Episode 136: Happy Valley Battles, Cairns Breakthroughs and Equipment Chaos

Episode 136: Happy Valley Battles, Cairns Breakthroughs and Equipment Chaos

This week on Another Triathlon Podcast, Jenna-Caer (@jennacaer) and Josh (@joshmvernon) recap a busy weekend in triathlon, from Josh’s race at Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley to Jenna-Caer’s fun-run weekend at the Banff 10K.

The episode dives into the Happy Valley pro races, with a major men’s battle, a dominant women’s performance, and plenty of Ironman Pro Series movement. The crew also touches on Ironman Cairns, Taylor Knibb’s latest time trial title, Joe Skipper’s crank length drama, and the equipment checks every athlete should be doing before race day.

Highlights

• Jenna-Caer’s Banff 10K fun-run weekend
• Josh’s Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley race recap
• The Mauna Apparel team atmosphere on course
• Why Happy Valley felt like a true St. George-style replacement
• A huge head-to-head battle in the men’s race
• Morgan Pearson’s race-altering bike mechanical
• Paula Findlay controlling the women’s race from the bike
• Ironman Cairns delivering two first-time Ironman winners
• Ironman Hamburg course sabotage discussion
• Taylor Knibb winning another US time trial national title
• Ironman 70.3 Elsinore preview
• Joe Skipper’s crank length issue
• Why power meters, tire pressure, bolts, chains and drivetrain checks matter

Race Breakdown

Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley

The men’s race came down to an exciting 70.3 battle. An early bike mechanical took one of the pre-race favourites out of contention, while the front group reshuffled throughout the bike.

Once the run started, the race became a true head-to-head battle before the winning move came with about 5K to go.

On the women’s side, the race was controlled from the bike. A strong ride created the gap, and from there it became about managing the run and holding the lead to the finish.

Ironman Cairns

Ironman Cairns delivered two first-time Ironman winners and another reminder of how quickly long-course racing can change. The men’s race was controlled from the bike, while the women’s race shifted dramatically on the run after the early leader was forced to withdraw.

Ironman 70.3 Elsinore Preview

Ironman 70.3 Elsinore is shaping up to be an important race for 70.3 World Championship qualification and Pro Series points.

On the men’s side, several major names are still chasing their Nice qualification spots, which should make for aggressive racing. On the women’s side, Kat Matthews looks like the athlete to beat as she returns to racing and looks to rebuild her Pro Series momentum.

Quickfire Q&A

Best personal race-weekend moment?
Jenna-Caer running Banff for fun and actually enjoying the views.

Big Happy Valley takeaway?
It was a tough, honest course that created great racing.

Best men’s race storyline?
A head-to-head run battle that came down to the final few kilometres.

Best women’s race storyline?
A controlled bike performance setting up the win.

What the F of the week?
The Ironman Hamburg course sabotage with metal and glass reportedly placed on the bike course.

Follow the show

📸 @anothertriathlonpodcast
Host, Jenna-Caer Seefried, @jennacaer
Josh, @joshmvernon
Fede, @fedemultisport

Presented by @maunaapparel