The Tri Town Times: 8/16/21

• Posted on 16 August 2021
• By Antonio Gonzalez
• Posted in the tri town times
• 0

- The Ironman European Championships took place over two separate events this weekend. The inaugural Ironman Finland featured a women's-only pro field with Boise's Jocelyn McCauley taking second place. Jocelyn punches her pro ticket to Kona less than a year after having her second child. The men's race was contested at Ironman Frankfurt with Patrick Nilsson of Sweden winning the race on the back of a 2hr 39min marathon.

- The famous Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon was this weekend.

- La Vuelta a Espana is underway. Two-time Vuelta champion and current Olympic TT gold medalist Primoz Roglic of Slovenia is currently in the lead.

- The Professional Triathlon Organization has named the athletes who will compete in the inaugural Collins Cup on August 28th. The Collins Cup is a made-for-TV "Ryder Cup" style triathlon taking place in Samorin, Slovakia.

- A fascinating study observing key predictors of the human lifespan. An important takeaway is the importance of consistent exercise: "the variability of physical activity... is another hallmark of aging and is associated with age and risks of death or major deceases."

- A large study suggests the body's metabolism remains relatively constant between the ages of 20 and 60. This is counter to the generally accepted notion that our metabolism declines with age, often resulting in weight gain. More than 6,500 participants were recruited between just a few days old to 90 years old. A key takeaway is that our metabolism peaks around age one, and declines ~3% a year until age 20, then plateaus for almost 4 decades, after which it declines again by ~1% per year. No differences were found between men and women. A strong implication is that if you've gained excess weight between your 20-60's it may not be due to your metabolism, but your lifestyle and dietary choices.

- Champion triathlete Tim O'Donnell recently announced he had a 'widow maker' heart attack during Challenge Miami in March of this year. Amazingly he is okay, and even managed to finish the race in 11th place.