The Slowtwitch Podcast

This episode features Kevin Mackinnon and Ben Snyder McGrath discussing recent triathlon races, athlete performances, course records, and upcoming events. They analyze the significance of Lanzarote, Kona, and other key races, providing insights into athlete strategies and race conditions.

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In this episode of The Slowtwitch Podcast, host Kevin Mackinnon interviews triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk, a three-time Olympian. They discuss Tyler's journey from hockey to triathlon, his competitive spirit, the role of coaches, and his experiences at the Olympics. Tyler reflects on the impact of COVID on his Olympic journey, his transition to middle-distance racing, and the challenges of making a living as a professional triathlete. He shares insights into his training regimen, key workouts, and future aspirations as he considers competing in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Eric’s back after rebuilding Slowtwitch’s classifieds and directories, a family vacation, and a full week on the ground at Sea Otter Classic. The crew breaks down what’s happening in the bike industry — Stages is back under Giant’s ownership, Mavic is rebuilding from zero after losing every dealer record in bankruptcy, and direct-from-factory brands showed up with bikes at price points that’ll shake things up. Then Kevin reports from IRONMAN Texas: Blummenfelt dominates but pukes his guts out doing it, Van Riel pushes him to the edge, Brock O’well comes out of nowhere with a 7:29 (Ben called it), and the Kat Matthews flat tire sparks a heated debate about carrying tubes vs. relying on tech support. On the women’s side — Solvay Løvseth cements herself as the real deal, Taylor Nib nails her sub-three marathon goal, and the crew pushes back on the idea that women and men further back should quit early based on pro series points. Plus: T100 Singapore preview with Hayden Wilde vs. Matt Hauser, WTCS Yokohama without Yee or Hauser, and why 20 meters of drafting distance still isn’t solving anything.

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On this week’s episode Olympic triathlete Lisa Perterer shares her journey from junior champion to Olympic athlete and her transition into long-distance racing. She discusses training strategies, race experiences, and her goals for Kona 2026.

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Bartosz Kasprzyk is not just a cycling enthusiast; he’s a sales manager at Atlas Copco and the director of the Predator Gravel Series. With a YouTube channel that boasts nearly 25,000 followers and 8 million views, he shares valuable bike-related advice. His dedication to the cycling community is evident in his approach to organizing races that prioritize fairness and safety.

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In this weeks episode, we chat with Andy Scherding and Kathleen Walker of New England Endurance about their journey into adventure racing, organizing unique endurance events, and the vibrant community they foster through their races. Discover how they create challenging, community-driven races that attract athletes of all levels and inspire personal transformation.

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In the world of triathlon, few stories are as compelling as that of Morgan Pearson. A two-time Olympic medalist and a seven-time All-American runner, Morgan’s journey to becoming a triathlete is filled with determination, passion, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. In this blog post, we will explore the highlights of Morgan’s career, his transition from running to triathlon, and the lessons he has learned along the way.

In this episode of the Slowtwitch podcast, hosts Kevin Mackinnon and Ben Snyder McGrath chat with Ash Coppinger and Rob Cummins, owners of Wheelworks, a prominent bike shop in Dublin. The conversation covers their experiences at the Marbella 70.3, their journey into triathlon, the evolution and growth of their business, and their insights on increasing participation in triathlon, especially among women. They also discuss their upcoming race plans and the importance of marketing through personal participation in the sport.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Guests and Their Backgrounds 02:54 Experiences at the 70.3 Worlds in Marbella 06:13 Journey into Triathlon: Rob’s Transformation 08:57 Ash’s Trail Running Career and Philosophy 11:54 How Rob and Ash Met Through Running 15:11 Ironman Experiences: Challenges and Lessons Learned 18:02 The Growth of Wheelworks and Business Insights 28:15 Stocking Up for Success 31:06 The Grand Opening 32:34 Rapid Growth and Learning 35:28 Navigating the COVID Boom 38:33 Expanding the Business 39:02 Marketing Through Passion 47:17 Triathlon Trends and Participation 51:29 Challenges in Triathlon Participation 52:06 Comparing Running and Triathlon 54:21 Future Race Plans

