#106 - Women's Ironman World Championship Preview

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 Vince at https://www.instagram.com/vincentluistri

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 overall Ironman Pro Series title. On the women's side, Laura Philipp takes the series crown. 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

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 steps up to fill the void. 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 Andy at https://www.instagram.com/andrew_h_t Check out Andy's podcast: https://www.instagram.com/uncomfortabletriathlon

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 second and Kate Waugh third. The men's race went down to the wire. Matthew Hauser took the win in a sprint finish, with Vasco Vilaca crossing the line second and in doing so claiming the overall world title. Alex Yee finished third, just four seconds off the winner. 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

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 going into the final showdown. 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