because lots of pros test prototype gear. And triathlon has a long history of prototyping gear. But, blahblah shoes have to be on the market and widely available for xx days in order to be legal. (This is to stop unfair advantages — like back when some athletes had access to the first Nike supershoes and other athletes didn’t.)
OK. Follow so far? Stopped caring already? Me, too.
The reason this is an issue again is because it appears that Hayden Wilde was wearing a pair of prototype Asics when he won this past weekend, which will not yet be legal for another week or so. And if he didn’t know that’s kinda too bad it happens. But, there’s a clip after the finish where he appears to clearly know they’re not legal, and seems to be saying that no one’s checking but he’ll take them off anyway. (Which lol to the idea that posting that clip is no shade at Hayden. I mean, I personally find it mostly entertaining and think he’s riding the line like so many athletes do, but it is definitely shade.)
So now the question is: Should T100 or World Tri check shoes in transition? All shoes or just random checks? Should athletes be DQ’d or penalized if it becomes clear the shoes weren’t legal after the fact? Or is it more: play has to be called on the field? Should we just stop caring and let people wear whatever shoes they want?
Discuss.
From the races
Zell am See 70.3: On paper, Kat Matthews is having an absolutely unbeatable season. Add to her win that we all know (because everyone follows everyone’s socials don’t they) she’s deep in a Kona training block and still won handily. There are those athletes who are quiet, you don’t see many results during the year, and then bam they deliver on championship days. Kat, though, is not going to sneak up on anyone; she’s got results and results and results.
Results: WTCS - French Riviera, T100 - French Riviera, Zell am See 70.3, Challenge Fortaleza
The -ish
Some of the things worth knowing about this week in our sports — or that I just think are interesting.
Oh, and poor T100, they just can’t escape controversy. It sounds like a number of age-groupers didn’t finish the bike course within the cut-off but were then allowed to continue to the run. This included pro boxer, Tommy Fury. Which is fine whatever it happens. But, T100 originally blasted his finish all over their social and the results (and his social) claimed he had done the whole race. And while I have a long history of disliking Marathon Investigations because I mostly think piling on random age-groupers for the high crime of banditing a race or cutting a course is, like, just not worth it — but if you’re a celebrity then you probably should know that people are going to notice if you say you did something that you didn’t do all the way. (Instagram/WIRED)
I also didn’t realize the CEO who stole an autographed hat from a kid at the U.S. Open was wearing an Ironman hat, so the triathlon socials really are just delivering this week. (ABC/Instagram)
Next week, we’ll do a real Men’s Nice preview — which is an absolute total banger of a world championship start list. Though when recording the Feisty Tri podcast yesterday with Fenella Langridge and Hannah Berry I was primarily focused on: Where is the official afterparty location in Nice? Have we established a regular spot yet? (Ironman/Feisty Tri)
Sophie Coldwell’s husband won UTMB. It was an absolute chaos of weather with rain turning to snow overnight and race organizers cutting out the high point because we don’t want people to die. Both Ruth Croft (who won) and Tom Evans (who won) have the same coach – so maybe he just gave them really good weather advice. (Instagram)
Oh and UTMB shoes. And did you know there’s a volunteer race to the pub afterwards. (Outside Run/Instagram)
It was the debut of the Sydney Marathon as a World Marathons Major. (The Guardian)
The Vuelta has had a lot of pro-Palestinian protestors over the Israel-Premier Tech team. And I get that protesting while people are biking is really unsafe — do not cause crashes! — but I think, from a pure definitional standpoint, there’s an argument that the sports world should be excluding Israel in the same way they’ve cut out Russia after the Ukraine invasion. (The Athletic/Sports Politika)
And poor Michael Johnson. He was just trying to save track and field. He failed spectacularly — as is outlined in this deep dive investigations — but isn’t that a shame. (The Athletic)
I have also heard the argument that the PTO is really a data company, and invested in a live data tech company. But, you know, there still has to be a market for the data you want to sell. (Endurance Sportswire)
Pros are always going on about how we need the 20m drafting rule, but dying they can’t even spot how far 20 meters is. (Instagram)
Plus, in case you were curious, the gene sex testing that was due by Sept. 1 for track athletes is going so great, no problems or chaos, or unnecessary expenses and massive headaches. 🙄 (CBC)
And while there have been a lot of stories about the Instagram-wellness-anti-birth control-TikTok trends, this one really is wild. (New York Time)
One last thing
It is though.