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In this episode of the Slowtwitch podcast, professional triathlete and medical student Matthew Marquardt shares his unique journey from swimming to triathlon, balancing rigorous medical training with the demands of being a pro athlete. He discusses his training regimen, nutrition strategies, and the challenges he faces, including cramping issues during races. Matthew also highlights his commitment to charity work, particularly in cancer research, and reflects on the evolving dynamics of triathlon, including the impact of drafting rules on race strategy. With a focus on continuous improvement and a passion for both medicine and athletics, Matthew offers insights into maintaining a healthy lifestyle while pursuing excellence in sport.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Matthew Marquardt 02:02 Journey into Triathlon 10:06 Balancing Medical School and Professional Sports 16:00 Training Regimen and Time Management 22:01 Nutrition and Diet for Endurance 30:05 Charity Work and Community Engagement 36:28 Experiencing Healthcare Across Borders 37:44 The Balance of Health and Performance in Ironman 42:08 Drafting Rules and Their Impact on Racing 46:30 The Future of Ironman: Community and Competition 55:14 Testing and Feedback on Drafting Simulations 01:04:21 The Long-Term Vision for Triathlon and Personal Growth

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Summary

In this episode of the SlowTwitch podcast, hosts Kevin Mackinnon, Eric Wynn, and Ben Snyder McGrath reflect on the past year in triathlon, discussing the financial landscape of the sport, the impact of the PTO on prize money, and their picks for the Triathletes of the Year. They explore the differences between short course and long course athletes, the growth of endurance sports, and the importance of fostering a welcoming community for newcomers. The conversation wraps up with thoughts on the future of the sport and resolutions for the upcoming year.

Alright—today’s episode is about the rule everyone argues about, even when the racing is clean: drafting. Due to the community’s consist outrage IRONMAN has started real-world testing to compare the legal benefit of riding at 12 meters versus, 16 and 20 meters, and they’re doing it with actual pros, at actual race speeds, on the road. The goal is simple to say and hard to do: measure what kind of power savings and CdA (the coefficient of drag (Cd)multiplied by the frontal area (A), representing total aerodynamic drag exist across different gaps, and figure out what that means for fairness, safety, and how races actually unfold when packs form, the wind shifts, and the road narrows. And to get into it, we’re joined by Jimmy Riccitello—head referee, rules lead, and IRONMAN’s Director of Rules and Special Projects. Jimmy breaks down how they’re using Race Ranger to control spacing, and how Marc Graveline is creating the testing. We revealed a real learning curve, and why their second round was redesigned to get cleaner data—pros with Race Ranger experience, a consistent “rabbit” up front, rotating order behind, and multiple runs at each distance. From there, we get into the real fight: why some pros want 20 meters, why others think it creates new problems, and why IRONMAN can’t treat this like a single-variable decision—because once pros and age-groupers mix on multi-loop courses, “simple” gets messy fast.

Kevin and Eric continue to figure out (argue) about the proper way to pronounce Qatar. Ben brings some receipts for his thoughts on the T100 Wrap up and we go down the rabbit hole a bit.

Keats McGonigal is someone we interact with quite often at races. We finally got the chance to get our schedules aligned for a sit down.

We talk about the operational challenges of putting on IRONMAN events all over North America, and how Keats makes the call for which events he personally goes too.

In this episode we dive into some of things that go on behind the scenes to make these events happen.

After years at the helm under the Pierre Mobility Group. Florian Burguet and Cesar Rojo have purchased 100% of the FELT business.

We talk about the their history together and where they are taking the brand as it enters its 35th Anniversary.

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In this week’s episode we talk about the difference between American and Canadian Thanksgivings. Ben covers some recent watch and headphone reviews. Kevin talks about we noticed and some races that are coming up. Eric talks about hookless and why Slowtwitch talks about it so much. And can we bring back the rear Disc in KONA?

