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 James sits down with Vincent Luis fresh off his victory in Kona, in what was both his first and last Ironman World Championship. They talk through what it means to be world champion, the journey that brought him to the Big Island, and how he is processing a result that few saw coming. Luis takes James through the race itself, from the marathon charge that brought down Magnus Ditlev in the closing miles to the moment he crossed the finish line knowing he had done it. A wide-ranging conversation with one of triathlon's most compelling figures at the peak of his career. SAVE 60% OFF GOGGLES AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'talkingtriathlon' To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14 You can follow V

This week there is only one event we are talking about, Kona! Taylor Knibb wins the women's Ironman World Championship in the most dramatic of circumstances. Solveig Løvseth led going into the final mile before collapsing on the road. Knibb went past her to take the title, Løvseth got back to her feet and walked across the line in eighth. Lucy Charles-Barclay led out of the swim but withdrew on the run. Laura Philipp took second, Julie Derron third. Knibb becomes just the third woman ever to hold both the 70.3 and full-distance world titles in the same year. Vincent Luis wins the men's race on his Kona debut, a race he had said publicly would also be his last. He started the marathon over five minutes down on Magnus Ditlev and ran him down in the closing miles to take one of the great Kona victories. Gustav Iden charged hard and finished second, with Sam Laidlow and Kristian Blummenfelt both falling away in the heat. Despite finishing second in Kona, Iden's consistency across the season was enough to win the

Andy Horsfall-Turner joins to give an update on his season and share his thoughts on the Pro Series as a professional athlete living inside the system. We talk about what it actually looks like from the inside, whether the series is working, and what needs to change. Kona is here. The Ironman World Championship returns to the Big Island with both the men's and women's races on the same day for the first time since 2019, and the fields are stacked. We go through who we think can win, who the conditions will suit, and what a race without defending champion Casper Stornes means for the men's title. The women's race features defending champion Solveig Løvseth, Lucy Charles-Barclay, Chelsea Sodaro, Laura Philipp, Kat Matthews and Taylor Knibb among others. We break down the contenders and pick our winners. The men's line-up brings together Gustav Iden, Kristian Blummenfelt, Patrick Lange and Sam Laidlow, with Stornes absent after his training crash on the island last week. We run through the field and ask who step

Jan Frodeno took on the Berlin Marathon and ran 2:23:33, beating his target of 2:25 with a faster second half. We talk about what it means for Frodo to still be pushing himself in new ways post-retirement from triathlon. Reigning Ironman World Champion Casper Stornes is out of Kona after a training crash on the Big Island. A gust of wind caught his front wheel and sent him over the handlebars, leaving him with a broken collarbone and a fracture to his L3. A devastating blow just days out from a title defence on the very island he came to conquer. Kona is on October 10 and the start lists are stacked. Seven former world champions are heading to the Big Island, with both the men's and women's races wide open following Stornes' withdrawal. We run through who looks dangerous and who the race suits. Cassandre Beaugrand was in a class of her own at the WTCS Grand Final in Pontevedra, winning the race and completing five wins from five series starts in 2026 to claim a second world title. Georgia Taylor-Brown was sec

Taylor Knibb swapped her tri suit for a skinsuit in Montreal, taking on the UCI Road World Championships time trial and finishing 13th against a full field of professional cyclists. We dig into what that result actually tells us about her ability on the bike. Venice Beach has been confirmed as the venue for the LA28 Olympic triathlon, and the course has already divided opinion. Sand on the bike path is raising eyebrows, but the real talking point is how much the design suits the runners. With Cassandre Beaugrand already an Olympic champion and virtually unbeatable when the run is what matters, the course couldn't have set things up better for her to do it again. Hayden Wilde won T100 French Riviera, backing up his 70.3 World Championship title just days later and beating Jelle Geens and Kyle Smith in the process. Pontevedra hosts the WTCS Grand Final this weekend and there is still everything to race for. Beaugrand needs a podium to wrap up the women's world title, while Vasco Vilaca leads the men's standings

