#130: What can we learn from fancy track
And other lessons of the weekend.
issue #130: April 9, 2025
All-sporters, it was a weekend of all-sporting. I even watched so so much women’s March Madness. (Ball sports? What?!) And I *almost* got you all your weekly newsletter in a timely fashion without falling asleep. At least it’s hitting your inbox when it’s still Wednesday here. So, until we have some childcare, we’re gonna call that a win.
[Honestly, I can deal with the up and downs of being exhausted and the ‘don’t think beyond this mile’ unrelenting-ness of a newborn. Some days are fun, some days aren’t. But I really can’t deal with the amount so many people seem to use it as an excuse to project all of their own shit onto you. Like, I don’t have the time or energy for that too.]
There are a few tri things in the works over here, but since I’m barely back to even answering emails, we’ll leave those things for another week. And, otherwise, we’ve a standard newsletter of triathlon-ish news.
- Kelly
What can triathlon learn from Grand Slam Track? What can they learn from us?
Maybe nothing!
But. This weekend, scrolling TV in between basketball games, I ended up catching some of the first Grand Slam Track in Jamaica. And it was…interesting? In a not-bad way?
The Grand Slam Track league/idea/structure/Hail Mary is, in part, inspired by and modeled off the PTO (so founder Michael Johnson has said). Now, if I was trying to revolutionize a sport, I’d want to model my venture off something that has a proven business plan and that has already shown itself to be financially viable, but I’m not a rich dude so what do I know.
In general, GST uses the structure of contracting high-profile athletes pitted against in each other in big-money matches throughout a four-event season. This is done by having groups of runners compete in two distances over the three days of the event — 100m/200, 100m hurdles/100m, 200/400m, 400m hurdles/400m, 800m/1500m, 3000m/5000m — and then naming a “winner” of that group (sorry, of that “slam”) and giving them $100K.
Here’s what Grand Slam got right, which I think the PTO (and/or anyone else trying to build up the pro side of the sport) could learn from:
Because athletes have to compete in two races, they’re often racing an “off” distance for them. It, by definition then, creates the kind of interesting match-ups you don’t normally see — the best 400m runners against some of the best sprinters, etc. After I explained this to my husband, he thought it was cool. Downside: I had to explain it. (It also would have been more interesting if some of the distances that were raced in multiple groups all went off against each other. I want to see Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone v. Gabby Thomas in a 400m!)
The races were on primetime TV on the CW. I know everyone shits on primetime TV, but it’s still a hell of a lot easier for a spectator to turn on the TV and have the broadcast already be there than it is to try to convince viewers to go find whatever streaming service they’re supposed to sign up for to watch some specific race.
They handed out the $100,000 checks right away, and it made for some good video — instead of the chaos that generally comes with trying to collect triathlon winnings months after the fact and which creates a short of *whomp whomp* effect battling for the big payday.
They also had nearly all of their contracted athletes show up and perform. It’s almost as if their contracts were written that way…
Now, filling a 35,000-person stadium was a tough sell. And, for an event in Jamaica, they didn’t have the biggest Jamaican stars signed to contracts. So they gave out free tickets on the second day — which was probably a good idea to get the experience and numbers up, and a decent pivot.
Of course, there were things they will need to improve for the other events this year. Things also that maybe Grand Slam could learn from triathlon:
Racing is typically more exciting when it isn’t a foregone conclusion.
Everyone needs to stop making their sport more confusing to outsiders.
Everyone also needs to stop getting high on their own supply. Your sport is not as interesting as you think it is. No casual fan is tuning in for three days of slam track or watching 10 hours of triathlon; it could have been condensed.
All of these new ventures also hinge so much on the broadcast. The broadcast product has to be so so good to do what they want to do and to get the kind of viewer numbers they all keep promising to get. Yet, I was reading about the As move to the minor league park in Sacramento and all the little broadcast necessities that simply weren’t there and weren’t up to the standards people expect (like a TV truck, and cameras in the right places). And all I can think about is how hard it is to do good broadcasts and how much that gets underestimated in our sports.
A short and incomplete compilation of DNFs, blow-ups, and general chaos from Singapore
Flora climbed over the barricade to DNF. And Indie sat down on the curb. Jess Learmonth struggled through to the finish line. Jelle struggled and stopped. And Mika doesn’t remember this photo.
My conclusion: I am 1000% never doing a race in Singapore.
T100 Singapore: The women’s race
Did you pick Kate Waugh (pronounced Woff, I am told) for the win? No you didn’t, stop lying.
I don’t think Kate’s performance was a total shock. She has the resume. But I think the 6-minute margin was a surprise, as well as some of the implosions behind her. The bigger surprise was probably Lisa Perterer in second. And, for the love of god, I have got to remember you never ever count out Lucy CB, no matter the distance or conditions.
T100 Singapore: The men’s race
Now, did the men watch the women’s race and learn from all the blow-ups? Of course they didn’t.
Some people said it looked like Hayden Wilde was jogging it in for the win, but so what if he was. You do what you have to do, and at least he fulfilled his contract. Ditto for Marten Van Riel backing up his second place at IM S. Africa last weekend with third place this weekend.
Intellectual question, however, as well as an existential one for the T100: Is it more exciting as a spectator to see athletes go all-in on a single race, best-of-the-best ready to deliver a peak performance on a given day OR stack very strong performances over and over but not be totally all-in on any one of them? Which is better?
(I’m split. I think there’s something to no excuses, put up or shut up, your eggs are in one basket. Plus, it’s better TV. But I also think the crazy doubles, etc are impressive athletically.)
