Good morning, and welcome back to the Daily Split newsletter. Our team of intrepid content specialists have been beavering away behind the scenes once again to deliver the very best in news, analysis, tips and features direct to your inbox – and they’ve even thrown in a smattering of fun and laughs for good measure… because, let’s face it, we all need a giggle when facing up to the prospect of training for, or competing in, an ultra-sport challenge!!! 

The triathlon season may still be a month or so away from starting up again, but there was still plenty happening last weekend as athletes embarked on endurance feats right across the world, from the Cornish coastline to Hong Kong. So go and grab your coffee, sit back in your favourite chair, and allow yourself some precious ‘you’ time, as you catch up on all things endurance.

✍️ As always, we would love to hear from you; this is YOUR newsletter, so please get in touch with any news, thoughts or pictures that you think might interest our ever-expanding readership. Enjoy… 

🏆 New season excitement: Without wishing to send any athletes into a mad panic as they continue their pre-season training, the new triathlon campaign is very nearly upon us, with a sensational list of races lined up around the world. Read HERE.

📈 Getting better all the time: Australian Cam Wurf believes 2026 will be the year that he challenges for the IRONMAN World Championship crown, having explained how his record bike time of 3:53:32 last year has put the fire back in his belly. Read HERE.

🇬🇧 Skipper looks to bounce back: Brit Joe Skipper may have lost one of his long-term sponsors for the coming campaign, but the long-distance athlete remains confident of a successful year after showing good form in pre-season. Read HERE.

🍑 What a bummer for Sam: Poor Sam Long was forced to put his pre-season preparations on hold last week after picking up the double whammy of a skin infection on his backside and then a viral infection from his young children. Read HERE.

🏃‍♀️ Big names return to Chicago: The Boston Marathon line-ups have been announced, and the 130th edition looks set to be a vintage year with the return of Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi confirmed after her course record last year. Read HERE.

The 2026 UTMB World Series season got underway over the weekend as athletes braved the brutal conditions on the Cornish coastline at the Arc of Attrition by UTMB. It was the 11th edition (the second as part of the UTMB World Series) of the race, which has three main formats – Arc 100 (161km), Arc 50 (80km) and Arc 25 (41km). All events traverse the South West Coast Path, an iconic trail winding along Cornwall’s cliffs, beaches, and exposed headlands, with the podium finishers gaining direct entry into UTMB, OCC and CCC, respectively, in Chamonix.

Hugh Tibbs rewrote the UK trail 100-mile record at the Autumn 100 last October, and he followed that up with another masterclass over the distance – crossing the line to win in 19:10:09.

In the women’s race, Norway’s Anne-Sofie Pollestad was a dominant winner, even though it had been a close contest in the opening half between herself and Charlotte Fisher (GBR). But Anne-Sofie made her decisive move – surging into the lead and never looking back to claim the win in 22:28:24.

Ultra runner Emily Fairs offered an incredible insight into what it was like to run in the Arc of Attrition 50-miler at the weekend as she filmed herself traversing the tricky, sodden coastal paths and rocky trails while battling against the harsh weather conditions thrown up by Storm Ingrid.

At one point in her video, which she posted on Instagram, she explains how she fell and sliced open her knees and shins while also going on to fall into a thorn bush. During the video, she says: “I have just sliced open my shin; there is blood everywhere, but that’s fine; life gives you lemons on an ultramarathon.”

Click on the Instagram link below to see how she got on…

The Anta Guanjun Hong Kong 100 has kicked off the 2026 World Trail Majors. As in the previous two years, Hong Kong and its biggest and most prestigious race brought together an outstanding field of Asian, American, and European runners on the Sai Kung Peninsula, close to the megacity. Victories went to Guidu Qin (China) in the men’s race, while Hau Ha (Vietnam) and Veronika Leng (Slovakia but based in Hong Kong) crossed the line together in the women’s race.

For more than a decade, one performance had stood almost untouched as the gold standard of women’s long-distance triathlon – the 8:18:13 set by the legendary Chrissie Wellington at Challenge Roth in 2011.

It was a time so far ahead of its era that it remained unbeaten for the next 11 years. However, when Daniela Ryf obliterated it in 2022, with her remarkable 8:08:21, also achieved at Challenge Roth, it seemed to usher in a new dawn… one where the previously unthinkable could suddenly become possible.

