arena’s Post

What Caused This? Imagine being a world-class Triathlete who has structured their entire life over a 3-4 year period to ensure they are in peak physical and mental condition for this race to be faced with such uncertainty and no Plan B. Swimming in the River Seine has been banned for 100 years as the water quality was deemed to be unsafe for the general public, but it was still decided this was the perfect location for the swimming leg of the Olympic Triathlon............with one of the main causes of postponement being heavy rain - rain that flows into the river and always has. Over €1.5bn has been spent on 'solutions' to ensure the river was clean enough for the race and for Parisians to enjoy after the Olympics has concluded. Money well spent? Solutions validated? I hope the Triathletes are able to safely enjoy their race tomorrow, but I am left wondering how else that €1.5bn could have been spent on genuine long-term sporting and environmental legacy projects in Paris & France. https://lnkd.in/eemA-Pwz #Olympics #RCA #Pollution #Triathlon

Imagine swimming 38.6 km, cycling 1,802.5 km, and running 422 km in 10 days. 10 triathlons in 10 days. It's been 3 weeks since Frenk van Assen and Richard Bergmans crossed that finish line. But this journey wasn’t just about crossing a finish line—it was about breaking down the mental barriers we put in front of ourselves. Step by step. That’s how they did it. When the bigger picture felt overwhelming, they focused on what they could control—one swim stroke, one pedal, one stride at a time. Let’s be clear: no major achievement is ever accomplished alone. With the right people, mindset, and approach, the impossible is only impossible until you do it. That's why we're honoured to have supported them on this journey toward something never before accomplished in the Netherlands, providing them with the right guidance in using our products to fuel them during their challenge. Get free advice on how to fuel your next training or event with our Fuel Guide: https://lnkd.in/e_nHuqPf #victus #nourishyourinnerwarrior ThreeFront B.V.

🏊♂️🚴♂️🏃♂️ Triumph Over Adversity: Iain Dawson's Unbelievable Journey at the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon! Imagine conquering a triathlon not just any triathlon but the Norseman Xtreme, renowned for its brutal challenges and harsh conditions, and doing it despite being visually impaired. Iain Dawson did just that, proving that limits are often just illusions. 👀 Navigating through Norway's rugged terrain, where sheer cliffs meet the cold, unforgiving waters, Iain, along with his guide, crossed the finish line, turning what many might see as a limitation into a podium of inspiration for us all. Having volunteered with disabled athletes in the past, I've witnessed first-hand the sheer determination and resilience it takes to not just compete but excel in extreme sports against such odds. Iain's story isn't just about sports; it's about breaking barriers and redefining what's possible. 🌟 What challenges have you overcome that once seemed impossible? How did you transform obstacles into opportunities? Let’s celebrate triumphs like Iain’s and continue to push the boundaries of what we believe is possible! #Triathlon #Inspiration #Resilience #OvercomingObstacles #NorsemanXtreme #VisualImpairment #ExtremeSports #Motivation Discover more tips, insights, and resources by visiting our site at https://lnkd.in/gUCBpZiY

The IOC is always going on about how they do everything in the interests of the athletes. But is this shambles around the triathlon at the Paris Games really about the athletes? Yes, in terms of protecting their health today. But why was this decision to have the swimming in the Seine taken in the first place with what seems to be no backstop? It is more about promoting Paris than about triathlon. It was always risky. Interestingly, World Aquatics have the backstop of their open water swimming race in the rowing lake if the Seine is too dirty for their race later. But it doesn't work for triathlon, it seems. So now there is talk about having a duathlon rather than a triathlon. Now, people do compete in such races, but would we settle for a five-a-side kickabout in place of the World Cup final? No. It ain't the same. I hope the Olympic reporters are asking tough questions now of both Paris organisers and the IOC. They need to. The athletes have been let down if these races don't take place properly. https://lnkd.in/eATvvWgF

