The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon this week announced a ‘significant relaunch of the PTO Tour’, with 40 of the world’s highest ranked athletes competing in an expanded 2024 calendar. This will feature eight races in 2024, and will be known as the T100 Triathlon World Tour.
At the PTO’s announcement in London on February 30th, there were a number of interesting statements made…
Introducing the newly rebranded T100 Triathlon World Tour, PTO’s Executive Chairman, Chris Kermode, said “We have superhuman athletes. These guys are probably the best athletes on the planet at the moment. So, we’re very excited to be introducing the T100 series today.”
Making a particularly bullish statement, he then went on to say, “It will be in the top 10 of global sports on the planet.”
This was indeed a bold statement of intent. For triathlon to be a leading sport in terms of its fanbase or indeed in terms of global revenue it would have to raise its game massively. Just to break into the top 10 fan-based sports, it would need to match the fanbases registered by sports such as golf, rugby, baseball and basketball.
The next interesting statement at the T100 Triathlon World Tour launch came from current IRONMAN World Champion, and PTO World #4 athlete, Lucy Charles-Barclay. She said “I’m putting everything into the T100 series. You won’t see me racing in Nice this year. I feel that defending my title would be in Kona [in 2025].”
For the current IRONMAN World Champion to choose the T100 series over defending her IRONMAN world title in 2024 underpins two points.
Firstly, she and dozens of other elite athletes are committed wholeheartedly to the new T100 series. Secondly, the split male and female IRONMAN World Championship, in Nice and Kona, doesn’t appear to resonate with the pros. As she pointed out, racing in Nice to defend her world title is less of a draw.
The evolution of the PTO Tour to the T100 Triathlon World Tour builds on PTO’s partnership agreement with World Triathlon in August 2023, which designated it as ‘the official World Championship tour of long distance triathlon’.
The rebranded series will visit three continents, starting in Miami on March 9, 2024, before finishing with a Grand Final at a ‘soon-to-be announced Middle East location’ at the end of November, where the women’s and men’s world champion will be crowned. The full T100 Triathlon World Tour calendar for 2024 includes:
- Mar 9-10 – Miami T100 (part of CLASH Endurance Miami race weekend)
- Apr 13-14 – Singapore T100
- Jun TBA – California T100
- Jul 27-28 – London T100 (recently acquired Challenge London event)
- Sep 28-29 – Ibiza T100
- Oct 19-20 – Lake Las Vegas T100
- Nov 16-17 – Dubai T100
- Nov 29-30 – Grand Final – location to be announced soon
At this week’s series launch, with eight events confirmed for 2024, PTO’s CEO Sam Renouf said “10 events is the magic number going forwards. There are more than two locations that would like to be in the tour next year.
“The vast majority of the (8) events are also on 2-3 year contracts, underpinning our commitment to these locations. California will be announced next, in the coming weeks. This will be followed by the announcement of the Middle East Grand Final location.”
PTO is aiming to ‘hero the 100km distance’. Each event’s branding shines a spotlight on the event location, followed by the T100 branding, e.g. Miami T100, Singapore T100, etc.
As well as revealing the venues and dates, an international line-up of 40 leading triathletes will compete in a minimum of five out of eight races as well as the Grand Final. Thirty-two of the athletes qualified as a result of their PTO World Ranking in 2023. Eight additional spots were awarded to women and men with past results and future potential to… ‘bring excitement to the tour and host countries.’
Individual wildcards will be awarded for each race in consultations between World Triathlon and PTO.
The women’s line-up includes all the top PTO world ranked athletes, including: current #1 Anne Haug (GER), #2 Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), #3 Taylor Knibb (USA), #4 Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), #5 Laura Philipp (GER), #6 Kat Matthews (GBR), #7 Paula Findlay (CAN), #8 Daniela Ryf (SUI), #9 Imogen Simmonds (SUI), #10 Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR), #11 Chelsea Sodaro (USA), #12 Marjolaine Pierré (FRA), #13 Skye Moench (USA), #14 Tamara Jewett (CAN), #15 India Lee (GBR), #17 Amelia Watkinson (NZL) #22 Holly Lawrence (GBR), #25 Lucy Byram (GBR), Taylor Spivey (USA) and Flora Duffy (BER).
