TTL x Castelli BEND CAMP, Kate's race in Estonia, and Zack's season so far!
by: Olivia Vallone
by: Olivia Vallone
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Kate Finishes 5th at 70.3 European Championships!
Building on the excitement of last week's full-distance European Championships in Frankfurt, the 70.3 Euro Championships took center stage in Estonia this weekend. As a regional championship event, IM 70.3 had a larger prize purse up for grabs, and coveted slots for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
Athletes typically begin with a swim in Lake Harku - however, a last minute drop in the lake’s water quality forced the swim to be moved to Stroomi beach. Big kudos to the race organizers - we were very impressed to see a venue change instead of cancelling the swim. It's definitely not a simple switch, but infinitely better for the athletes.
The bike course weaves throughout the vibrant medieval city and the scenic landscapes of Harju County. Despite its seemingly flat terrain, the two-loop ride still holds some punchy rollers, which can burn some matches that might be needed later on the run. The bike course brings athletes back to the capital city, leading to a mostly flat route along the Baltic Sea coastline for the run.
This course benefits those who can sustain an intense effort, but especially favors those who really dare to test their limits and grind for every second - and that’s exactly what Kate did.
The women's field was stacked, featuring leaders of the Ironman Pro Series and recent Olympic medalists. Kate and the rest of the professional field took the swim venue change in stride—quite literally. The water was extremely shallow due to the receding tides of the Baltic Sea, which forced athletes to run through the water rather than swim.
Even at its deepest points, the water was only about 2.5m deep! The men's pro field looked like a pod of dolphins, diving forward, attempting to swim, then standing up and leaping in again. After getting an idea of the water’s depth from the men, the pro women decided to gallop through the water with some high knee running until it became swimmable at the first buoy.
Kate was on a roll from the start gun to the finish line. This was a FAST 70.3 and there was no time to 'settle in'. While Caroline Phole exited the water first (and would go on to finish 1st), Kate was in a great position chasing from a decent sized pack about 40 seconds back. The field spread out a bit as athletes strained to widen and close gaps as the heat rose upwards of 85°F / 29°C.
The dizzying heat impacted a good amount of athletes in both pro fields as many took a DNF and dropped out, but Kate held a steady and composed effort on the bike despite seeing others surge towards T2. Temperatures were peaking by the time the women’s field took on the run course, and with a small chase pack on her heels, Kate needed to keep her foot on the gas. Despite the tough conditions, she was dialed in for the whole run, maintaining a strong, consistent pace all the way to the end and finished in 5th! An amazing result to reflect some serious effort. Way to hold your ground, Kate! She is on another level this season, definitely check out her instagram to follow along more closely!
Podcast
PODCAST 🎙️
Last week on the Pod, We Discussed:
How we eat throughout the day
The awesome story of how Nick met fellow triathlete, Gordon Ramsey
Waxing and maintaining a new chain
When / how to switch coaches
Is it worth it to rent a bike for 70.3 World Champs?
How we calculate swim time for weekly volume
If we could re-do any race...
How to learn bike maintenance basic
Why consistency is key when training to improve your run
Racing with Zack: Get to know the new pro!
Recently, it’s been difficult to keep up with the rapid influx of emerging talent in the triathlon world. It feels as though every week there is a new young gun phenom destined for their legacy to resemble that of Jan Frodeno or Daneila Ryf. Professional triathlon has evolved significantly in recent years, reaching new heights of intensity, competition, and popularity. Aside from the technological advancements that enable athletes to transcend the assumed boundaries of human endurance, numerous global triathlon leagues (World Triathlon, Ironman, SuperTri) have undergone rebrands and expanded their calendars. As a result, there are more prestigious events than ever, not only offering larger prize purses, but also greater media exposure - which equates to a large stake in today’s marketability of the digital age. Triathlon’s professional makeover now draws in a new generation of elite athletes, eager to begin a career.
New names are breaking old records and claiming new titles. The bar has never been higher, and the competition has never been so intense. Perhaps it makes sense why today’s pool of pros feels like a sea of talent - because it is.
With so many new faces, it’s hard to keep up with who’s who - so allow us to show you one of our favorite new pros:
Meet Zack Cooper
Click here to read up on what Zack's experience has been like as a first year pro!
TTL x Castelli Bend Dream Camp!
Eric was absolutely buzzing after such a fun weekend with the sweepstake winners:
"For the last few years, I’ve been missing the face to face interaction and sense of community that I had while working in the triathlon shop in Portland, prior to turning pro. While online interaction is awesome, and the only option for many who don’t live near a triathlon hub, we want to grow opportunities for TTL folks to connect with each other in real life, whether it be at existing races, at camp-style experiences we host, or even our very own multisport event! This is a big undertaking but one we’re super stoked on, and this event with Castelli was our first move in that direction.
We absolutely couldn’t have put this together without their help and we had a blast showing these rad people around our favorite spots here in Bend.
Friday the crew arrived, got set up with rental gravel bikes, and set out for a ride up Mt. Bachelor. After a good nights sleep, and a morning espresso, Eric and Paula led a 3 hour gravel ride to Tumalo falls, ending back in Bend for lunch. The afternoon brought a trail run along the Deschutes River, followed by pizza night at the group cabin!
Sunday was the final hurrah, with a community run from Thump Coffee, Eric + Paula’s daily coffee stop! We had a great turnout, with a ton of local friends, and we sent the crew off an a high"
We hope to host more events like this soon! Be sure to follow us on Instagram for the latest opportunities!
Don't forget to check out our new partner products page!
We recently curated a partner product section on the site to feature our favorite products and help people find best stuff! Triathlon requires a LOT of equipment, and finding the best gear for the best price can be a bit overwhelming. The goal of this page is to help you narrow it down!
This week's spotlight is on the go-to shoe for the whole TTL team: The On Cloudmonsters
Paula, Eric, and Nick all LOVE the cloud monster and keep it in rotation year-round. Ideal for long runs, any runs on pavement, and even tempo runs, this shoe feels fantastic and often is the secret weapon for those who struggle to run pain-free. Worth a try for anyone looking to increase their mileage or their comfort, we can’t give this shoe a higher recommendation.
Stay stoked,
-Eric & Paula
(and Olive, the intern)