On a sunny and fast day in Clearwater, Florida, Andy Potts and Mirinda Carfrae are crowned world champs at Ironman 70.3 World Championship race. It was an awesome day of racing in Clearwater, with all of the lead changes on the men's side and with most of the top 5 place finisher beating last year’s marks on both sides. Today, more than 1,500 pro and age-group triathletes from around the world competed in the triathlon that consisted of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run. The prize purse for today race was $90,000, its split among the top 10 professional men and women, with the overall winners earning $18,000.

On the men's side, Andy Potts, who just three weeks ago won the inaugural Olympic distance Escape to Bermuda Triathlon was first out of the water and hung on during the bike portion of the event. Bjorn Andersson pushed the pace and managed to hold on to the lead on the second half of the bike with his 1:59:37 bike split but that might have been his un-doing as he finished in 23rd place today. Early on Oscar Galindez, who just over six weeks ago qualified by winning the Cancun Ironman 70.3 triathlon race, took the lead on the run and was on fire. From the live video coverage Galindez looked strong and managed to hold just over a minute lead over Potts at the half way mark. Potts kept his cool and slowly crept up on Galindez and eventually passed him on the return lap to the finish. With a mile and a half to go Galindez was right there with Potts, keeping pace but in the end with just a few hundred meters to go Potts surged to take the victory with Galindez finishing just four seconds behind for 2nd place. Andrew Johns managed to stay just ahead of a surging Craig Alexander to take 3rd place today.

From the start it looked like it might be Julie Dibens day in the sun. Dibens who just two weeks ago became the XTERRA World Champ was on her way to possibly her second World Championship title. She looked strong maintaining the lead throughout most of the race, which was at least was four minutes at T2 over Becky Lavelle who in the end finished in 7th place. Mirinda Carfrae was in 4th place, seven minutes behind Dibens at T2 but slowly made her was to the front. By mile six on the run Carfrae had moved up to 2nd place, just over three minutes behind Dibens. Carfrae who finished in 2nd place at the following 70.3 events this season Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3, Eagleman Ironman 70.3 and Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore and who took 3rd place last year at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship surged past Dibens around mile 10 on the run and never looked back. In the end she held a comfortable four minute lead to the finish. She ends up breaking the world record mark of 4:08:17 for the 70.3 distance set earlier this year by Natasha Badmann at the Eagleman Ironman 70.3 race. McGlone surged to the front to finished in 2nd place, will Dibens fall to 4th place.

2007 Ironman 70.3 World Championship Results:

As the saying goes "The Show Must Go On" and so it did at the San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island despite the 58,000-gallon oil spill that hit San Francisco Bay on Thursday. On Friday Tri-California officials, the United States Coast Guard, and city officials determined that the water conditions off Treasure Island were unsafe to proceed with the swim leg portion of the event for the San Francisco Triathlon. The Olympic distance triathlon on Saturday was actually modified to Duathlon consisting of a 6.5km Run, 40km Bike, 10km.

Despite the unfortunate mess in the bay and the added extra run leg Hunter Kemper and Julie Ertel raced to victories. In conjunction with their victory each captured the overall title in the USA Triathlon's Haul to the Great Wall series.

2007 San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island Results:

The Nautica Malibu Triathlon now has a sister race on the other side of the country with the addition of the Nautica South Beach Triathlon. The inaugural Nautica South Beach Triathlon sprint distance triathlon will consist of a 1/2 mile Swim, 18 mile Bike, 4 mile Run on beautiful course in a very exciting location.

Triathlon: Nautica South Beach Triathlon
When: Sunday, April 13th 2008 @ 7:15 AM
Where: Lummus Park, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Divisions: Professionals, Age Group, Corporate Teams, Celebrities, Challenged Athlete
Website: www.southbeachtri.com

The Nautica South Beach Triathlon will feature an ocean swim (expected water temperature 78 degrees) that will run parallel to world famous South Beach. The bike course will be a relatively flat course with a crossing over Miami Beach's famous Causeways with scenic views of the Intercoastal Waterway, downtown Miami and Miami Beach. The run will be an out and back course, alongside Miami Beach’s Art Deco District, finishing on the white sands of South Beach.

