Morning endurance fans…

The countdown to Kona is very much on – and a fascinating battle is beginning to emerge for the women’s IRONMAN World Championship crown between five in-form athletes determined to bring it home on the Big Island.

Defending champion Solveig Løvseth continues to impress, Kat Matthews looks as relentless as ever, Laura Philipp remains the benchmark for consistency, Taylor Knibb is capable of turning the race upside down on the bike, and Lucy Charles-Barclay will be determined to reclaim the title she won in 2023.

Each brings a different weapon to the party, but only one will leave with the crown. If recent form is anything to go by, the women's race in Kona could be the most exciting world championship showdown we've seen in years.

Here’s what we have lined up for you today…

🇩🇰 LINE-UPS: Kat Matthews and Marten Van Riel will headline the men’s and women’s fields at IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore next week. Read HERE.

🚨 PUNCTURES: IRONMAN officials are working with police in Hamburg after a section of the bike course was sabotaged last week. Read HERE.

🇳🇴 HEADLINE: Norwegian pair Casper Stornes and Gustav Iden will line up for the IRONMAN European Championships in Frankfurt. Read HERE.

🎽 INJURED: American star Seth Ruhling’s planned return to the Western States Endurance Run has been scuppered by injury. Read HERE.

🇿🇦 CONFIRMED: Cape Town Marathon has become the first African race to be added to the list of Abbott World Marathon Majors. Read HERE.

The IRONMAN Pro Series moves from Hamburg and across the Atlantic as Pennsylvania hosts the 70.3 North American Championship on Sunday, with pro fields living up to the billing.

The top North American middle-distance athletes take each other on for bragging rights and all-important Pro Series points – and all on a course which looks to offer something for everyone.

📺 TV COVERAGE: IRONMAN 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley takes place tomorrow (14 June), with the men’s professional race starting at 06:50 local time (which is Eastern). That corresponds to 03:50 on the West Coast, 11:50 in the UK and 12:50 Central European. The pro women set off five minutes later.

This event is the seventh stop in the Pro Series, which means a full livestream will be available on the IRONMAN YouTube channel.

🙋‍♂️ MEN’S FIELD: There are plenty of close friends and rivalries in play here, with many of the most talented middle-distance American men lining up. Bibs #1 through to #12 are all American, bar Aussie Sam Appleton, though he’s based primarily in Boulder.

Veteran Matt Hanson heads the start list and has already collected two podiums this year – at IRONMAN New Zealand and 70.3 Chattanooga.

Arguably, the favourite is Sam Long, who won 70.3 Gulf Coast and has tended to mop up victories in US 70.3s in recent years. The big questions around him are firstly what sort of gap he and the likes of Trevor Foley will have to make up on the swim, and then how much damage they can do on the testing bike course.

Other names to look out for are Ben Kanute, Morgan Pearson, Jason West, Marc Dubrick and Matthew Marquardt in what is very much a USA-dominated field.

🙋‍♀️ WOMEN’S FIELD: Wearing #1 is last year’s winner, Lydia Russell (USA), who took down Chelsea Sodaro and others 12 months ago for a surprise win. However, she is working her way back from injury, so the favourite has to be Paula Findlay.

The Canadian has won a whole host of North American 70.3s in recent years, including Augusta, Boise, St. George and Oceanside in the 2025 campaign. Add in the rolling bike course, and the three-time Canadian TT champ will be a tough nut to crack.

Hannah Berry (NZL), Tamara Jewett (CAN), Grace Alexander (USA), Danielle Lewis (USA) and Jackie Hering (USA) cannot be ignored, however.

Some of the Australasia region’s top long-distance triathletes will line up for the 15th anniversary edition of IRONMAN Cairns this weekend, battling it out for a share of the $100,000 USD prize purse and looking to secure one of the two slots per gender on offer for the world championships in Kona.

There may not be any Europeans in the mix, but the Australians, New Zealanders and Japanese athletes are joined by one American in what still promises to be an intriguing battle.

There are four world championship places up for grabs – two per gender – and the race will definitely be on for both fields to secure their invitations to the Big Island in October.

Australian Matt Burton will be among the favourites, having won the race in 2024, while compatriot Nick Thompson will also be one of the men to watch after finishing second behind Matthew Marquardt last time out.

In the women’s race, Regan Hollioake will wear the number one bib, looking to add a fourth IRONMAN triathlon title to her name. Hollioake finished fifth in Cairns last year

Canberra’s Penny Slater will be hoping 2026 is the year she puts together a complete performance at IRONMAN Cairns, having raced here four times previously, with a trio of fourth-place finishes and one podium.