We cover a lot of ground this podcast brought to you by Wahoo KICKR RUN. From The Men’s race at Worlds 70.3 to Ironman’s course corrections on KONA qualifying standards. Ben talks about being at Ironman AZ and Kevin and I argue about who is responsible for the T100 Men’s race issues.

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We follow up on our women’s preview with our women’s follow up and get into what we think will be the men’s day..

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We sit down before the women’s race and talk about the “Vibe” and what we think is going to happen.

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Last week we shared the start of a conversation between IRONMAN and 70.3 champion Sam Long and Mark Goddard on The Slowtwitch Podcast. That was the first of four parts, and today, we have the second. At this point in their talk, Goddard asked Long about the business of triathlon, how he goes about forming brand partnerships, and his relationship with his competitors.

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RONMAN and 70.3 champion Sam Long, the top-ranked American in the PTO standings, recently joined Mark Goddard on The Slowtwitch Podcast to talk all things triathlon and beyond. In this clip, the first part of their chat, Goddard asked Long a couple of questions from fans on Slowtwitch. The first and main question was a classic for people living in the limelight: where would you be if you weren’t a professional triathlete? 

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The basics of the new rules that World Triathlon would be augmenting seemed pretty simple when we learned about them earlier this year: for front hydration there was a maximum capacity of two litres, while for the rear there was a maximum of two, one-litre bottles that would be allowed. Here’s the specific wording that IRONMAN used to describe the new rules:

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We kicked things off with a discussion about Jewett’s recent full-distance debut, where she finished sixth and earned herself a spot for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona this October. After a disappointing swim, Jewett felt that the bike went reasonably well. Despite running the day’s second fastest pro women’s marathon split (2:57:02), Jewett felt that she was a bit conservative on the run and is looking forward to pushing the pace a bit earlier in her next full-distance race in Lake Placid in July. That said, the former running star was overall very pleased with the result and the Kona qualification.

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The North American race season is right around the corner. That means IRONMAN’s rulebook for 2024 has officially been published. We bring in IRONMAN’s Jimmy Riccitello to talk us through this year’s changes – and, crucially, what hasn’t changed. From drafting to bike equipment to 3D printing your own parts and the all important zipper height, we go through it all.

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We’re back! We shake off the cobwebs to talk about the kickoff to the 2024 triathlon season. We touch base on Abu Dhabi’s cancellation, and then Eric’s experience down in Miami. We talk World Triathlon, CLASH Endurance, PTO, and a whole lot more. But ultimately – did we leave with more questions than answers as to how the PTO will pull off its goal of bringing triathlon to the masses via broadcast content? We also chat about our new slate of writers that have joined the team over the last few months.

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Jason West had a hell of a 2023. We recap it, then talk through his plans for 2024.

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In this episode: Eric and Ryan talk about the Noosa Triathlon. The event embodies just about everything we love about our sport and community.

We relive the week that was the women’s IRONMAN World Championships in Hawaii. We dive into how the week builds, the behind-the-scenes of things like the expo and the Kona Bike Count, and Eric’s experience trying to get coverage for us.

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It’s here! It’s finally here! Eric and Ryan dive right into Kona excitement and some initial thoughts. We also dive into the art of race directing in 2023, the logistical challenges we’re all facing, and our collective desire for something that resembles normalcy.

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Two-time XTERRA World Champion Brad Weiss is this week’s guest. We talk at length about the IRONMAN World Championships in Nice and his penalty and subsequent recovery ride and run from it. We also talk about being able to pivot from one discipline to another as he preps for this weekend’s XTERRA World Championship event. And, for the gear heads, a bit of a deep dive on his mountain bike and choosing the right ride for a course. Dig in!

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The first half of the IRONMAN World Championships have come and gone. We go in-depth with our man on the ground from Nice, and newest member of the Slowtwitch family, Brad Williams. Expo, venue, behind the scenes, Sam Laidlow’s win, broadcast – it’s all here in this week’s episode.

