#112: Yes, this is the wrong newsletter day

Because.

issue #112: Nov. 5, 2024

All-sporters, I’m sending this a day early because, well, it’s a big Election Day in the U.S. and I don’t feel like scheduling a newsletter to go out early tomorrow morning when no one knows what will happen tonight (or if it’ll take days to know how things shake out). I also don’t really feel like thinking about triathlon much today, I don’t have the energy. Or maybe it’s that I have too much anger and even triathlon doesn’t deserve the full amount of my rage right now.

Some of you know, but not most, that I’m at week 24 of an unplanned very high-risk pregnancy. (Chill out, most pregnancies are unplanned, it’s fine.) But what that means is, because of my pre-existing heart and medical issues, I wouldn’t have necessarily chosen to put myself in this position at this time in America. It’s too risky.

The laws now limit, depending on where you live, what kind of medical care you can get if something goes wrong in a pregnancy. And if something goes wrong for me, I wish I didn’t have to also worry about whether or not a hospital is going to let me die.

I have a team of high risk doctors here who are great, they’re the experts in cardiology risks in pregnancy and we’ve gone through all possible scenarios and concerns. The fact that I was able to transfer all of my care to them and that I live in California is really all that’s made me feel good about moving forward. But I’ve still had 17 different appointments and tests already, and been sent to the ER once. It just is what it is.

And now I’m at that risky period time-wise where if something happens — if I have a passing out episode and fall and it causes a placental abruption, or if one of my irregular heart rhythms gets stuck for too long and causes fetal distress and triggers premature labor, or if my blood pressure swings do lead to severe pre-eclampsia — if something goes wrong it’s way too early to just deliver and have it be fine, but it’s also way too late for it not to additionally put my life and health in danger. The odds are low and we’re managing the risks, but it’s a whole number percent and not as close to zero as I’d like. And so I’ve had to think about this a lot. I’ve had to weigh where I can or want to travel, what kind of medical care I can count on; I can’t go to visit my grandparents for the holidays because where they live the law limits my potential emergency medical care too much.

It’s been hard to listen to people talk online or on TV about this as if it’s theoretical or overblown, as if my life and other women’s lives like me are simply abstract or don’t matter — people who have never had to sit with a maternal fetal medicine specialist and talk through possible outcomes. It’s been incredibly tough and rage-inducing. (On top of the regular kinda-want-to-throw-up type stuff.)

And, so, yes, I know you really are just here for the triathlon gossip, and a good number of you aren’t even American (sorry!), but there it is: That’s why I don’t really care about any other topic right now. And that’s why I’m just sending out a shorter rundown of quick tri-ish news items today, a day early.

- Kelly

---

Speaking of qualifying: 70.3 Worlds

After last week’s newsletter about what could happen to the Ironman World Championship, I started thinking about 70.3 World Champs qualifying too.

Since the 70.3 race changed to a now-much-loved two-day format in 2017 it had been moving steadily towards more spots for the women’s race. And then I sorta, honestly, lost track of 70.3 Worlds qualifying during the pandemic because it got all messed up. And then the world moved on. And, in my head, I definitely thought the two separate races were now treated as separate races — ie. there’s a women’s race and day with spots for that race, and there’s a men’s race and day with spots for that race. There’s no reason the spots to one race should be dependent on the other race. There’s no theoretical pier that limits how many bikes can all be crammed into one day.

But then I went to check and it turns out 70.3 Worlds qualifying still works on an outdated proportionality system: ie. There are 50 qualifying spots total for Indian Wells 70.3 and then those spots will be divided up among the age-group men and women based on how many athletes in each gender and age-group start. (There are also additional extra women’s spots thrown on top of some races.)

I don’t understand why these are treated as if they’re dependent on each other. Why parcel out women’s spots based on how many men do triathlon? When they’re separate championship races? When it’s not a relevant piece of data?

Every time I have to explain proportionality to some new triathlete, it always makes me think of this Simpsons’ clip.

_

One edit to last week’s newsletter: I did slightly correct the total number of spots for men to 2025 Nice.

