Oops. Still a sub 8 though
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Wow just caught up - 7h46 and he looked totally unphased at the finish compared to the finish line collapses I’ve seen recently. He’s had an impressive race and an impressive year.
Some kind of fuss between Hoffman and Vinhero at the swim exit, Lionel stops to pick up his drink, Skipper doing the end of the bike stuck in the big gear, some kind of detonation on the run for Sam but good news I think for Sanders to run away from Hoffman and Beals.
Can Joe just keep racing like this all year with no downside?
I get he needs to raise his profile, but pretty sure that Jan can save himself for/focus on just the WC.
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I disagree, I think that Iden and Blumenfeld can take on Frodeno’s A game. They are better triathletes than Long, Sanders and Skipper - they can all win triathlons, and are formidable on their day, however, they are just too far behind on the swim.
I think we need to see Iden and Blum actually race an Ironman first before saying they are better at it than anyone else
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I told Joe years ago, either FB or TT1.0 to get friendly with swim club and just swim in their top squad. An adult swimmer would make huge gains if you can put up with being schooled by 16-19 year olds. You can’t improve at the same level swimming in public lanes or an endless pool on your own, or even 1to1 with a coach. Others with push you further.
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Do you reckon it’s even more beneficial for swimming the club/group mentality to push on given less likely to have issues with fatigue/injury compared to over-working run sessions?
And the neural side, learning what swimming faster feels like for position, hence if can have that experience on people’s feet and cling on.
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Yep, minimal injury risk in swimming so you can get away more with “hanging on” and recovery is much quicker compared to running. We see it with squads, A kid leading out say silver squad (4th tier ~U12 , 5.5hrs pw), is say 1:25 - 1:30ish for 100 Fr give or take, move up to gold (11-15, 7hrs pw) and you see adaptation almost before your eyes and very quickly dropping 10 to 15 seconds / 100 just through hanging on. Kids are very adaptable though, Many can instantly change an aspect of their stroke when highlighted and a lot do “find the path of least resistance” naturally as well, which adults generally don’t.
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I see their names so much, I just assumed they’d done an IM, have they not?
Do they race each other a lot? I’m not sure who is meant to be the better out of the two?
Alistair Brownlee is a double Olympic champion; how’s he getting on against Frodeno?
Iden = 2 x 70.3 world champ
Blum = Olympic gold medalist
Neither has done a full Ironman yet, both planning to do one soon
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I think both Ali and Jonny should do very well at IM if they dedicate themselves to it. Ali showed how well he can go when he doesn’t get caught up with trying to push the pace to see if others want to go over their ‘red line’ following him at WA a couple of years ago. I think the sub-7 project will help him and Jonny learn what is going too hard at the wrong time.
As for Joe, if we apply ST logic he already won Kona. The people who finished in front of him swam faster so that doesn’t really count. Secondly, as they were at the front of the race the camera and race official moto’s towed them to T2 so he won. 
I bet he could throw a shoe over a pub and win the real race.
@Hammerer you defo told Skipper to join a club on TT1.0
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I wouldn’t put it past Blum to be a World Champ, he’s strong and got that ability to tough it out, although i do wonder if his running efficiency will let him down. He’s very imbalanced (doesnt he have some medical issue causing that?)
It’s possible, but like Skipper I wouldn’t say it’s probable.
Maybe we’re too jaded though, and it’s time for a breakthrough performance and at a different course it could come from an unexpected athlete.
I think both Norwegians will go well, but they won’t be in true WC shape for a few years, by which time Frodo will have gone. I always thought Richard Murray would do well at longer racing … does he still race at all?
Frodo is 40, right?
I know you’re a long time retired, but he can’t have that many years of top level racing left in him.
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Yes, the Frodeno era will be over in a few years; just like in the mid 90s… the others are waiting.
I reckon Lange could have him. Particularly at St George.
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I suppose he already has, didn’t he win Kona the year Frodeno had the injury on the run. 2017.
Yeah, but Lange had a domestique to pace him on the bike, so doesn’t count.
Or Frodo won 2019 because Lange had a stomach bug.
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