Results: See the full men & women’s Singapore results + the current T100 standings (which are just the race standings because there has only been one race, obvs)
And the best photo from Oceanside…
I never know for sure how much Oceanside is just a reflection of the adage ‘people care about what you tell them to care about’ and how much it is truly an early-season world championships of California. Personally, I also just love watching athletes forget again every year that California the first weekend of April is cold. Like, one time it was 39 degrees when I was warming up before the start.
Oceanside 70.3: The men’s race
I’ll admit it: I counted Lionel Sanders out. I thought he wouldn’t be able to make up the swim gap, but the swim can be odd at Oceanside (depends on the waves and water temperature and size of the field), and I was wrong. I wasn’t wrong, though, about Rudy Von Berg in second and Gustav Iden in third. Who knows what would have happened if Kristian hadn’t flatted, if Cam Wurf hadn’t done whatever Cam does.
Early predictions for IM Texas in three weeks….?
Oceanside 70.3: The women’s race
I also learned something interesting this weekend: Every pro woman who wanted to sign up for Oceanside was able to. Even though there’s an overall cap on pro fields in the IM Pro Series (men + women — partially because of Race Ranger units, partially because of course logistics) and they fill up very very quickly, Ironman has not had to turn away any women yet. Lesson here? Women, have the confidence of middle-of-the-pack men and take your elite license. (And also invest in dismantling barriers, tear down historic institutionalized sexism, etc etc etc.)
Something I didn’t need to learn: Paula Findlay and Jackie Hering are both very good. And kudos to Jackie for holding onto the lead until so late against one of the best mid-distance runners.
Results: See the full men’s & women’s results + the current IM Pro Series standings (which are different than the race results because there have been three IM Pro Series races so far)
The best of the rest
Supertri E World Champs (formerly known as the Arena Games): The wifi went out — a hazard of an internet-based sports event — but then it came back. Cassandre Beaugrand won, there were fireworks.
XTERRA Puerto Rico: An interesting race where veteran Branden Rakita won, but then an 18-year-old age-groupe acrtually put down an even faster time (by 30 seconds).
Results: Supertri E Champs, XTERRA Puerto Rico, Challenge Sir Bani-Yas
The -ish
And the things worth knowing about this week in our sports.
The PTO announced a “Contenders Rankings,” which appears to simply sit alongside the world rankings. The attempt is to create a clear pathway for an athlete to work themselves onto the T100 tour—which makes sense and is needed. But buried in the press release are two important points: 1. this contenders rankings replaces the world ranking year-end bonuses that were paid out previously, so it would be a decrease in total compensation from that, and 2. if you turned down a T100 contract you can not earn contenders points, money, or wildcard spots, which only sucks if you turned down a contract because you were being honest about not being able to fulfill all the race requirements and now you’re watching people who took a contract with no intention of actually fulfilling it… (PTO)
Sid says Challenge Sir Bani Yas was the first full-distance age-group race in the Middle East. So that’s cool. (Triathlete)
I also learned that The Speed Project has a solo division, when someone pitched me a story about how the solo division was half women this year. So, on the upside that’s cool. On the downside, it sounds kinda like doing Swimrun solo — as in: that’s not really the point? (Instagram)
Apparently if you want a finishers medal at the end of the London Marathon you had to check a box during your registration, and now people are upset that they didn’t know to check the box. (Daily Mail)
Alex Yee has a Youtube now too. First episode is on his training for the London Marathon. (Youtube)
I was Googling ‘PTO how it works’ to confirm some details and one of the first things that pops up — because search is a mess — is Brad Weiss’ Youtube. Everyone’s got a Youtube! (Youtube)
One of triathlon’s prolific photographers & videographers, Jack Schofield is saying goodbye to his partner because of an aggressive form of cancer. Send your thoughts to him and you can donate to their fundraiser for the hospital. (Instagram/Just Giving)
Life Time is banning drafting outside of your race category in their Grand Prix — which basically means the women get a clean race, without drafting off the men’s race affecting the outcome. (Velo)
Also, cyclists are starting to get the memo that thinner isn’t always faster, and boy do I know some cyclists who probably wish they learned that 15 years ago. (Velo)
In the gear & training news: The Norwegians have some new AI training platform thing that’s, like, the latest AI training platform thing. (Instagram)
This is probably longer than it needs to be, but is an interesting look from a pro runner after his sponsors dropped him: Am I still a pro? (Joey Berriatua)
The San Francisco Anti-Run Club celebrates sitting. My parents are moving out here next month and I think we finally just found the club for my dad to join. (SF Standard)
There’s also been a lot of Millenials v. Gen Z v. Whatever The Next One Is debate over gym attire (high socks v. low socks, for example — which, look, wear whatever socks, but mid-calf makes you look shorter #facts), and now it’s about whether you should wear all spandex or all baggy to workout. And I feel like the correct answer from a costuming perspective is that silhouettes in general should balance: something baggy + something tight. (New York Times)
Oh, sigh, and even if you believe that the wild U.S. tariffs are ultimately going to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. — which I do not believe, based on history, because that would require additional infrastructure investment, a drastic changing of the global manufacturing landscape, and, more than anything, stability and long-term certainty in our financial policy — even if you believe it’ll be better for Americans down the road somehow, ooof it’s not gonna be good for the sporting goods industry right now. (Kyla’s Newsletter/ESPN)
One last thing
If you think about it: Figure skaters have to be able to perform their jumps on land, too…