Just announced, there is a new Ironman 70.3 race on the triathlon schedule, you can mark your calendar but don't start training just year, this event is actually scheduled to take place in 2009. No, that's not a typo; it's actually taking place in 2009. Not sure why the announcement was just made since most of us are just planning for the 2008 season right now. Anyways, they'll have plenty of time to show the world that New Orleans is back and ready for a world class event in 2009 after the devastation that hit the city with Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Triathlon: Ironman New Orleans 70.3
When: Sunday, April 5, 2009 @ 7:00 AM
Where: University of New Orleans Lakefront Research Campus, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Divisions: Professionals, Age Group, Teams
Website: www.ironmanneworleans.com

This will bring the current number of Ironman 70.3 races in the series to 27. Just this year alone they have added six new races to the race schedule.

The course for the Ironman New Orleans 70.3 triathlon will consist of a point-to-point 1.2 mile swim along the sea wall in Lake Pontchartrain. Following the swim, the bike course will take athletes on a single 56 mile loop through bayou country before heading to the French Quarter for the 13.1 mile point-to-point run. Competitors will run the last two miles of the half marathon through the French Quarter finishing the race in world famous Jackson Square.

The tentative schedule for the 2008 XTERRA Global Tour consists of 18 championship off-road triathlon races, all which lead up to the XTERRA World Championship race in Hawaii in October. A traditional XTERRA championship race consists of a 1.5km swim, 30km mountain bike and a 10km trail run. Noticeable changes on the 2008 XTERRA Global Tour schedule include a new race in Australia and XTERRA Wales (XTERRA UK) moving from September to June. Also, date change for the XTERRA Argentina race from February to March and what appears to be a venue change, and the demise of the XTERRA Costa Rica race from the Global Tour.

• XTERRA Saipan Championship
   Saturday, March 8, 2008 - Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
• XTERRA Argentina Championship
   Monday, March 17, 2008 - Bariloche, Argentina
• XTERRA Australia Championship
   Saturday, April 5, 2008 - Daylesford, Australia
• XTERRA New Zealand Championship
   Saturday, April 12, 2008 - Rotorua, New Zealand
• XTERRA South Africa Championship
   Saturday, April 19, 2008 - Grabouw, South Africa
• XTERRA West Championship*
   Sunday, May 18, 2008 - Temecula, CA, United States
• XTERRA Italy Championship^
   Sunday, June 1, 2008 - Sardegna, Italy
• XTERRA Southeast Championship*
   Sunday, June 8, 2008 - Pelham, AL, United States
• XTERRA East Championship*
   Sunday, June 15, 2008 - Richmond, VA, United States
• XTERRA Wales Championship^
   Saturday, June 21, 2008 - Neath Valley, Wales, United Kingdom
• XTERRA Czech Championship
   Saturday, June 28, 2008 - Hluboka nad Vltavou, Czech Republic
• XTERRA Denmark Championship^
   Saturday, August 16, 2008 - Arhus, Jutland, Denmark
• XTERRA Mountain Championship*
   Saturday, August 16, 2008 - Ogden, UT, United States
• XTERRA Austria Championship^
   Saturday, August 23, 2008 - Carinthia, Austria
• XTERRA Brazil Championship
   Saturday, August 23, 2008 - Ilhabela, Brazil
• XTERRA Japan Championship
   Saturday, August 30, 2008 - Marunuma, Japan
• XTERRA Germany Championship^
   Saturday, September 13, 2008 - Titisee, Germany
• XTERRA USA Championship*
   Sunday, September 21, 2008 - Incline Village, NV, United States

Just yesterday came the announcement of the Ironman New Orleans 70.3 race, the 27th triathlon race in the Ironman 70.3 Series and today we have the 28th race added to the series with the addition of Ironman 70.3 Kansas. The new Ironman 70.3 Kansas race will take place in Lawrence, Kansas which is just west of Kansas City. It will serve as one of 28 worldwide qualifying events for the 2008 Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Florida.