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Ryan is back from vacation and COVID to join Eric as we lead into the men’s IRONMAN World Championship race. And we’re wondering – is it the time of year, the fact that it’s in Europe, or some combination of the current race calendar that’s making it feel less like it’s World Championship time? We also talk PTO, our picks for Sunday’s race, the thankless job that is race commenting, and more.

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Paul Johnson joins the program this week to chat through his naval experience, running, and his philosophy of more miles and more smiles. It’s a fun one!

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We’re going off the beaten path this week, talking Xterra’s World Tour stop in Avon, Colorado. We’re joined by some of Xterra’s pro athletes and staff, including Josiah and Sullivan Middaugh, Susie Snyder, and Steve Andru. Let’s get dirty.

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We’re joined by Skye Moench for this week’s wide-ranging conversation. Skye’s been racing professionally since 2016, and with that experience, gives us insight into her financial decision making when building a race calendar. We also talk through the PTO’s alignment with World Triathlon to build a new Championship Series, her recent coaching change, her laser-focus on Kona, and our collective love of FORM Swim goggles.

Sean Conway is no stranger to massive adventures. His most recent exploit: complete a full-distance triathlon, within cutoff times, for 105 straight days. He joined us to talk about how he sets big goals and goes about achieving them, the routine of doing 140.6 miles every day in a row, and more.

We’ve been traveling and that meant we took a small break. Whoops. But that also means a longer episode as we talk about our various exploits covering IRONMAN Lake Placid and 70.3 Maine. It also means we’ve got to talk about zippers and the troubles of Justin Metzler and Matthew Sharpe with them. We also chat through the importance of saddles through the lens of two different product reviews we have live on site. 

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The big news of the week is that IRONMAN CEO Andrew Messick will retire at the end of the year. We look back at his tenure, the social media reaction to the news, and then start to ponder – who might be next in line for the role? Is it a case of “be careful what you wish for?” Eric also recaps his experience at Odyssey SwimRun Casco Bay. 

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Ken Rideout is our guest this week. Ken is an absolute character in the best sense of the word. We talk about his racing the Gobi March (a 7 day, 155 mile adventure race in central Mongolia), how he’s married his business background to his athletic endeavors, attitude, and the art of training and racing with a young family. It’s a trip – we hope you enjoy the ride.

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We are in Roth Germany to sit down with long time friend Felix to talk about the History of Roth and why it’s considered the biggest triathlon race in the world. 

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We spend some time revisiting what the podcast is (and isn’t) in light of feedback from our episodes last week. Then we’re onto a Boulder 70.3 recap, with our big takeaway: Can Taylor Knibb be beat? We wrap up talking about our plans for Challenge Roth and Eurobike next week. 

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Ben Kanute joins the program. We lead off discussing the events at IRONMAN Hamburg and get perspectives from our collective experiences as athletes, media members, race producers, and more. We then pivot to Kanute’s 2023 race season and looking forward to Challenge Roth.

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We’re joined by IRONMAN CEO Andrew Messick to talk about Hamburg.  He talks about what they got wrong, why certain policies and procedures exist, and how they plan on making changes moving forward. Collectively, we continue to feel the loss and injuries that took place over the weekend.

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Simon Whitfield is one of the best at being first. So it’s only fitting that the Gold Medalist be our first guest on the Slowtwitch Podcast. He joined Eric Wynn and Ryan Heisler to discuss what his days look like now. We talk about his new job @ The Feed. We touch on athletes racing these days, his respect for Gwen Jorgensen trying to do it again, and giving back to the sport. It’s always a great day to catch up with Simon.

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Eric and Ryan recap a big weekend of professional racing before turning their focus on long course and the “Big 3” out there: IRONMAN, Challenge, and the PTO. But it’s not just all about professional triathlon – it’s also about what the average age-grouper experience looks like. 

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Hosted by Ryan & Eric, The Slowtwitch Podcast is the latest addition to our coverage. Guests or not each episode will be wide-ranging conversations while staying true to the ethos of Slowtwitch: fiercely independent and authentic. Episodes will release weekly on Thursdays and be available on your favorite streaming services.

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