The overall point is still right, though: Ironman is currently offering a lot more spots to the 2025 men’s race than to the women’s. Even though they’re different races in different locations. And, yeah, some internet comments and forums have already begun to gear up for why this is a “necessary” step towards moving back to one day, why the women just aren’t as competitive and don’t deserve an equal number of spots, why it needs to be “harder” to qualify.

But I also got a lot of emails and responses about why it’d be bad for the sport to go backwards, about how important a women’s championship race, about thinking through triathlon’s future, about how we need to expand beyond Kona, about what to tell their daughters if they want to get into triathlon.

Because no matter what other things anyone says about how they want to grow the women’s side of the sport first, about how they’re supportive of women but the fields just aren’t as deep yet, about how creating championship spots proportional to overall participation is actually fair even though no other sport works that way — no matter what caveats are put on it what a kid hears is: The women don’t deserve as many spots as the men because they’re just not as good.

---

Photo: Courtesy of Supertri

The best of the rest of the races

• Supertri NEOM: Cassandre Beaugrand won the race, but Georgia TB won the series (and another $80,000). And while Alex Yee edged out Hayden Wilde in the desert, Hayden took the title and team title.

  • Final results here.

• Noosa Tri: The big info here is Ashleigh Gentle won her 10th straight and 11th overall title. Which is a lot for any race.

Mark your calendar

• NCAA Varsity Nationals: APPARENTLY. Because of hurricane damage in Clermont, Florida, the race is no longer a triathlon. Instead (!) they’re going to do a swim on Friday in a different venue, and then do a time-trial bike-run on Saturday with starts based on swim times. Wild!

  • Here are the current rankings.

---

The -ish

• Don’t forget: Book Club is on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET. We’ll be talking about The Norwegian Method. (Triathlonish)

• Yes, it turns out Ironman California accidentally handed out only 40 instead of 45 Kona spots for women. Oops! (Facebook)

• This whole ‘oh no was there sabotage in the men’s 35-39 age group in Kona’ story is a lot of speculation and hearsay and inferences — and naturally that means people are eating it up. (Triathlon Magazine/Instagram)

• The New York Marathon this past weekend had 55,646 finishers, making it the biggest NYC Marathon ever — which was why the Detroit Pistons had to take the subway to their game. And Abdi Nageeye and Sheila Chepkirui used closing kicks to win. (NYRR, Instagram, Washington Post)

• Cyclists were banned from riding the empty course before the race. And this influencer was banned for life for having two cameramen follow him during the race on ebikes (and the internet has united in piling on him). (New York Times)

• A new men’s half-marathon world record was set two weekends ago in Valencia: 57:30. Triathlete Morgan Pearson also ran a 61:09 in Valencia, so good for him. (CBS/Instagram)

• USAT Nationals is back to Milwaukee for 2025 & 2026. And USAT announced its full 2025 championship schedule. (USAT)

• And they announced that there will be NO Endurance Exchange this year. Which is…interesting. (USAT)

• If you’re a member, you can read the digital version of the USA Tri Magazine with my story looking back on the last 40 years. (USA Tri Mag)

• With the season almost over, we’ve also got the Challenge Family bonus on the line. (Challenge Family)

• Word in Kona was the PTO has secured some more investment. So we’ll see what announcement comes soon.

• And the whole hubbub over the bullying and potential vote intimidation for the World Tri president has now made mainstream news in the UK. (The Times)

• Lucy Charles-Barclay set a new British & European Masters swim record in the 1500m (16:55.36). Between swim races and Zwift races, what are our bets she’s not running yet? (Tri247)

• Did you know the winners of the Esports Cycling World Champs took home $15K each? (Velo)

• Lots of records set in the Backyard Ultra two weeks ago. Also some interesting research on what happens in the athletes’ minds while running loops and loops and loops. (Run247/Outside)

• Finalists were announced for the track & field athletes of the year. (World Athletics)

• Grand Slam Track signed a whole bunch of big name athletes. (Forbes)

• And there are apparently more agents now in women’s cycling. Anecdotally, I’d say that’s also true in tri overall. (Escape Collective)

---

One last thing

I’m not generally a huge fan of finish line proposals — I mean you do you if that’s really what will make you both happy, but it usually seems pretty performative. But I am 100% behind this cramping up as he goes to kneel down.