Triathlon: Ironman 70.3 Kansas
When: Sunday, June 15, 2008
Where: Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Divisions: Professionals, Age Group, Collegiate
Website: www.ironmankansas.com

A new feature race will also take place at the Ironman 70.3 Kansas race; it will also serve as the Ironman 70.3 Collegiate Championships race which will have University and College triathlon teams compete for both individual and team awards.

The swim will be held in Clinton Lake were water temperatures are expected to be around 74-77 F. The bike course will take athletes on a 56 miles ride through the rolling terrain on a challenging course known to local cyclists as the “Iron-Cross” which will feature long, winding, flat stretches matched with steep, challenging hills. No run course description has been posted yet.

For the last couple of years, there has been a rumor going around that Ironman Arizona would move from April to November or that Arizona might host 2 Ironman races, one in April and one in November. It seems that the rumor is TRUE, Ironman Arizona will now be held in November.

Earlier this year Graham Frazier, CEO of North American Sports was quoted as saying "Coeur d'Alene should expect to become an even more popular race in the world of triathletes because it will become the first Ironman of the year in North America in 2008. The Ironman race in Arizona -- which has traditionally been held in April -- will move to November, pushing Coeur d'Alene's fourth-Sunday-in-June spot to the top of the list." The Coeur d'Alene Press - June 20, 2007 (newspaper article)

Next year's Ironman Arizona race which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 13, 2008 sold out. It's possible that they could add another race to the Ironman schedule according to the article published today in the East Valley Tribune (link). If they don't add a race in 2008, the race scheduled to take place in 2009 would be held in November.

The inaugural Island Triathlon Series which was rescheduled a few months ago has added a new race option for athletes to choose from. They already have the signature race distance called The Island Eighty which consist of a 1 mile Swim, 66 mile Bike and 13 mile Run. To accommodate those that might be looking for a shorter distance triathlon race in their off season they have added another signature race distance option. They have appropriately called it The Island Forty and it will feature a 1 mile Swim, 33.5 mile Bike and a 5.5 mile Run. It looks like a perfect distance for those that might be interested in some sort of exercise while on a nice winter break in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

The first race is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 29, 2008 on the Providenciales Island of the Turks & Caicos.

Craig Alexander can relax now; his amazing 2007 triathlon season is over...

It was a discovery year for Craig, better known as Crowie, as he tested the Ironman distance for the first time. Crowie accepted a Kona slot after winning the 2006 Ironman 70.3 World Championship race in Clearwater. To test the waters he participated in Ironman Australia back in April and had a very impressive showing, finishing 3rd. Then just a month ago, in his second Ironman race of his career and his first Ironman World Championship race he raced strong and finished in a surprising 2nd place with an impressive 2:45 marathon finishing only four minutes behind Chris McCormack. His main focus and succes this year came on the Ironman 70.3 series, winning 4 of the series races.

The guys (Bob Babbitt and Paul Huddle) over at The Competitor Radio Show managed to get Alexander in-studio for a very informative interview. The interview is post Kona and pre Clearwater. You get to hear what how Crowie trained up to the race in Kona and then what he was up to after Kona in getting ready for Clearwater. He gives a detailed race report from Kona, he gives his 2 cents on speedsuits, what his favorite race distance is, how it all started and what his race schedule might look like for next year. He's very down to earth in the almost one hour long interview, especially when talking about his in-experience in the distance. Here is the link to the story on Competitor Radio or you can download the show here (mp3 format).

Craig Alexander's 2007 Results:
 • 4th - Ironman 70.3 World Championships
 • 2nd - Ironman World Championships
 • 1st - Newfoundland Ironman 70.3
 • 1st - Vineman Ironman 70.3
 • 3rd - Life Time Fitness Triathlon
 • 1st - Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon
 • 1st - Subaru Muskoka Chase Triathlon
 • 1st - Florida Disney Triathlon 70.3
 • 1st - St Croix Ironman 70.3
 • 3rd - St Anthonys Triathlon
 • 3rd - Panthers Ironman Australia
 • 1st - Australian Long Course Championships

Rochester, Minnesota's third-largest city, gains a new triathlon. The new event will be part of the activities of the annual Rochesterfest celebration, which is set to celebrate 25 years in 2008.