The men’s line-up includes current #2 Magnus Ditlev (DEN), #3 Jason West (USA), #5 Pieter Heemeryck (BEL), #6 Mathis Margirier (FRA), #7 Rudy Von Berg (USA), #8 Leon Chevalier (FRA), #9 Sam Long (USA), #11 Daniel Baekkegard (DEN), #12 Bradley Weiss (RSA), #13 Sam Laidlow (FRA), #14 Frederic Funk (GER), #15 Clement Mignon (FRA), #16 Aaron Royle (AUS), #17 David McNamee (GBR), #23 Ben Kanute (USA), #26 Rico Bogen (GER), #31 Alistair Brownlee (GBR), #174 Max Neumann (AUS), #205 Marten Van Riel (BEL) and #267 Javier Gomez (ESP).
PTO Executive Chairman, Chris Kermode, said “We’ve been clear that we wanted to create a tour that represents the pinnacle of the sport and have talked about the importance of a season-long schedule of high quality racing that sees the world’s best endurance athletes going head-to-head on a consistent basis in different, iconic locations.
“So, we are hugely excited to be able to announce the 2024 calendar, that it will now be known as the T100 Triathlon World Tour and a world class group of athletes.
“This is a significant step forward for the sport of triathlon and our ambition to elevate professional triathlon on a global sporting stage and is the culmination of what we’ve been working hard to achieve over the last 12 months.
“But, as I’ve said to the athletes and the PTO team over the last few weeks, in triathlon terms the PTO is only just emerging from the water and there is still an awfully long way to go to the finish line. But to have the calibre of these athletes announced today sign up and commit to the new T100 Triathlon World Tour is a huge endorsement of what we’re both building.”
World Triathlon President Marisol Casado said “When we announced our partnership with PTO last summer, the goal that we had in mind was exactly this: to be able to deliver a brand new tour of events that have their own ecosystem and that will elevate our sport to new heights across an athlete’s entire career.
“By uniting our strengths, passion and dedication, we aim to bring positive change and innovation to the triathlon community.”
She continued, “Together, we aspire to forge a more inclusive, fair, competitive and sustainable landscape for athletes, fans and stakeholders. The T100 Triathlon World Tour exemplifies the tremendous potential that arises when organisations align their visions, fostering a thriving environment for the sport we all hold dear. As we embark on this journey hand in hand, we are steadfast in our belief that together, we can guide triathlon towards a brighter, more exhilarating future.”
PTO CEO Sam Renouf added “This was the right moment for us to introduce a more consumer facing brand. As we’ve developed the races and the broadcast product over the past three years, we’ve continued to listen to feedback from all parties, including our broadcast partners, the media, fans and, of course, the athletes who co-own the organisation.
“It was clear that we needed to be more explicit about this being a triathlon world tour as well as hero the exciting 100km distance, which continues to mark us out and deliver compelling racing. With races being known as the Singapore T100 or Ibiza T100, we believe it will help establish T100 as both a powerful brand as well as a unique format – which will only help on the mission to take the sport more mainstream.
“This will create more opportunities to attract new host cities, commercial sponsors and engage amateurs and mass participants who we will be performing at each of our stops this year.
“The look and feel of the new brand tells a very vibrant, relevant and visual story, thanks to the design having been inspired by the heart rate of an athlete during a triathlon.”
As a summary, alongside the introduction of the new T100 brand and the athletes:
- 20 female and male athletes are contracted across the season (40 in total).
- Committed athletes will race a minimum of five races plus the Grand Final. Although racing obligations for athletes who’ve qualified and will compete in the Olympics have been reduced.
