Morning endurance fans…

Records, rivalries and reminders that sport never stands still.

Jonny Brownlee rolled back the years at Supertri Blenheim Palace, becoming the first athlete to complete ten races in a single weekend and adding another chapter to one of triathlon’s most remarkable careers.

At the other end of the spectrum, Solveig Løvseth continued to look every inch a future superstar, delivering another impressive victory to only strengthen her credentials for a repeat performance at this year’s world championships.

And while one Norwegian was celebrating, another one, Kristian Blummenfelt, was showing us what he can do in the testing labs… and the results are frightening!!!

You’ve got plenty to catch up on in today’s Daily Split… so grab your protein shake of choice and get stuck in.

🤒 UNWELL: Hayden Wilde was happy to make it onto the T100 San Francisco podium on Saturday, despite suffering from illness in the buildup. Read HERE.

🤕 INJURED: Jelle Geens’ hopes of making it to Kona later this year have been dealt a major blow after he revealed he was injured. Read HERE.

🏅 MISSING: One of the biggest names in short-course racing will not be lining up for the next WTCS event in Quiberon later this month. Read HERE.

🎽 CHAMPION: Double Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee has signed himself up for this year’s Norseman Xtreme Triathlon. Read HERE.

Can anyone stop Norwegian superstar Solveig Løvseth from defending her crown at Kona this year?

The reigning IRONMAN World Champion made it four full-distance victories on the trot as she held off last year’s winner, Laura Philipp (GER), at IRONMAN Hamburg in what was the women’s IRONMAN European Championship.

Løvseth became the fastest-ever IRONMAN debutant in this event last year when she was third after an epic race against Philipp and Kat Matthews (GBR).

Since then, she has been unbeatable in IRONMANs, winning at Lake Placid, Kona and then Texas this season, and she bossed this race after setting a course record time on the bike.

That gave her a buffer of just over eight minutes on uber-runner Philipp, the 2024 IRONMAN World Champion, and that proved crucial – Løvseth looked strong for the first three laps of four on the run but had to battle on the final one to hang on by less than 90 seconds, with both of them understandably exhausted after crossing the line.

Katrine Græsbøll Christensen (DEN) rounded out the podium in third, with Marjolaine Pierré (FRA) fourth after helping animate the race on the bike.

Results:
🥇 Solveig Løvseth (NOR) 54:57 – 4:20:06 – 2:49:21 = 8:11:11
🥈 Laura Philipp (GER) 54:53 – 4:28:21 – 2:42:16 = 8:12:29
🥉 Katrine Græsbøll Christensen (DEN) 1:00:51 – 4:21:47 – 2:45:45 = 8:15:20

Ollie Conway and Jolien Vermeylen took victory in the second round of the Supertri Pro Series at Supertri Blenheim Palace, with both winners surging clear on the run to claim their titles at the UK’s largest triathlon.

For Conway, it was home glory. The 20-year-old, crowned World Triathlon U23 Champion in 2025, grew up minutes from the estate and brought all of his running pedigree to bear on a course he knows well, crossing the line in 55:51 for a statement win on home soil.

In the women’s race, Vermeylen was in a class of her own. The Belgian – winner of last year’s Supertri Toronto opener and a sweep of the European sprint and Olympic-distance titles in 2025 – sat in a lead bike pack with the big hitters before surging away on the run to win by a commanding 30 seconds in 1:02:18.

Man’s results:
🥇 Oliver Conway (GBR) 55:51
🥈 Charles Paquet (CAN) 55:55
🥉 Luke Willian (AUS) 56:02

Women’s results:
🥇 Jolien Vermeylen (BEL): 1:02:18
🥈 Léonie Périault (FRA): 1:02:48
🥉 Olivia Mathias (GBR): 1:02:59

Germany’s Rico Bogen defended his San Francisco T100 title in brilliant style as he ran out the winner over compatriot Lasse Nygaard Priester in California, with reigning T100 men’s champion Hayden Wilde in third.

Wilde had won seven of his previous eight T100 races, but he was never able to get in the mix here, having been under the weather in the build-up after a virus ruled him out of last weekend’s WTCS Alghero.

But Bogen would have been a tough nut to crack for even a 100% Wilde, as he continued his amazing record in San Francisco after being part of that epic three-way sprint finish in 2024 before taking the victory 12 months ago.

Once again, it was on the bike where he effectively won the race – powering clear of his rivals before closing it out on the run despite the best efforts of T100 debutant Priester, whose hopes were scuppered by having to serve a penalty late on.

Results:
🥇 Rico Bogen (GER) 17:54 – 1:55:34 – 1:00:35 = 3:17:25
🥈 Lasse Nygaard Priester (GER) 17:53 – 1:57:58 – 59:09 = 3:18:30
🥉 Hayden Wilde (NZL) 18:27 – 2:00:25 – 58:44 = 3:21:13

Demi Vollering became the second woman to win the Giro d'Italia Women, La Vuelta Femenina, and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift after her triumph in Italy on Sunday.

