With an early rainstorm clearing to leave calm, mild conditions it would have been tempting to think the 250 triathletes on the start list for the 2018 Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon were in for a (relatively) kind day in the mountains – well, as kind as it can get at a race we ranked as 7th toughest Iron in the world. Norseman is a long day up some very big mountains though – so it’s never a good idea to try and second-guess what you might be about to experience… Advertisement 220 Triathlon were in Norway this year to follow the race, with Editor Helen Webster helping present the live…

With only two minutes’ gap between the professional men’s and women’s gunstarts, it wasn’t long before Ryf started overtaking the male field on the bike course with a 2:12:27 split. This put her in sixth overall off the bike and more than 17 minutes ahead of the nearest woman. But the Swiss speedster had still more to give and continued to increase her lead over the half marathon until she broke the tape in a new record of 3:57:47. Advertisement Ryf said: “Today, again, I’m happy with everything. The swim was good and on the bike course I was surrounded by men and could push the pace from the beginning.…

With the dust barely settled on 2018’s Tour de France, it was triathlon’s turn to take on cycling’s most famous climb in early August at the Time Alpe d’Huez Triathlon, a legendary triathlon that we named 9th best, must-do, triathlon in the world and 9th toughest short-distance tri  in the world. Advertisement Held since 2006, the Long Course version of the race (there’s also a ‘Short’ edition and duathlon on offer) swiftly became a bucket list triathlon to rank alongside Escape from Alcatraz, the Norseman and Challenge Roth. It commences with a 2.2km swim in Lac du Vernay, the EDF-owned lake that’s opened once a year to swimmers for the event.…

France’s Pierre Le Corre won his first ever European title this afternoon at Strathclyde Park, in Glasgow, with Spaniard Fernando Alarza claiming silver after an astonishing run leg and Belgium’s Marten Van Riel finishing in third place. Advertisement In an afternoon filled with scattered showers, no one was surprised to see Slovakia’s Richard Varga exit the 1.5km swim in first place. Two laps around Strathclyde Loch proved brutal for most of the athletes, with only Jorgen Gundersen (NOR) and Germany’s Linus Stimmelwere able to follow Varga in. Reigning European sprint champion Varga was first to mount his bike for the 40km bike leg, but was quickly caught in T1 by…

Seventy-four days into his epic 100+ day swim circumnavigating Great Britain, Ross Edgley is the only man in history to have swum so far, for so long. Speaking to Ross on the west coast of Scotland, we talk jellyfish, tongue loss and a severe case of rhino neck… Advertisement 220: Congratulations on setting a new world record, how are you feeling after having swam 74 consecutive days at sea? RE: Do you know what? Not too bad. All of the cuts and bruises and ailments and chafing, we kind of discovered how to manage all of those now. So, I actually feel good. It’s now almost a case of mentally…

The worldwide event organiser IMG has announced that the Brownlee Brothers will compete in the seventh annual Beijing International Triathlon, set to take place on Sunday 23 September at the Garden Expo Park in the Fengtai District of Beijing, China. Advertisement The double Olympic gold medalist Alistair Brownlee, and Olympic silver and bronze medalist Jonny Brownlee will head a field of 30 professional triathletes. “I’m looking forward to racing in the Beijing International Triathlon again this year,” said 2016 Beijing International Triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee. “I really enjoyed the challenging course as well as the sightseeing before the race. I’m pleased Jonny is coming this year, I know he’ll enjoy it…

Rio Paralympic silver medallist Lauren Steadman has announced that she is to be part of the BBC’s popular programme, Strictly Come Dancing, this autumn. The timing is perfect as the BBC series kicks off with a launch show in September (dates TBC), just after she returns from the ITU World Champs in Gold Coast, Australia, where she will be hoping to go one better than at last year’s Worlds to bring home gold in the PTS5 category. The all-important launch show is where she’ll find out who her partner will be. But whoever it is, her fitness levels and renowned competitive nature will certainly ensure she’ll stand up to whatever…

The Starman Night Triathlon took place for the second time at the weekend with double the amount of competitors than its 2017 debut. Advertisement Set against the backdrop of the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands, the middle-distance Starman (sharing a name with one of Jeff Bridge’s greatest films/Bowie’s best songs) saw competitors kick off the unique 113km challenge (see also the iron-distance Midnight Man in Kent) by slipping into the black waters of Loch Morlich for a 1.9km swim in the dark of midnight. This was followed by a 90km cycle along the silent Speyside roads before taking on the summits of Cairn Gorm and Meall a Bhuachaille as the dawn…

Just two races stand between Vicky Holland and what could be her first-ever World Tri Series title. In what has been her most successful season to date, the 32-year-old Rio bronze medallist is currently second in the standings on 3579 point, 591 behind Series leader Katie Zaferes (USA). And with 1,000 up for grabs for the winner, and 1250 at the Grand Final, it’s all to play for in this coming Saturday’s Montreal race and the final event in Gold Coast on Saturday 15 September. Advertisement “I’m just taking it one race at a time,” said Holland on the phone the day before she flew out to Montreal. “Montreal’s a…

After last year’s accident and the ensuing emotional rollercoaster, Tim Don, qualifies for 2018 Kona Ironman World Championship in the final roll-down. Advertisement His last chance to qualify was this past weekend at Ironman Copenhagen. Tim started off strongly in the first half, but began to struggle in the second half due to digestive issues, having to stop around the 26km mark and pull out of the marathon leg. There was initial disappointment, believing he’d missed out on automatic KPR (Kona Pro Rankings) qualification. But this soon turned to elation with the realisation that one of the final 10 places had not been accepted. Tim, ranked as the first athlete…