If Wellington’s time was deemed incredible, then Ryf’s achievement was almost regarded as superhuman, as the Swiss superstar pushed the dial of women’s triathlon to never-before-dreamt levels. Only this time, it felt different: the opening round of a fresh challenge laid down for all long-course athletes to beat and be the very first woman to break that almost mythical eight-hour barrier.

A year later, German Anne Haug delivered a stunning 8:02:38 (again at Roth) to edge ever closer, while compatriot Laura Philipp then clocked 8:03:13 at IRONMAN Hamburg last season – the second-fastest women’s full-distance time ever recorded, and on a different course to Roth, in a different race, and one where transition distances are hardly conducive to breaking world records.

Technology, fitness training and nutritional awareness have improved to such an extent that our athletes are only ever going to get faster, and history is telling us that 2026 could now be the year when someone, somewhere, will finally step forward and write their name into the history books.

Surely it is not a question of if a woman will ever run a sub-eight-hour triathlon; it is more the case of when they will achieve it, and who will take the glory?

A quick (admittedly very unscientific) survey of the Daily Splits team has revealed the three key ingredients that we believe are crucial to being an endurance athlete. The answers will no doubt be different for everyone, but ours were: 1) Having the knowledge and know-how to be confident in your training and racing; 2) Being inspired to go out and chase your goals; and 3) Being able to inject a sense of fun into whatever challenge you have decided to throw yourself into.

With this in mind, here are three posts from Instagram this week that we believe will serve to educate, inspire and make you giggle as you rise to your many challenges.

Our social media guru, Emily Bell, has been crunching the numbers this week and has come up with a handy guide to highlight what sort of times you should be aiming for when competing in a triathlon. Do write in and let us know what your target times are for the season ahead.

Let’s face it, if you are going to take tips from anyone about taking part in a triathlon, then it may as well be a multi-gold medal-winning Olympian. The only triathlete – male or female – to win back-to-back Olympic titles, Alistair Brownlee was famed for his all-out style of racing, which transformed the sport at short-distance triathlon. Before his retirement at the end of 2024, he was also well-known for his full-on training regime, and he gave plenty of insights into that during a fascinating chat with entrepreneur and former reality TV star Spencer Matthews in his ‘UNTAPPED’ podcast series.

When asked what he thinks are the most common training mistakes and how to remedy them, Alistair had four nuggets which he reckons will help anyone, whatever their current level… over to you, Alistair:

Consistency: The number one mistake for the average person is not being consistent. And that normally happens because your routine is unsustainable. So, I love this concept of building the environment that you need to be sustainable – that is, creating good habits, making life easy for yourself, and removing the barriers. For me, that was making sure I always had the kit ready to go, that I had a bike that wasn’t broken, was without punctures and was ready to literally go out the door. I also had a bike on the trainer, ready to jump on. So I didn’t have any of those excuses that got in the way. That’s number one.

Have fun: Number two is make it fun – train with other people, try new routes, don’t be afraid to go and run off road or mountain bike or whatever, just to mix it up.

Set your goals: Number three, have a goal. And that goal doesn’t have to be a crazy event. It can just be to run a 5K with your friends or whatever.

Fuel, recover, repeat: Then four is to make sure you fuel in sessions and recover properly. Recover after with nutrition and sleep – sleep is the biggest driver of recovery.

Because endurance is not only about swimming, cycling and running, we take a look at some of the other amazing feats achieved by athletes in the world of ultra sport. There is a health warning with this post, however, so anyone afraid of heights should definitely think twice about clicking the link to Alexis Landot’s Instagram post below. 

Such an incredible feat of skill and strength… not to mention nerves of steel. 🫣 🧗‍♀️🏙️

Never let it be said that the Daily Split team can talk the talk, but would struggle to walk the walk… especially after what our guy Jonathan Turner put himself through at the weekend. A runner with Yorkshire-based Ilkley Harriers, Jonathan – pictured below in the 3399 bib – took part in what he thought would be a nice XC race in the PECO series at Temple Newsam, near Leeds. As you can see, this part of the UK must have had plenty of rain last week, although we have it on good authority that Jonathan was wearing trainers, and not flippers…

Every athlete has a story worth telling. Whether it’s your first sprint triathlon, a comeback from injury, a breakthrough race, or the quiet consistency that keeps you showing up – we want to hear it. We regularly feature athletes from the 247Endurance community in The Daily Split to spotlight real journeys, lessons learned, and moments that matter. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Together, we go the distance. — @247_endurance 🏃‍♂️🚴‍♀️🏊‍♂️