Having only learned to swim in my 20’s, the first leg of triathlon has always been my weak point, especially in the pro field. In long course triathlon it’s not uncommon for pros to learn to swim in their teens, but at the highest level of short course triathlon the swim pedigree runs deep. All the athletes learned to swim before they were 10 years old. Some of them came up through the high-performance swim program in their country, including a few olympic trials. Most of them started triathlon before they hit puberty. Which means, they are the best swimmers in triathlon. I knew this would be a challenge for me, but day two of the grand finale was the most savage of formats: the Enduro. This brutal race is 3 times through swim/bike/run without stopping. The savage part is that 2 athletes are eliminated per DISCIPLINE, meaning two athletes’ day is done after the 300m swim.

I’ve been working hard on my swim, but even with a decent start (albeit a terrible start position on the pontoon) I was still the last out of the water and was eliminated after the swim.

These athletes are incredibly humbling to race against, but I’m proud that I had the opportunity to toe the start line with the best in the world on the short course scene. Most of these guys have been to or are going to the olympics; they are world champions and olympic medalists; they are the fastest on the planet, and I got to race with them and get to know them well, which is big component of the excitement. They are great people and all class, and it was a pleasure to be a part of Super League and watch a format that is changing the sport of triathlon.

If you’d like to watch the live coverage (and hear the legend Will McCloy announcing) check out the youtube video HERE. Men’s race starts at approximately 2:16 into the broadcast. I’m on pontoon spot 6.

Thanks for following along! I’ll post an update soon on the lead-up preparation for Super League, and how I got ready to race such a short and hot event.

Nathan