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What a month for triathlon news! August 2024 saw the Olympic triathlon races go down as some of the most exciting in history, geared up for even more excitement at the Paralympic Games, received the bittersweet news of triathlon GOAT Daniela Ryf’s early retirement, Start list qualifiers were set for the men’s and women’s pro fields at this year’s Ironman World Championships, and this year’s Ironman Texas winner received a provisional suspension for an anti-doping rule violation. But wait, there’s more! Read on for more triathlon news headlines you may have missed in August 2024.
Jonas Diechmann Sets World Record for Consecutive Iron-Distance Triathlon Racing
German extreme athlete Jonas Diechmann broke a world record this month after completing his 106th iron-distance triathlon in as many days. The previous record – 105 iron-distance triathlons in 105 days – belonged to the U.K.’s Sean Conway, who claimed the title in 2023. Diechmann’s 106th race set the new standard, and he’s still going – since May 9, he has been covering 140.6 miles of swim, bike, and run each day with the goal of achieving 120 consecutive iron-distance triathlons, all on the Challenge Roth course. The challenge concludes on September 5.
Diechmann is no stranger to extreme endurance events – in 2021, Triathlete followed him as he completed an around-the-world triathlon, covering approximately 280 miles of swimming, 12,400 miles of cycling, and 3,150 miles of running. The feat earned him international notoriety as “The German Forrest Gump” – a title he proudly carries on during his latest stunt. Fans can follow Diechmann’s adventures on his website.
Miami Will Host 2025 Collegiate Club National Championship Races
The triathlon party weekend known as Collegiate Club Nationals will move to Miami in 2025, USA Triathlon announced this month. More than 1,000 of the nation’s top collegiate club triathletes will compete for national titles March 28-29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The event will be held in conjunction with CLASH Endurance.
Collegiate Club National Championship events include Olympic-Distance, Draft-Legal Sprint, and the Mixed Relay. The weekend will also contain a CLASH “Miami Distance” race of a 1-mile swim, 30-mile bike, and 8-mile run. As with CLASH Miami, all collegiate races will be held within the confines of the speedway, where a spring-fed lake for the swim. can be found within the race track for the bike and run. All races will finish at the iconic pit road and victory circle.
“Never in our history has a location of an event been the impetus for expanding the base of collegiate triathlon, until now,” USA Triathlon Chief Sport Development Officer Tim Yount said of the announcement. “This event will be supported by affordable housing options, ability for many of our programs to drive to the event, and teams will be able to combine spring break alongside doing an event in a warm weather destination. Epic is the only way you can describe this racing opportunity.”
Eric Lagerstrom and Paula Findlay Marry
Professional triathletes Paula Findlay and Eric Lagerstrom tied the knot in a ceremony this month in Canada. The couple, famous for their podcast and YouTube channel, That Triathlon Life, took a break from racing for a ceremony in Alberta, Canada attended by family and friends (including fellow pros like Linsey Corbin).
“Weddings are fun (especially ours),” Findlay posted on Instagram after the ceremony, including photos from the day.
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Jocelyn McCauley Suffers Season-Ending Injury
Jocelyn McCauley will not race the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery for “longstanding cartilage issues,” the American pro revealed on YouTube. The decision came after what McCauley called “years of disappointing runs in race after race,” and says the surgery will “help get my run training back on track and racing my run like the athlete I have been.”
The most-read Triathlete stories of August 2024
- How Much Caffeine is Too Much Caffeine? Here’s What a Sports Nutrition Expert Says.
- Cassandre Beaugrand Claims Gold in Wet and Wild Paris Olympic Tri Throwdown
- Taylor Knibb Says No to L.A. “Parking Lot” Olympic Triathlon, Reveals What’s Next
- Tomas Rodriguez Hernandez Provisionally Suspended for Anti-Doping Rule Violation
- The Real Reason Triathletes Keep Making Bad Gear Purchases
- The Best Triathlon Bikes of 2024
- Alex Yee Surges to Gold in Paris Olympic Triathlon
- What a New Study Tells Us About Heart Health for Aging Triathletes
- What is the Triathlon Mixed Team Relay?
- Germany Gold in Three-Way Sprint Finish at Paris Olympic Triathlon Mixed Relay