Sam Laidlow wins Challenge Samarkand despite a mid-race nutrition crisis that forced him to walk, eventually holding on to win over Emil Holm. Natalie van Coevorden takes the women's race despite being ill all week. WTCS Karlovy Vary produced a thrilling finale to the regular season on a wet and treacherous course. Dorian Coninx held off an astonishing late charge from Alex Yee, who overturned a two-minute deficit before running out of road, losing by just ten seconds. Georgia Taylor-Brown ended a three-year wait for a WTCS win in an emotional women's race. Nikki Bartlett wins Ironman Wales for the second time, with Henrik Goesch taking a first full-distance victory in the men's race. T100 French Riviera is coming up this weekend, with Hayden Wilde heading straight back into action after Nice, joined by Jelle Geens, Lasse Nygaard Priester and Rico Bogen in what looks like a strong field. Taylor Knibb wins a fourth 70.3 World Championship title in Nice in dominant fashion, setting a new bike course record and

Joe Skipper receives an 18-month suspension for three whereabouts filing failures, with his results disqualified back to May 2025. Jonny Brownlee has retired from professional triathlon, announcing it at the Supertri Final in Jersey after injury prevented him from taking the start line one last time. He goes out as a triple Olympic medallist and one of the most beloved figures the sport has produced. Salomon has been announced as the new title sponsor of the Ironman World Championship in a five-year global partnership, with the deal taking full effect from 2027. The 2027 Ironman Pro Series calendar has been revealed, featuring seven new races, equal men's and women's programmes at every race weekend, and $1.7 million in bonuses. New venues include Leipzig, Lanzarote, Valencia and Muscat. At the Supertri Grand Final in Jersey, Beaugrand made it an unbeaten season with another dominant win, while Hauser took the men's title with Alex Yee suffering a cruel exit from the race. WTCS Karlovy Vary is this weekend, t

Sam Appleton announces his retirement after 13 years and 20 career victories, with one or two bucket list races still to come before he calls it a day for good. Taylor Knibb is adding the UCI Road World Championships time trial in Montreal to an already extraordinary month, racing the 70.3 World Championships in Nice first before flying straight to Canada just eight days later. Jan Frodeno has won his age group at the UTMB OCC, the 55km trail race in the Alps, dominating the 45-49 category by nearly 25 minutes. The man cannot stop winning regardless of what sport he turns up to. Lucy Charles-Barclay has made the difficult decision to skip her defence of the 70.3 World Championship title, going all-in on Kona instead. It makes her the first reigning champion to miss the race in 15 years, and we discuss what it means for the women's race in Nice. At WTCS Weihai, Beaugrand makes it four wins from four this season while Max Studer defends his title in the men's race, with Tyler Mislawchuk completing the podium. I

Ruth Astle has been diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune condition that attacks the thyroid, after years of searching for answers through countless tests and specialist appointments. It's a significant moment for an athlete who has spent too long being told everything looked normal. Jelle Geens has shelved his Kona ambitions to chase an unprecedented third consecutive 70.3 World Championship title in Nice, something no man has ever done. We discuss what that decision means and whether he can do it. Ironman Leeds had its swim cancelled due to a blue-green algae bloom in Waterloo Lake, with athletes racing a duathlon instead. It's the latest in a growing pattern of swim cancellations driven by extreme heat. Cassandre Beaugrand continues to rewrite what a triathlete can be. We look at her new approach since relocating to Girona, how competitive athletics is feeding back into her triathlon, and what it means for her dominance heading into the rest of the season. At Ironman 70.3 Northern California, t

We look at Mika Noodt's recovery from his crash at Ironman 70.3 Swansea, where he hit an ambulance while leading with 10km to go, and what the journey back to racing has looked like since. Hayden Wilde has been announced for the Supertri Pro Series Final in Jersey, setting up a reunion with Alex Yee and Matt Hauser. We dig into whether the grand final concept actually works, if Yee versus Wilde is still a storyline anyone cares about in 2026, and what Supertri needs to do to make it matter. Ironman 70.3 Northern California features a mouth-watering head-to-head between Sam Long and Lionel Sanders, who makes his return from injury, with both men bringing serious form into the race. Ironman Kalmar rounds out the Kona qualification picture, completing the women's Pro field for October's World Championship, with Katrine Christensen defending and Laura Philipp among the key names. T100 Vancouver rounds out the week, with Alanis Siffert, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Paula Findlay and Kate Waugh among the headline names. S