With one day to go at the Giro, it looked like Vollering's dream was over. The Dutchwoman, aiming for her first pink jersey and the first part of her Giro-Tour goal, remained 49 seconds behind race leader Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) heading into the final stage. Her opportunity to turn the race around on the Sestriere stage had been dashed after snow and ice shortened the day and took out the final climb.

The FDJ United-Suez rider was disappointed after winning on the curtailed stage eight but managed to turn it around with a tactical masterclass on the final day to clinch the race overall. She put over two minutes into Van der Breggen to win, with Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) leapfrogging into second place.

For more on this story, head to Cycling Weekly, HERE.

Kristian Blummenfelt may have taken his running abilities to new levels this season, but the frightening news coming out of his latest VO2 max testing in Bergen is that, potentially, there is still more raw speed to come.

A new YouTube video from the Norwegian machine, which is embedded below, covers two days of testing alongside his long-term mentor Olav Aleksander Bu, who coached him to not only the 2021 Olympic title in Tokyo but also both the IRONMAN World Championship and 70.3 World titles the following year.

We know that Big Blu’s VO2 figure at the start of 2026 was 101.1 – the highest ever recorded, beating the previous record of 97.5, held by 18-year-old cyclist Oskar Svendsen, also from Norway – but what would it be mid-season?

The VO2 max is a test to determine the maximum amount of oxygen (in millilitres) your body can utilise per minute, per kilogram of body weight during intense exercise. The VO2 max basically measures the ability of the body to transport oxygen from the air to the muscles and to then use that to create energy.

It is often regarded as the ‘gold standard’ of cardiorespiratory fitness, with the higher number indicating greater aerobic endurance and better cardiovascular health. It is also supposed to be easier to set higher scores when the athlete is younger in age – Blummenfelt, however, is 32.

And while there were some doubts as to the validity of that incredible 101.1 score, those were quickly forgotten when Big Blu powered to come-from-behind IRONMAN 70.3 wins at Geelong and Oceanside before dominating at IRONMAN Texas.

His half-marathons were completed in 1:06 and 1:07, his marathon at The Woodlands was an incredible 2:30.

But he’s not resting on those laurels, with Bu revealing late in this latest video, after the VO2 testing switches from the bike to the run, that: “It’s moving in the right direction, but there’s more speed to be gained.”

We won’t spoil the video for you, but it’s fair to say that while Blummenfelt feels his levels have dropped from that impressive start to the new season, both he and Bu take plenty of encouragement from what they discover in these latest tests.

Such is his dominance – ignoring the opening race in New Zealand, where he struggled with mechanical and nutrition issues – it is hard to see how anyone can beat him when he is at his very best.

However, while this video reveals there is potentially even more speed to come, he is clearly not taking anything to chance as he looks set to complete his season with Challenge Roth and the World Championships – without competing in the 70.3 Worlds.

“I am out of shape,” he says. “Six weeks to go to Roth, and I am in chaser mode. Laidlow is in prime shape. But you know? The chase is better than the catch.”

The stats may be a little difficult to follow at times, and of course, there is no guarantee that it will replicate when it truly matters… but one thing we can surely agree on is that this incredible sportsman is moving beyond ‘Beast Mode’ into ‘Beast Mode 2.0’.

Challenge Roth have moved quickly to assure participants that they will do everything in their power to prevent a repeat of the suspected sabotage of a section of the bike course at IRONMAN Hamburg on Sunday.

Reports suggest that over 100 age-group athletes suffered punctures during the 180km bike section, possibly due to metal shards and glass. The women’s pro race was unaffected.

Some locals were reportedly upset about the lengthy road closures required for the event, but police have so far said that it is “speculation” at this point to describe any such act as intentional.

Another huge German full-distance race takes place in a month’s time in the shape of Challenge Roth in Bavaria, and the race director, Felix Walchshöfer, has sought to allay any fears that the roads used for the bike course will be anything other than pristine.

In an Instagram post, which you can watch below, he said: “We were horrified to see the images from Hamburg yesterday. First and foremost, we are very sorry that so many athletes were affected and their dreams have been shattered.

“We already got the first emails and calls from athletes who are very concerned regarding the race here in four weeks.”

He goes on to confirm that he has already spoken with waste management officials at Veolia to come up with a plan which will ensure that no such issues occur in Roth.

To celebrate Global Running Day, Garmin has released data which suggests the running boom is showing no signs of stopping – and no wonder, given that it also highlights the multiple health benefits associated with it.

The number of running activities increased across the board for all Garmin users, with indoor running seeing the biggest rise of 12.6% per capita in 2025 compared to 2024, while outdoor running activities went up 3.2%.