Triathlon: Rochesterfest Triathlon
When: Sunday, June 29, 2008 @ 8:00 AM
Where: Foster Arend Park, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Divisions: Elite, Age Group, Teams
Website: www.winmultisportevents.com

The new triathlon event will feature Olympic (1.5km Swim, 40km Bike, 10km Run) and Sprint (400me Swim, 16km Bike, 5km Run) distance races. The swim will take place in Foster Arend Lake, a man-made lake in NW Rochester. The Olympic distance swim will consist of a two loops while the Sprint distance swim will feature a one loop course. The out and back bike course will take athletes North from Foster Arend Park to the city of Oronoco. The course has a few hills and the surface is very smooth on newer blacktop. The out and back run course will take athletes from T2 on the flat and scenic Rochester City Bike Paved Bike Trail towards downtown Rochester.

So far the 2008 Ironman 70.3 Series will consist of 28 triathlon races up from last year’s number of 21 races. So far this year they have added 8 new triathlon races around the world to the schedule, the new locations include: Canada, Chile, China, South Africa and the United States. All of these 2008 qualifying races will have slots for the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 race in Clearwater, Florida in November. An Ironman 70.3 triathlon race consists of a 1.2 mile Swim, 56 mile Bike and 13.1 mile Run. For additional details on the series go to the Ironman 70.3 website: http://www.ironman.com/events/ironman70.3

Check out the 2008 Ironman 70.3 Series Race Map via TRImapper.com

UPDATE: On January 10th, 2008 they added the Longhorn Ironman 70.3 Austin race to the 2008 schedule. This race will be a qualifying race for the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 triathlon.

Tempe, AZ (November 24, 2007) - North America Sports is pleased to announce the addition of a second Ford Ironman Arizona Race to their 2008 event schedule. The city of Tempe and the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community will again partner with NA Sports to host a Ford Ironman Arizona event on November 23, 2008.

The fall event will become the permanent date for this event going forward to 2009 and beyond. This change has been in the planning stages for some time, some of the reasons for the change include avoiding the gusty winds and hot weather that have challenged athletes in the first three years of the race and scheduling issues with all parties involved.

“Tempe is excited to partner with North America Sports, and the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community to make Ironman Triathlon History. Two Ironman Arizona races in one year - 2008 will be an amazing year for our events!” said Travis Dray, Dept. Director of Parks and Rec, for the City of Tempe, and Ford Ironman Arizona finisher.

Las Vegas, NV (November 21, 2007) - On Your Marks, Get Set, Go! As Las Vegas’ premier multi-sport race directing company, we at BBSC Endurance Sports are very proud and excited to host not only the USAT Club Nationals Championship again this year, but the HUGE addition of the USAT Half Max National Championship Triathlon! With this addition, we expect to see some of the best talent from around the country taking part on this great course! We have so much in store we can hardly wait another 10 months!

This year’s championship is going to be our grandest race to date. The event is super-charged with a two-day exposition that includes music, food, and exhibitors from some of Triathlons most respected names.

Spanning across the beautiful scenery of Las Vegas, the course gives athletes a very energetic and challenging trail to overcome. Competitors will be swimming in Lake Mead, one of the largest man-made lakes, cycling through scenic roads surrounded by the lake and rock canyons, and completing their journey through Boulder City’s Nevada Way Road, a road with approximately a one-mile, eight percent upgrade.

Gainesville, FL (November 27, 2007) - Dr. J. Robert Cade, the legendary University of Florida scientist who led the research team that gave the world Gatorade, died Tuesday at Shands at UF medical center. He was 80.

“Today, with his passing, the University of Florida lost a legend, lost one of its best friends and lost a creative genius,” said Dr. Edward Block, chairman of the department of medicine in the College of Medicine, where Cade was an emeritus professor. “Losing any one of those is huge. When you lose all three in one person, it’s something you cannot recoup.”