Harry Palmer has ended his season early with a stress reaction, unfortunate news after a brilliant run of form through the summer. World Triathlon has submitted a formal bid for triathlon to return to the Commonwealth Games at Amdavad 2030. Alanis Siffert wins the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon for the third consecutive year, an extraordinary hat trick on one of the hardest courses in the sport. She had a notable issue in T2 that could have cost her, but pulled away to win regardless. Alistair Brownlee finished second at Norseman, making defending champion Kristian Grue work hard for his title. He's no longer competing as a professional but it's great to see one of the all-time greats taking on a race like this. Looking ahead to the 70.3 World Championships in Nice, the women's field is stacked, with Lucy Charles-Barclay, Taylor Knibb, Solveig Løvseth, Laura Philipp and Kat Matthews all lining up. On the men's side, the spotlight is on Hayden Wilde as world number one and the pressure is on him to deliver, alongside G

Tyler Mislawchuk makes amends for his near miss in Edmonton by winning Supertri Toronto in front of a home crowd, with Zuzana Michaličková taking the women's race. The big news of the week is the announcement of the Triathlon World Tour, which rebrands the WTCS as the T50 World Championship Tour and expands the overall structure to around 100 events per year from 2027. At WTCS London, Beaugrand ran away from a stacked women's field to continue her dominant season, and Matt Hauser made it yet another win over Vasco Vilaca, with Csongor Lehmann completing the podium. Sam Long dominated the bike at Ironman 70.3 Boise to win comfortably, while Kirsten Kasper stormed back on the run to take the women's title. Sam Laidlow has confirmed he will skip the 70.3 World Championships in Nice, choosing Challenge Samarkand as his final hit-out before Kona. And Alistair Brownlee heads to Norway to tick Norseman off his bucket list. SAVE 35% OFF EVERYTHING AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'Secret-35' To support the podcas

WTCS Abu Dhabi, originally postponed from March due to unrest in the Middle East, has a new date of November 13-14 and will now also offer Olympic qualification points. And Ironman 70.3 Versailles, cancelled due to the heatwave back in July, has been rescheduled for October 11 at the Château de Versailles. After the break we recap Ironman Lake Placid, where Marten Van Riel converted his 70.3 form into a dominant full-distance win, setting a new course record on debut at the distance. Paula Findlay made an equally impressive full Ironman debut, winning the women's race on her first attempt. We then preview WTCS London, where Alex Yee races in front of a home crowd and we ask whether the women's start list, featuring Beaugrand, Beth Potter, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Lisa Tertsch, is the best we've seen all year. We close with a look at the Canadian racing weekend, where Tyler Mislawchuk came within 0.01 seconds of winning the Edmonton World Cup, losing in a sprint to GB's Solomon Okrafo-Smart, and a quick mentio

It's a big one this week.  Three major retirement announcements drop almost simultaneously. Joe Skipper calls it a day after a career that included ten full-distance wins, finishing his final race on home roads in Norfolk at Outlaw Holkham. Patrick Lange announces his farewell tour, targeting one more Kona this October and a final race at Challenge Roth in 2027. Dame Flora Duffy, four-time world champion and Bermuda's Olympic gold medallist, confirms she is stepping away after injuries made it impossible to train at the level she demanded of herself. We also cover the late postponement of Ironman 70.3 Versailles, pulled just days out due to a heatwave and concerns over a cyanobacteria bloom in the swim venue. After the break we recap WTCS Hamburg, where Matt Hauser made it three straight wins on that course by outsprinting Vasco Vilaca, and Leonie Périault took the women's race. France then completed the weekend with a thrilling Mixed Relay World Championship win, booking their automatic LA2028 Olympic qualif

This week Belinda Granger joins as guest co-host, bringing her perspective from inside the commentary box and from her role as pro liaison at Challenge Roth. We spend a big chunk of the episode talking through the 2026 WTCS season with Belinda, covering Beaugrand's continued dominance, Vasco Vilaca leading the men's standings, what Alex Yee's DNF in Quiberon means for the rest of the season, and what it's actually like to call these races up close. Then we get into Ironman Frankfurt, where Casper Stornes backed up his Kona title with a win over Gustav Iden in a race shortened to a 125km bike and a half marathon due to extreme heat, with Antonio Benito Lopez rounding out the podium. The back half of the episode is all Challenge Roth, and with Belinda involved in the race it's about as good an insider preview as you'll get. On the women's side, Lucy Charles-Barclay and Kat Matthews headline as the two to beat. On the men's side, we dig into whether Kristian Blummenfelt can deliver, and where Sam Laidlow and