- A discretionary number of wildcards at each event based on remaining spots, to be agreed between World Triathlon and PTO.
- Athletes score 35 points for first place through to 1 point for 20th place at each race.
- The Grand Final has increased points to up the ante (55 pts down to 4 pts).
- There is a US$250,000 prize fund at each T100, totalling US$2,000,000 across the eight races (1st place – US$25,000k; 2nd – US$16,000; 3rd – US$12,000 at each race)
- The series winners following the Grand Final will be crowned T100 Triathlon World Champion and will win US$210,000 USD from an additional total prize pool of US$2,000,000
Between the athlete contracts, T100 race prize fund and T100 Triathlon World Tour pool, the series provides more than US$7,000,000 in athlete compensation. PTO adds that this is distributed in a way that not only rewards the winners, but also recognises the achievement of racing at this level.
“The PTO’s events have improved each time, but we need more of them to take the sport mainstream,” continued Sam Renouf.
“It has lacked a season-long narrative with a World Champion at the end. Media, fans and our athletes themselves have told us that. If we want to be more like the ATP or Formula One, where it’s Max Verstappen versus Lewis Hamilton every time they line up, there’s a need for a contracted relationship with the athletes so we know if we tune in, then we are seeing the ‘best of the best’ every time. This is a key tenet of professional sports – and a package we must deliver.”
PTO World #4 Lucy Charles-Barclay added “For me, the T100 Triathlon World Tour is where our sport is heading. Having done four of the PTO 100km races now, I love the atmosphere, rivalry and challenge they bring. I have tried the Olympic distance and loved the fast pace excitement of flat out racing, and on the other side of the spectrum I have raced and performed really well at the IRONMAN distance which is all about pacing and endurance.
“But, actually putting something in the middle and bringing in athletes from the long course and from the Olympic distance, it’s just a melting pot of talent and the level of racing is higher than we’ve ever seen in the sport. I believe in what the PTO and World Triathlon are doing and how exciting and big it could become and that’s what I want to be a part of. So my personal goal this year is the T100 tour. I’ve never focused on the 100km distance entirely before and I just want to see how far I can go over the format.”
Two-time Olympic and four-time triathlon world champion Alistair Brownlee, said “I want to see more people watching top level long distance triathlon, being inspired by seeing the top athletes racing. It’s crucial that the PTO succeeds and I’m convinced that the T100 Triathlon World Tour’s success will be triathlon’s success.”
He continued, “It’s tough to create something new but ultimately it will benefit every triathlete. So, having the PTO work closely with World Triathlon to put on these great races in great locations that allow athletes to flourish and race to the best of their ability – and broadcasting it around the world in the right manner – has got to be the way to go to bring in new fans and people who want to engage in the sport in a new way.”
Age groupers on T100 start line
It won’t just be professional athletes who will get the opportunity to race on the T100 Triathlon World Tour. There will be mass participation races for amateurs at all of the events. This includes the newly established 100km distance at six stages: Singapore, London, Ibiza, Lake Las Vegas, Dubai and at the Grand Final.
A release from PTO added that… ‘These mass participation races will give amateurs the chance to compete on the same spectacular courses as the pros as well as watch the best in the world up close and personal.’
As a result of the partnership with World Triathlon, certain stages of the T100 Tour will also feature mass participation and championship designations, with the chance for athletes to represent their country under the membership of each athlete’s respective national federation. Full details of the entry process for these amateur events will be shared alongside the announcement of the T100 Grand Final.
“Next level racing and a ‘major event atmosphere’ were two of the things the 6,000 amateur athletes who took part in Singapore last year called out,” added PTO’s Sam Renouf.
“So, alongside the professional races we’ll be running mass participation opportunities at most of the events. Registration is open on the T100 website and we look forward to welcoming all those who want to get involved.”
www.t100triathlon.com
www.protriathletes.org
www.triathlon.org
