I’ve always liked McNamee. 
Hardly news though is it? I don’t remember British Triathlon ever supporting long distance athletes 
Having to pay your own entry fee and pay for suit that they don’t allow you to put your sponsors on is ridiculously poor. If they supplied the suit at no cost then the sponsors rule would be fine IMO.
“…and I think that’s a part of the reason long-course hasn’t grown as it should have in the UK“
No one could argue against that.
True but I think it’s worth doling out the blame appropriately as Ironman backs out.
When Emma Pooley won her third LD Duathlon World title she said that the only support she received from the BTF was her race suit…
I understand them not funding the LC athletes as it isn’t in the Olympics and therefore having a world champ or whatever doesn’t up their funding from UK sport. But for the LC championships they could help the athletes out with a suit, accommodation, etc. without hurting their annual budget. They can buy track suits, T-shorts, etc. for the SC coaches but not LC athletes?
The ITU/ETU long course stuff always seems like a bit of an anomaly and a side show to the standard/sprint stuff. I’m not really sure why it exists because most of the best long course athletes don’t bother with it.
All a money making exercise?
They are 100 - 200k short of dosh this year, apparently…so there won’t be too many freebies in the near future…
It used to be a bigger deal but they chose to battle IM rather than work with them and lost out…
at the first two world LD duathlons I did, GB were represented by: Mark McKay Wayne Smith Martin Yelling Jess Draskau-Petersson Annie Emmerson Bella Commerford Sara Gross Michelle Parsons Phil Mosley Dave Benton Dave Brown and Oli Mott and possibly one or two more than i no longer recall…the team was stacked…
They probably cant though, its that bad. I know a female athlete in another minority but Olympic sport, a full international, and didnt have any kit as they had changed supplier. Ended up being given mens kit in huge sizes.
worth pointing out also that they all had time for everyone…there was no divide or separate hotel or us and them…they were as interested in what the whole team were doing as well as willing to share their stuff…
(I realise that this is far less feasible these days with the AG team numbers and social media etc…)
I could just imagine the SM posts from the “GB crew” of my ex club “just hanging with my team mates drinking beetjuice.com protein shakes before we go race for Britain at the World Champs”
Chrissy Wellington raced long course worlds at Almere in 2008. She won by a huge margin and then she stood at the finish line and welcomed all of the GB athletes home as they finished
yep - she gave Mrs FB her winners bouquet of flowers as she crossed the line as the last athlete to finish inside cut off, only for Mrs FB to find she’d been DQ’d on the bike leg (but that’s a whole other tale).
Chrissy was very generous with her support and would always be on the finish line welcoming AGers across the line - saw that at Roth as well.
those pesky officials…