He had a sense of humor, a quirky one at that, friends and colleagues said. His research, philanthropy and leadership helped countless people during his more than 40 years at UF.

Dr. Cade liked to tell the story of how a football player sampling an early batch of Gatorade compared the beverage’s taste to a less-than-savory bodily fluid. An old newspaper article describes how he tested the durability of a hydraulic helmet he invented by hitting an assistant in the head. She was wearing the helmet, and it, of course, worked brilliantly.

If you are looking to improve your swim times in shorter distance triathlon races Speedo has introduced a new swim fin designed for speed training. In general training fins are a great training tool for swimmers and triathletes.

The short blade hydrodynamic fin design balances propulsive force while maintaining kicking tempo while the convex blade curvature and pass through vents promote optimum speed and six beat kick when training. The blade curvature and ridges create more pressure on the upkick creating balanced propulsion and muscle work. The open heal design offers greater ankle flexibility and comfort and it's lightweight and pliable footbed material provides an ideal fit and comfort.

Sizes:
• S = Green (mens sizes 4-6)
• M = Blue (mens sizes 7-9)
• L = Grey (mens sizes 10-12)
• XL = Black (mens sizes 13-15)

Speedo Speed Training Fin - MSRP: $39.99

This Saturday NBC Sports will broadcast the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship race. This is our one chance a year to see how the professional race truly unfolded along the way. As usual it's bound to show us the excitement and the heartache of the race in Kona. Previous broadcasts of the race in Kona have earned the 90-minute broadcast 14 Emmy awards.

We'll get to see the rivalry that never panned out on both the men's and women's side. Chris McCormack finally winning an Ironman title after many attempts. Rookie sensation Chrissie Wellington winning an Ironman title on her second attempt at racing the iron distance triathlon. The debut and awesome races put forth by Craig Alexander and Samantha McGlone at their first Ironman World Championship race.

In addition, the broadcast will inspire us with coverage of Scott Rigsby, the first above the knee double-amputee to finish the Ironman World Championship, and blind athlete Charlie Plaskon.

Don't miss Saturday’s coverage of the Ford Ironman World Championship on NBC at 4:30 PM EST (Check local listings for the time in your area.)

The Timberman 70.3 race scheduled for Sunday, August 17, 2008 in Gilford, New Hampshire is close to selling out. Registration for this race opened on October 1st, 2007. This popular race in the Northeast has a race limit of 1,800 triathletes and there are only 30 spots left as of this post.

Currently there are three races in the 2008 Ironman 70.3 Series that are sold out and more are expected to fill up as time goes by:
• Ironman 70.3 California
• Ironman 70.3 Eagleman
• Ironman 70.3 Muskoka

The Timberman Triathlon Festival also features Relay Teams and a AquaBike division on the 70.3 race and a Sprint distance race and a TimberKids Youth Triathlon on Saturday.

UPDATE: The race SOLD OUT on December 2, 2007.

New Training Logs Feature More Space for Every Training Detail

Boulder, CO, USA (November 19, 2007) - Cyclists and triathletes can begin logging next season's training today with the newest generation of training diary from VeloPress. Updated with feedback from coaches and athletes, The Cyclist's Training Diary and The Triathlete's Training Diary make it easier than ever to gain insights into performance.

The VeloPress training diaries are the best way for cyclists and triathletes to consolidate training data, track progress, redefine goals throughout the season, and record the way their bodies respond from day to day. Designed as companions to Joe Friel's Training Bibles, the new editions make space for every training detail, with charts to organize race results and fitness indicators, physiological test results, and more. With a training log that's personalized, portable, and easy to review and update, athletes can gain new insights into their performance.

Endurance athletes of all ages and ability levels invest countless hours in tough rides and workouts so they can race farther and faster from year to year. Whether they work with a coach or train independently, cyclists and triathletes rely on their training log to tell them when to push harder and when to back off. With all of the recent technological advancements in training, it is more important than ever to have a place to consolidate training data and track progress.