The stunning setting of Carinthia’s lakes and mountains will play host to IRONMAN Austria tomorrow, as the scramble for Kona qualification sees a field of 49 pro men athletes competing for just two Big Island slots.

Among those expected to compete for the podium are local hero Michael Weiss, Kristian Grue (NOR) and the French duo of Dylan Magnien and Arnaud Guilloux. Britain’s Joe Skipper will also be looking to build on his impressive second-place at IRONMAN South Africa last time out.

Weiss lost out to German Finn Große-Freese last year, with Grue finishing in third spot.

The men’s pro race starts tomorrow at 06:30 local Central European time, which is 05:30 in the UK, 00:30 on the East Coast of the USA, 23:30 on Saturday in Central USA, and 21:30 on Saturday on the Pacific Coast.

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Wout van Aert did not start stage six of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes stage race, with the team citing ongoing discomfort from a pre-race training crash.

His decision comes hard on the heels of victory in stage five of the race in a sprint finish – a result somewhat at odds with his performance as a whole over the week, which has seen him off the pace and clearly suffering with the after-effects of the crash.

Friday’s 182km stage six, from Saint-Vulbas to Crest-Voland, saw Maxim Van Gils outsprint Tobias Johannessen to take victory in the Alps.

After a big breakaway led the peloton by over four minutes for much of the day, the general classification was decimated, and Van Gils’ Red Bull teammate, Australian Luke Tuckwell, finished third in the stage and moved into first place in the GC.

For more news on the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, read Cycling Weekly, HERE.

Having secured her Kona spot with a gritty top-ten finish at last week’s IRONMAN Hamburg, British athlete Fenella Langridge then offered a glimpse into what life is like competing on a circuit which, she admits, is ‘on another level right now’.

Her two full-distance IRONMAN races this season have seen her finish eighth in New Zealand and ninth last Sunday in what has been a much-improved campaign after her struggles of 2025.

However, as well as enjoying her own performances, these two events have also provided her with an invaluable first-hand look at what she will need to deliver if she is to challenge for world championship glory on the Big Island come October.

While on Sunday, it was Norwegian powerhouse Solveig Løvseth and German Laura Philipp who finished in first and second place, back in March, it was her compatriot Kat Matthews who dominated the field as she took the tape in Taupo.

Having seen three of the potential championship contenders up close and personal, she knows exactly what needs to be done if she is to have any hope of competing with them.

“There’s still a lot of work to do if I want to challenge these girls,” she wrote on her Instagram page. “Women’s triathlon is on another level right now, and I’m excited to be part of it. The depth and standard of racing continue to rise, and it’s pushing all of us to become better athletes. 🤩”

And she is not wrong when she says the standards of this season are high.

Throw in the likes of Taylor Knibb of the USA, who had already won T100 and 70.3 races this season before finishing second to Løvseth in Texas, and Lucy Charles-Barclay, who is only now getting up to speed after pre-season surgery, and you have a ‘Big Five’ who could each make a valid argument for being this season’s title favourite.

Defending champion Løvseth looks strong and would dearly love to prove that her 2025 win was no fluke; Matthews has finished second three times and looks in wonderful form; Philipp can chase almost anyone down with her marathon pace; and both Knibb and LCB will surely have learned their lessons from last year when the heat and humidity caused them to DNF.

How do you pick a winner from those five? And let’s not forget all the other talented athletes who have stood on full-distance podiums this season, such as Hannah Berry (NZL), Lotte Wilms (NED) and Katrine Græsbøll Christensen (DEN).

The talent on show in women’s long-distance triathlon this season has been truly phenomenal, and the question of who wins in Hawaii this year is an almost impossible one to predict, as some of the best female athletes to have ever graced the sport go head-to-head.

Such performances have clearly not gone unnoticed, and for athletes like Langridge, the task of finding a way to be able to compete has been clearly set out before them.

The one thing that is for certain, as we build up to October 10, is that we are in for a real treat when these wonder women take to the start line on Kamakahonu Beach… and we cannot wait!!!

Ouch!!! 🫣🤕

The boys from Norway continue to entertain both on and off the course, although you can bet world champion Casper Stornes didn’t actually mean to provide this moment of drama while they were out riding in St Moritz earlier this week.

Big Blu posted the clip along with this comment: “If every day was a sunshine day, what would then be a sunshine day?”