We open with a full recap of WTCS Quiberon, where Cassandre Beaugrand was in superb form, putting the race to bed as soon as she kicked to beat Tilda Mansson. In the men's race, Dorian Coninx outsprinted Vasco Vilaca in a thriller reminiscent of his 2023 title run, while Alex Yee was forced to DNF. We also break down the Mixed Team Relay, where France completed a clean sweep of the weekend, winning comfortably even without Beaugrand in the lineup. After the break, we cover Ironman 70.3 Elsinore, where Marten Van Riel made it six wins from six in 70.3 racing this year, setting a new course record alongside Kat Matthews, who ran away from the women's field for victory. Both results lock in important qualification slots heading toward the 70.3 World Championships.  We close with previews of two of the biggest races coming up: Ironman 70.3 Nice, where the final women's slot for the 70.3 World Championships will be decided, and Ironman Frankfurt, where Casper Stornes, Gustav Iden, and a long-awaited seas

We open with news that Olympic champions Alex Yee and Cassandre Beaugrand are heading to the Diamond League, with Yee racing the 5,000m and Beaugrand the 3,000m at Monaco on July 10, marking Yee's first Diamond League appearance since 2019 and a first-ever start for Beaugrand. Then we cover Taylor Knibb, who claimed her second US Pro Road Nationals time trial title in Charleston, continuing her run as one of the most dangerous dual-sport athletes in the world. We also break down the announcement that Chattanooga will host the Ironman 70.3 World Championship again in 2027, locking in a new five year agreement with the qualifying cycle kicking off on July 5. After the break, we recap Ironman Cairns, where Nick Thompson and Penny Slater both picked up maiden Ironman wins, with Slater inheriting the lead after Regan Hollioake was forced to retire with a torn hamstring while well clear on the bike. We then run through Happy Valley 70.3, where Trevor Foley finally got the better of Sam Long in their fourteenth he

We open with an update on Jelle Geens, who has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his femur that has put his season on hold, including his pursuit of an Ironman World Championship qualification slot. Then we get into Lionel Sanders, who has confirmed he is working again with Mikal Iden after a difficult stretch dealing with RED-S and injury. Sanders is leaning into the Norwegian method as he targets Kona 2026. The big story of the week is Ironman Hamburg, where metal shards were deliberately spread across the bike course in the Kirchwerder area, causing an estimated 400 punctures and forcing more than 100 age groupers to DNF. Police have launched a formal investigation. Despite all of that, the pro race went ahead and Solveig Løvseth took her fourth consecutive full-distance Ironman win, holding off Laura Philipp by just over a minute to claim the European Championship title. We then recap T100 San Francisco, where Rico Bogen backed up his 2025 win with another dominant performance, going early on th

Alistair Brownlee is taking on Norseman, adding one of triathlon's most iconic races to his calendar and giving fans another reason to follow his post-professional career. WTCS Alghero delivered exactly what we've come to expect from the series. Vasco Vilaça and Cassandre Beaugrand took the wins, the men's race featured crashes and drama throughout, and the women's race was simply outstanding. We also discuss why WTCS continues to produce some of the best racing in the sport and how much the broadcast product has improved in recent years. Supertri Blenheim also features, with a surprisingly strong field assembled despite the ongoing challenges around actually watching the racing. Attention then turns to T100 San Francisco. The venue is iconic, but with Hayden Wilde on the start line the question becomes whether anyone can stop him. We finish with Ironman Hamburg, where Laura Philipp and Solveig Løvseth headline the women's race, and whether the long-discussed eight-hour barrier could finally fall. SAVE 35% OF

Tim is finally back. We start with the Giro d'Italia and Maya Kingma's move into professional cycling, as she continues to show that triathletes can successfully make the transition to the pro peloton. Cassandre Beaugrand then adds another achievement to an already remarkable year by breaking the French 5km record. Supertri Austin follows, where the conversation turns to what has happened to the series. Once one of the most exciting products in the sport, Austin felt like a shadow of what Supertri used to be. T100 Spain delivered plenty of talking points, including Georgia Taylor-Brown securing the first T100 win of her career. Ironman Lanzarote saw Sam Laidlow get the better of Patrick Lange, while Lucy Charles-Barclay returned to long-distance racing with a dominant victory. We finish with WTCS Alghero. Olympic qualification is now underway, both fields are loaded with talent, and we discuss why WTCS continues to deliver some of the best racing in the sport, along with the improvements that have been made t