The Super League Arena Games are taking place this weekend in London, bringing a sense of familiarity back to the triathlon world. With the prospect of mass participation races on the horizon, there is undoubtedly a renewed hope that 2021 will be a little different to 2020.
The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will welcome 20 of the world’s best short and long-distance athletes, where they will take part in a number of indoor super sprint triathlon races. Also featuring in the racing this weekend will be a Paratriathlon event, a first in Super League history.
Each race will feature a 200m swim in the 2012 Olympic swimming pool, a 4km bike race in the virtual world of Zwift and finally, a 1km run on a curved treadmill. Both turbo trainer and treadmill will provide real-life data allowing spectators to follow their speed and power as they push themselves against one another. Athletes will also be wearing heart rate monitors giving insight into their efforts throughout the swim bike and run. In similarity to the previous event in Rotterdam, there will likely be a mix up of the order of disciplines, making things even more interesting and testing for the athletes.
The racing is set to be streamed globally across 100 territories on a number of platforms, including the BBC, and will attract viewers worldwide.
HUUB is extremely well represented in all races. Competing in the men’s event will be Olympic medallist from 2012 and 2016 Jonathan Brownlee (GBR), Gordon Benson (GBR), and arguably triathlon’s fastest runner Alex Yee (GBR). The strongest competition will come from 2020’s Rotterdam winner Jonas Schomburg (GER) and ITU breakthrough athlete from 2020 Vasco Vilaca (POR).
In the women’s race, flying the flag for HUUB is the GBR trio of; 2020 ITU World Champion Georgia Taylor-Brown, Beth Potter and Ruth Astle. Taylor-Brown will likely head in as favourite due to her pedigree of racing. However Potter, the 2016 Olympic distance runner, has undoubtedly made good progress on the ITU circuit in the last 12 months. The competition will come in the form of Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), but this racing style may be a shock to the system, being a fraction of the distance she is used to. Also, ones to keep an eye on will be Sophie Coldwell (GBR), Rachel Klamer (NED) and Alice Betto (ITA). In the Paratriathlon event, two of HUUB’s longest-standing sponsored athletes George Peasgood (GBR) and Jetze Plat (NED) are among the line-up, both of whom will relish the opportunity to be back on a start line!