Who exactly owns a running, cycling or triathlon, Endurance Sports Race/Event? Sometimes this is VERY clear and obvious, but often it is not. It can get very confusing because so many races/events are named formally after the the Host Community/City - The Boston Marathon, Gran Fondo Whistler, The Malibu Triathlon . . and so on! In some cases the Municipalities do have ownership, but in all cases, if local roads are being used, the Municipality has the ultimate say, as they are the holder of the Permits! As Kevin Mackinnon points out right at the end of the article in the Triathlon Magazine Canada below -“Buying a race is one thing, but if you can’t get a city permit to put it on, your investment isn’t worth much”! #running #cycling #triathlon #races #events #liveevents #eventmanagers #eventorganizers #endurancesport

Life is short…except half way through a Triathlon.   My story of “the man who was afraid of water” is well known now. Learning to swim as an adult is the single hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s allowed me to complete some pool based triathlons which were great fun but more importantly it’s made me more confident around water should the worst ever happen and actually look forward to summer holidays in the pool with the cool Dads.   But pool swimming is pretty easy; it’s shallow, has sides, you can see the bottom (hopefully). Open water is where it’s at, so after some albeit too brief of practice session we entered the Scottish National Sprint Triathlon championship at Monikie park just outside Dundee.   Turns out things went quite well and we somehow managed to come away with a National medal finishing 3rd fastest older bloke (40-45 age group).   So what are my take aways?   Everyone is looking for life hacks these days; quick fixes, shortcuts or cheats to save time, money or effort. I've signed upto a different recipe and it seems to be working.   🏊♀️🚴♀️🏃🏽Consistency is king 🏊♀️🚴♀️🏃🏽Something > nothing 🏊♀️🚴♀️🏃🏽Hard work beats talent 🏊♀️🚴♀️🏃🏽Make a plan that’s achievable 🏊♀️🚴♀️🏃🏽Surround yourself with positive people   And above all, the single most important piece of advice, when someone kicks you in the face you just need to keep swimming…

Are you ready for your next challenge? 🏊♂️ 🚵♂️ 🏃♂️ Our latest blog post really is the 'Ultimate Guide to Organising a Triathlon'. Filled with tips and tricks, this blog post is for all you race directors out there who are looking to dive in to the triathlon world! https://lnkd.in/edBQwSUa

Paris 2024: Rain pollutes the Seine and threatens the Olympic triathlon | Paris 2024 Olympic Games The rain in Paris adds drama to the parades, knocks down cyclists and causes the sewers to overflow, threatening gastroenteritis for the triathletes, who were unable to swim on Monday as planned, to discover, near the Pont Alexandre III, the currents that will lull them during their 1,500m swim. The so-called “familiarisation” training sessions announced for 8:00 a.m. were cancelled after the latest bacteriological analyses carried out detected quantities of Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci, indicative of faecal contamination. The analyses showed E. coli above 1,000 and Enterococci above 400, which are the established limits. The contamination was also visually evident. “The water does not offer sufficient guarantees to allow the race to take place. This is due to the rain that fell in Paris on 26 and 27 July,” said the international federation (World Triathlon) in a statement, which is cheering: “Given the weather forecast for the next 48 hours, Paris 2024 and the World Triathlon are confident that the water quality will be back below the limits before the start of the triathlon competitions. As observed at the beginning of the month, with the summer conditions (more sun, higher temperatures, prolonged absence of rain) the water quality of the Seine has improved considerably.” The events are scheduled for Tuesday 30th (men’s), Wednesday 31st (women’s) and Monday 5th August (mixed relay). Open water swimming events are scheduled for Thursday 8th and Friday 9th. Triathlon, which had to cancel some swimming heats in the practice events a year ago, has no plan B. In the event that the sun and heat do not clear the water, a duathlon will be held. The water quality scale drawn up by the swimming and triathlon federations is more permissive than the scale used to authorise bathing by the general public. Diarrhoea in a triathlete who accidentally drinks water during his race would be less dangerous than an epidemic of gastroenteritis among Parisians, to whom their mayor, Anne Hidalgo, has promised a clean and bathing-friendly Seine. On 17 July, to prove that everything was going well, she herself, accompanied by Tony Estanguet, the president of the organising committee for the Games, went to the water supply centre to check the water quality. The analyses of 15 July, made public by the NGO Surfrider Foundation, showed that day a quantity of 920 E. coli per 100ml of water, almost at the limit for athletes but higher than that of the general public. “At no time during the sampling carried out in 2023 and 2024 was the water of the Seine considered to be good, contrary to what the City Council claims,” the NGO points out. “Only on two occasions, in the fall of 2023 and in July 2024, was it rated as average (between 500 and 1,000 E. coli and between 200 and 400 Enterococci). But on almost all occasions, it was too contaminated...

