One distance and one name that is a constant throughout triathlon is the Olympic distance triathlon, however there is only one real Olympic triathlon that occurs once every four years. I had the privilege of watching this year’s Olympic triathlon in person, in the heart of Paris, France.
This year’s race had arguably the biggest build up in triathlon history with the elephant in the room being the swim leg which would be done in the famous (or infamous) river Seine. The course location was certainly a central part of the Olympic publicity; however, it ended up effecting the racing itself, with practice swim days cancelled and the Men’s triathlon being delayed by a day, both due to water quality issues. As a spectator keen to see the event, my friends and I arrived riverside that morning to find of the news of the postponement. There was an overwhelming feeling in the crowd that had gathered, that neither race was likely to take place the following day.
The following day an even larger crowd assembled on the banks of the river to see the spectacle the world was waiting for, the swim in the Seine. The women’s race began first, and it became apparent during the first lap that the course was anything but straight forward. The speed of which is the river was flowing was having a huge impact on the most elite triathletes in the world. Swimming and racing in the ocean with currents and waves is difficult but swimming against a flowing river is a different beast. This swim course really allowed the strongest swimmers in the field to shine and any weaker swimmers that left the water a long way back would quickly find themselves out of contention.
The bike leg featured a slightly more ‘normal’ course, as it snaked its way around the cobblestones of Paris. The strategy was the same for all athletes, be in the front group and save energy. If you wanted to win a medal you couldn’t start the run from behind, you were going to need to be getting off the bike with the leaders, and all the chasing packs (in both races) were putting in a lot of work to make up ground on the front pack. It was also clear that athletes in the front back were focused on saving energy for the run leg. Working harder in the front group was not going to create any advantages as the drafting makes it almost impossible to gain time on rivals within your own group.
With the speed of bikes slowing, all eyes turned toward the run leg. The broadcast camera’s, spectator’s phones and deafening crowds were all focused on the front pack as the run began. Quickly the race spread out, the pack formations that defined the bike leg were no more and now the Olympic medals were simply being decided by a 10km foot race.
As the athletes separated it became evident that those who had spent lots of energy attempting to catch up to the lead packs were struggling (comparative to others) in the run leg. The run leg was intense and the atmosphere in the streets of Paris was indescribable, the crowd was 3-5 people deep around the barricades of the entire run course, with the final kilometre being completely full between barricades and buildings.
Ultimately the medals were decided in last kilometre of both the Women’s and Men’s races. The finishing of both races was heard all around the course as local French athletes, Cassandre Beaugrand seizing claiming gold in the Women’s and Leo Bergere claiming bronze in the Men’s, the French also finished one step off the podium (4th) in both races, so there was plenty of support at the front.
While the importance of the run leg may seem obvious, it may even be underestimated… The top four women posted the fastest four run times, in order of their finishing positions. On the men's side, the top ten finishers recorded the ten fastest run times, also in finishing order. The Olympic Medal’s went to the fastest runners.
Watching this world spectacle event live was a moment in time and memory I will cherish forever. It has allowed me to get a great understanding of how the highest level of triathlon works. If you oversimplify it, you simply need to be strong enough in the swim leg to be in the lead group, then be able to comfortably hold a wheel in that group on the bike, and finally be the fastest person on the run. Then, Olympic glory is all yours.