Those within the 30-39 age group recorded the largest year-over-year increase of average activities per user, followed by those ages 20-29, 60-69, over 70+ and 40-49.

In terms of the overall picture, take a look below at some of the headline findings to see how you stack up.

The average distance on a run for all users was 7.76 kilometres – or 4.82 miles. But the group with the highest average distance run may surprise you – those aged 50-59.

For the typical weekly distance, the 9-16km band was the most popular, with nearly 40% of runners falling in that category. Next was 17-32km (28%). Only 7% of users ran between 33-48km a week, and just 3% ran more than 49 km each week.

In terms of the most popular month for running, that was August. And in a typical week, the day most likely to feature the longest run was Saturday.

The average pace per kilometre was 5:49 for men and 6:32 for women.

As you might expect, the younger age groups ran a bit faster than the older ones, with an average speed of 5:45 per kilometre for those 20-29 compared to 6:45 per kilometre for those over 70.

European locales clocked the fastest average pace, with Ireland leading the way at a 5:41 minutes per kilometre pace. Portugal came next at 5:43/km, with Italy (5:44/km) rounding out the podium.

And an interesting snippet was that nowhere is more popular than France, home of UTMB, for trail running activities logged.

The Garmin data suggests that running does indeed help with sleep and resting heart rates.

Let’s start with sleep, which is essential to recovery, and runners tend to sleep better than those who don’t run.

The average sleep score of all Garmin runners (out of a max of 100) was 73 if they ran between 0-10 miles, or 74 if they ran between 11-30 or more. Non-runners, who used their smartwatches to log other activities, had an average sleep score of 70.

Meanwhile, the resting heart rate of non-runners sat at around 62 bpm, and the more kilometres a user committed to running, the lower that number dropped.

Garmin found that, on average, a user who ran 0-7 kilometres per week had a resting heart rate of 59 bpm, while a user who ran more than 49 kilometres a week had a resting heart rate of 55 bpm.

VO2 max is a number that defines your cardiovascular endurance and is calculated on many Garmin smartwatches.

A higher VO2 max, which means your body is better at taking oxygen from the air and using it in your muscles, is better than a lower one. The average VO2 max for all Garmin runners was 50, but VO2 max varies significantly when it comes to gender and age, as the chart below shows.

Strength training – or mixing up your fitness regime – can help runners avoid injury, and that is linked to one standout stat from the report.

When comparing 2024 to 2025, Garmin found a 23% increase in runners recording a run and strength training activity in the same week.

And it’s not just about physical health, though 60% did say improving physical fitness motivated them to start running.

Nearly half (47%) stated that improving mental health and reducing stress encouraged them to take it up, with around three-quarters (74%) now using running as a tool to manage emotional wellbeing, while close to two-thirds (64%) say it has helped reduce feelings of loneliness.

Legendary triathlete Jonny Brownlee crossed the finish line with his baby son Freddie as he celebrated making history at Supertri Blenheim Palace, becoming the first athlete ever to complete 10 sprint-distance triathlons across a single weekend.

The three-time Olympic medallist crossed the final finish line at 15:18 on Sunday to set a record that had never previously been attempted, having raced wave after wave alongside the thousands of amateur athletes who made up the weekend’s field.

In total, Brownlee covered roughly 7.5km of swimming, 200km of cycling and 50km of running, as he completed ten full sprint-distance triathlons – a 750m swim, a 20km bike on closed roads through the palace grounds and a 5km run – across two days of the Weekend Warrior challenge.

The athlete, who won mixed relay gold at the Tokyo Olympics, having already won bronze and silver in London and Rio, was met at the finish line by his wife Fi and their seven-month-old son, Freddie.

“This challenge is what sport is all about. If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have said, ‘It’s all about every second counts, or am I missing training by being here? I can’t talk to people because I need to focus on my race,” he said.

“Now I realise sport is more than that. It’s great to see everyone over the weekend have their own challenges and goals, helping and inspiring each other along the way. I love seeing people be active and see people doing sport. I got inspiration from people as I went around.

“Fi and Freddie are a massive support, and when I was getting a bit tired on Saturday, I thought all I had to do was to get to the finish line, and I could give Fi and Freddie a big cuddle, and it’s all ok.

“Your perspective changes in life. When I raced here in 2012, I would never have thought I would say this, but there are more important things in life than sport.”

A race against the clock. The defining challenge was never the distance but the fixed daily swim cut-off times, after which no further race could begin. Saturday’s swim closed at 15:40 and Sunday’s at 14:20, leaving Brownlee a finite window each day and no room to drift.

With each triathlon taking a little over an hour to race, plus the time to get back to the swim start and join the next wave, he had to hold a turnaround of roughly 75 minutes race after race to get every swim away in time.

Racing six waves on Saturday and four on Sunday, he completed the ten triathlons in a combined time of 12:24:25. Some effort, that, Jonny… 💪👏

Here are his ten triathlon times…

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