Racing the reef - a blog post. Fremantle Triathlon Club asked me to do a race write up for the recent newletter and I thought I'd also put it on my blog with a few additions and some extra photos etc. Triathlon is very much about consistency, showing up and putting in the effort in training, being organsied to fit everything in and prioritise your time, managing your mindset, having a plan for race day to manage the controllables and strategies for the uncontrollables. It's a joy to hang out with a bunch of age group athletes at an event like this who are all committed to putting in the best performance they can, and just as enthusiastic about supporting their teammates. Much like being in a really great organisational environment where values align. One of the things l like about triathlon as well is that it's always been an inclusive sport - equal race distances and equal pay across genders for the professionals, plus there's always a para division in the world championship events. Kudos to World Triathlon for putting on such a well-run event. The multi-sport festival spanned 12 days with racing every other day, and thousands of athletes from around the world competing - the whole thing ran like clockwork and the atmosphere around town was fantastic. You're on a high from an experience like this for a long time afterwards. Completing a major goal like this also reignites your enthusiasum to grow and evolve on your return, in lots of areas of life, not just in sport. At least for me anyway!

Water in the Seine River had unsafe elevated levels of E. coli less than two months before swimming competitions are scheduled to take place in it during the Paris Olympics, according to test results published Friday. Contamination levels in the first eight days of June, after persistent heavy rain in Paris, showed bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci beyond limits judged safe for athletes. The report was published by monitoring group Eau de Paris one day after a senior International Olympic Committee executive said there were “no reasons to doubt” races will go ahead as scheduled in in a historic downtown stretch of the Seine near the Eiffel Tower. The first Olympic event in the cleaned-up Seine is men’s triathlon, including a 1.5-kilometre swim, on the morning of July 30. The women’s triathlon is the next day and a mixed relay event is on Aug. 5. Marathon swimming races over 10 kilometres for women and men are scheduled on Aug. 8 and 9, respectively, in waters that were historically polluted before a $1.5 billion US investment ahead of the Olympics “We are confident that we will swim in the Seine this summer,” IOC official Christophe Dubi said Thursday at an online briefing after hearing an update Paris from city officials and Olympic organizers. Despite the IOC’s publicly expressed confidence, the final decision on approving the events safe for athletes should rest with the governing bodies of individual sports, World Aquatics and World Triathlon. The safety of the Seine water for the Olympics has been in doubt since some test events scheduled last August were cancelled, also after unseasonal heavy rains. According to European standards, the safe limit for E. coli is 900 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres. The World Triathlon Federation uses the same criteria to determine sufficient water quality for competitions. During the first eight days of June, test results showed that E. coli levels frequently exceeded these thresholds. Enterococci levels were better, mostly staying within safe limits. The tests indicated an improvement, from high contamination levels on June 1 to more acceptable levels by June 9, mainly due to improved weather. Rainwater infiltrates the sewer system, and to prevent street flooding, the excess water, carrying fecal bacteria, is diverted into the Seine. To address this, a massive reservoir capable of storing 50,000 cubic metres of water during heavy rainfall was inaugurated in May. Water quality of rivers in major cities can be impacted by many things, from runoff to dumping of chemicals, sometimes illegally, and boat traffic. Earlier this week, Paris’ mayor Anne Hidalgo doubled down on her promise to take a dip in the river before the start of the competition. On Tuesday, she confirmed that her swim was postponed until after the snap elections in France, which end on July 7.