To which Stornes replied with: “Sitting here licking my own wounds. 😢”

The post received many comments and kind words of support, with some followers asking if he was OK, others checking that the bike wasn’t damaged, and Taylor Spivey stating that it was a ‘rookie mistake’.

We just hope he has recovered in time to take his place in Frankfurt later this month.

Many runners become curious about trail running. The promise of scenic routes, softer surfaces, challenging terrain, and a break from traffic can make trails incredibly appealing after years of road running.

However, transitioning from road running to trail running requires more than simply swapping pavement for dirt. Trail running places different demands on your muscles, joints, balance, coordination, endurance and pacing.

The good news is that road runners already possess many of the aerobic qualities needed to succeed on trails. The challenge is learning how to adapt those fitness gains to a completely different environment.

Below are our TEN key hints to ease your transition…

1: ACCEPT YOUR PACE WILL BE SLOWER: One of the biggest mistakes road runners make is comparing trail pace to road pace. Trail conditions often include hills, rocks, hidden tree roots, muddy sections and technical terrain, all of which can slow running speed. A trail run that feels easy may appear significantly slower on a GPS watch. Successful trail runners should focus on effort, time, terrain and enjoyment rather than obsessing over pace data.

2: BUILD ANKLE AND LOWER-LEG STRENGTH: Road surfaces are predictable. Trails are not. Every step on a trail may require small adjustments as your ankles, calves, feet and stabilising muscles get used to the new demands. New trail runners commonly experience soreness in areas that rarely feel challenged during road running.

3: START WITH EASY TRAILS: Many runners immediately choose the most technical trail available and end up feeling frustrated as they tend to fall, experience excess fatigue and lose their confidence. Instead, begin with nice smooth trails, such as forest paths with no technical terrain and only moderate gradients. As skills improve, more challenging trails can be introduced gradually.

4: LEARN TO RUN BY EFFORT: Trail conditions constantly change. This makes rigid pace targets far less useful than perceived effort. A steep climb may require a slower pace, greater effort, and more walking, while a smooth descent may allow faster running with lower effort. Athletes often become better trail runners because they learn to manage effort rather than chasing pace numbers.

5: HIKING IS PART OF TRAIL RUNNING: Many road runners view walking as failure. Trail runners often view it as a strategy. Steep climbs can sometimes be completed more efficiently by hiking, helping with the preservation of energy, the maintenance of momentum and the improvement of endurance.

6: IMPROVE DOWNHILL TECHNIQUE: Descending creates unique challenges of its own, and good, safe, trail descents require quick reactions, better balance, confidence and plenty of coordination as you work on such skills as foot placement. Many new trail runners brake excessively on descents, which can lead to increased fatigue as you deal with an interrupted flow and create higher muscular stress.

7: IMPROVE YOUR CORE: Trail running constantly challenges body control, and a strong core helps to not only maintain posture and improve stability, but it also means you can reduce wasted movement and enhance efficiency. Even small stability improvements can make trail running feel significantly easier.

8: GET THE RIGHT GEAR: Road shoes can work on some easy trails. However, dedicated trail shoes often provide better grip, increased protection and improved stability. Your choice of shoe will be crucial to ensuring confidence on the run, but it will depend on the terrain, the conditions, and your experience. Footwear should support the type of trails you actually run rather than the most extreme terrain available.

9: DEVELOP BETTER BALANCE: Trail running requires constant adjustments. You will need to navigate obstacles by reacting quickly if you are to maintain efficiency. Many athletes are surprised by how much balance influences trail performance.

Useful exercises include:

10: FUEL APPROPRIATELY: Trail runs often take longer than expected. A route that appears similar in distance to a road run may require more time, effort and energy to complete. Athletes should prepare accordingly by understanding that hydration and fueling become even more important when the terrain increases energy expenditure.

Paris Olympic champions Alex Yee and Cassandre Beaugrand have both signed up to compete at this year’s Diamond League athletics event in Monaco, which is due to take place on July 10.

Happy to compete outside of triathlon in recent times, Yee ran last year’s London and Valencia marathons, while Beaugrand set new French records for both the 10km and 5,000m this year.

Yee’s last Diamond League appearance came in 2019 when he raced in London, while Beaugrand has made no secret of her love for track running, stating after her recent win at WTCS Alghero how much she was enjoying her racing.

The Monaco schedule includes a 3,000m for the women, while the men also have a 5,000m event listed.

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