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👋 Welcome back
We may be midway through the off-season, but there is still much to digest and discuss in the worlds of triathlon and endurance athletics. This last week has seen serial-winner Hayden Wilde pick up yet another award as he and Lucy Byram were recognised by their fellow T100 pros, Kate Waugh was named the new No1 after a PTO rankings shift, and the discussion over IRONMAN’s ‘should they, shouldn’t they’ dilemma regarding the drafting regulations continues to demand the headlines. So put the kettle on, make a brew and let the Daily Split team give you the endurance lowdown…
🏃🏼 Quick Splits
The courage and resilience of Lucy Byram were recognised as she was voted by her peers as last season’s T100 Athletes’ Athlete of the Year. [PTO]
🥇T100 awards: The courage and resilience of both Hayden Wilde and Lucy Byram were recognised as the duo were named T100 Athletes’ Athlete of the Year. Read HERE and HERE.
📈 Waugh takes No1 spot: T100 world champion Kate Waugh was promoted to number one in the world after the PTO announced a change in the rankings system. Read HERE.
🚴🏻 Astle seeks new challenge: Ruth Astle explains why she is turning her focus towards gravel cycling and a role with The Brownlee Foundation Events team. Read HERE.
🐐 Taking on the GOAT: How triathletes Harry Palmer and Andrew Horsfall-Turner inadvertently took on sporting royalty Jan Frodeno in the podcast charts. Read HERE.
❌ Competition cancelled: Why has the T1 Liévin World Triathlon Indoor Cup been scrapped for 2026? Read HERE.
🏁 Race News
Anna Troup became one of only three runners to have won both the Winter and Summer Spine races, as she completed the brutal Peak District to the Scottish Borders run. [Spine Race]
Winter Spine Race
Women’s Race: Anna Troup added the women’s Montane Winter Spine Race title to the summer crown she won outright last year with a brilliant display in incredibly challenging conditions. The gruelling 268-mile slog from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm on the English/Scottish border is billed as ‘Britain’s most brutal’ ultramarathon, and that was underlined this year by snow, ice and waterlogged sections.
Men’s Race: Spain’s Eugeni Roselló Solé withdrew from the men’s race in agonising fashion late on Wednesday after seemingly having a second victory at his mercy. He was ten miles ahead with only 15 miles left to go when exhaustion got the better of him.
🔍 The BIG issue
The T100 Triathlon World Tour has already introduced the longer 20-metre drafting regulation, while it remains to be seen if IRONMAN will follow suit. [PTO]
In-depth in TEN: The drafting debate
The question of whether IRONMAN should follow the lead of T100 and increase its drafting regulations from 12 metres to 20 has sparked a debate that shows no sign of abating, with many pro athletes weighing in with their own opinions… here is all you need to know about the issue in our new ‘In-depth in TEN’ explainer.
Drafting is the process by which a cyclist seeks to gain an aerodynamic advantage from the rider or riders in front of him, using them as a shield to pierce through the air and thus preserving valuable energy.
The current drafting distance permitted in IRONMAN events requires athletes to maintain a 12-metre gap – six bike lengths – from the cyclist ahead.
For cyclists looking to overtake, only 25 seconds is allowed for them to attempt to complete a pass once they have entered the draft zone – passing on the left and moving back to the right immediately.
Violations will lead to penalties – a three-minute blue card in full-distance and two minutes in 70.3 races – or even disqualification.
The T100 Triathlon World Tour uses the RaceRanger system to monitor drafting and has increased its permissible distance from 12 to 20 metres.
A 20 metre drafting distance is also used in nearly all of the Challenge Family triathlon events, where cyclists are granted a 40-second window to overtake – one exception is at Challenge Roth, where the distance is 12 metres due to there being more age-groupers in the field.
Drafting is permitted in WTCS, Olympic and SuperTri events.
Only IRONMAN currently has a 12-metre drafting distance, although officials have confirmed they are now looking at increasing it to 20 as the speed and technology of bikes continue to improve.
Pro triathlete Lionel Sanders has confirmed that he recently took part in a series of trials with IRONMAN to collect data that will be used in future discussions, with potential 20-metre trials launched in some 2026 races. Read HERE.
Multiple IRONMAN winner Matthew Marquardt, of the USA, has also joined the debate, using his own medical and scientific background to give evidence that a switch to 20 metres is required in IRONMAN due to the improvements in technology. Read HERE.
Lionel Sanders has recently taken part in a series of IRONMAN drafting trials. [IRONMAN]
❓Poll Poser
Should the IRONMAN drafting distance be increased to 20 metres from its current 12 metres??
👩💻 Trending in Triathlon
Can you remember what you were doing in 2016? It may only have been a decade ago… how time flies… but the new Instagram trend has certainly thrown up one or two corking pictures, with athletes and indeed the T100 social media crew getting in on the act.
Heard the one about the guy who decided to cycle 500km around a McDonald’s drive-thru? No, it’s not a joke, it is, in fact, what happens when an athlete gets too much time on their hands over the Christmas period, with Kiwi Matthew Fairbrother tackling what he called the #Festive500… and the restaurant wasn’t even open!!!
Click HERE to check out the mind-boggling stats.
Coaches Corner – Winter Training Camp
If you are looking to get in some decent warm-weather training ahead of the new season, then Salou, on the Costa Daurada, could be the dream destination away from the usual mid-winter crowds.
Most people will think of Lanzarote or Mallorca, or even Girona – the place frequented by triathlon royalty Jan Frodeno, Cassandre Beaugrand and Martin Van Riel, to name just three.
However, if you just focus your gaze a couple of hours south of Girona, along the northeast coastline of Spain, you’ll discover the sublimely situated resort town of Salou – home of the annual middle-distance triathlon Challenge Salou which takes place on May 10 this year.
This spot is growing in popularity with endurance athletes as they seek to prep for the upcoming campaign with some warmth on their backs, and this is why…
The Mediterranean is the perfect ‘outdoor pool’ for swim training.
🏊♀️ Wild swimming: For swim training, look no further than nature’s best swimming pool – The Mediterranean. Take your pick from nine serviced beaches, boasting golden sand and crystal clear, shallow water.
🚴♀️ Cyclists’ paradise: Salou and its surroundings is already relatively well known within cycling circles, although it still flies relatively under the radar compared to the more popular areas such as the aforementioned Girona or Calpe, on the Costa Blanca. Our recommended route below starts in Salou and ends in Llaberia.
Total distance: 88km
Total ascent: 1,113m
Mountain passes: Llaberia: 22km, max gradient 8%
Estimated ride time: 3.5hrs
Difficulty rating: 3/5
Suitable for: Intermediate to advanced riders with good fitness levels
The Challenge Salou was voted to have the best bike course in 2024. [Challenge Family]
🏃🏼 Run with a view: The coastal path is a perfect location for an early-morning run or evening canter and provides uninterrupted views of the epic sunrises and sunsets over Salou. The path is a 9.49km trail and is almost entirely flat.
🧑🧑🧒🧒 Family friendly: Capital of Catalan Culture in 2025, Salou is less than 90mins by car from Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia and one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, making it ideal for a city-break tie-in after, or even before, a week of training.
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