#658 - Kyle Smith
Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast
Kyle Smith, Kiwi Professional Triathlete, reflects on his journey as a triathlete, sharing the lessons he’s learned from racing mistakes. We discuss the pressures of prize money in the Pro Series, the significance of consistency in performance and the dynamics of racing with a home crowd. Kyle also chats about his recovery from injury and his preparations for the upcoming IRONMAN New Zealand as he aims for a Kona slot. Kevin Hunt won the free race entry to IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney. We find out more about him. This weekend… IRONMAN New Zealand. We give our thoughts on how this race might...
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#657 - Regan Hollioake
Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast
We review the racing from Challenge Wanaka last weekend and what the acquisition of Challenge by the PTO might mean for racing going forward. Regan Hollioake, the defending IRONMAN New Zealand champion, reflects on her journey as a professional triathlete. We chat about her season last year and the financial realities of being a professional athlete, plus the unique challenges of travel and race selection, particularly for athletes based in Australia and New Zealand. Regan shares with us the issues she’s faced managing hydration levels in hot races like Kona and her thoughts on the upcoming...
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#656 - Mike Phillips. The Loan Market Tauranga Half Race Protest.
Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast
Mike shares his thinking behind his decision to protest at the recent Loan Market Tauranga Half. We discuss the implications of the newly announced Pro Series, the importance of course familiarity and the evolving dynamics of drafting rules in triathlon. He also reflects on his past races, the impact of technology on race fairness and his plans for upcoming competitions including IRONMAN New Zealand in March After four pros inadvertently rode a shortened section of the bike course at the Loan Market Tauranga Half, protests were lodged, an appeal was heard and the final outcome saw a 2:26...
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#655 - Craig Kirkwood
Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast
On 31 January 2026, 16-year-old New Zealand running sensation Sam Ruthe ran a world-record indoor mile time of 3:48.88. New Zealand middle-distance runner Sam Tanner is a two-time Olympian and currently holds several national records and titles. Both Sam's are coached by Kiwi Craig Kirkwood. We chat to CK about his coaching philosophies and his incredible success with the development of young athletes in New Zealand. He emphasises the importance of competition, his experiences of managing injury and the role of plyometrics in training. We also chat to CK about his success in creating a...
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#654 - Tri News. Jack Moody. Hannah Berry.
Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast
We chat about the impact of the new 20m draft ruling and how it might affect racing going forward. The Loan Market Half results hang in the balance as we await a decision from race officials regarding 4 pro athletes having gone off course at the start of the bike and re-entered further up the road - effectively missing at least a kilometre of the course. We chat to Kiwi Professional Triathletes Jack Moody and Hannah Berry about the upcoming IRONMAN New Zealand race – the new bike course and the new 20 metre draft rule. 00:00 – Tri News and Racing 09:02 – The new 20m draft rule ...
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#653 - Jeff Morris: Race Director Ultraman
Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast
Jeff Morris, Race Director Ultraman Australia shares his journey into the world of triathlon and the unique challenges of organizing the Ultraman race. He discusses the decision to bring the Ultraman event to Wanaka, New Zealand, highlighting the course details, community engagement and the family atmosphere that surrounds the race. We have a free race entry to giveaway to the IRONMAN 70.3 in Geelong in March. 00:00 – Challenge Wanaka 06:36 – Ultraman 12:02 – Jeff Morris Ultraman 53:21 – IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong 58:26 – Free race entry competition to IM703 Geelong LINKS: ...
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#652 - James Elvery Race Ranger. Mount Festival of Sport
Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast
We chat about the racing from the Loan Market Half at the weekend including the incredible performances and the use of race ranger. We catch up with James Elvery from Race Ranger about the recent developments in drafting distance testing for triathlons, particularly in relation to IRONMAN events. He shares insights from recent tests where they experimented with different drafting distances, including 12 meters and 20 meters. James emphasizes the importance of accurate data collection and the feedback from athletes regarding their experiences with the Race Ranger system. The discussion also...
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#651 - Dr Warren Bradley: Hytro
Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast
The Loan Market Oceanside Mount Half use Race Ranger this weekend. Pro Tri News have put out a survey to collect feedback on the drafting zone rules – we discuss what we know so far. We chat to Dr Warren Bradley, Founder & CSO of Hytro - designers of the first Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to improve sports performance. Blood Flow Restriction works by tightening a strap around the top of your arms or legs to lock blood in the muscles while you perform light exercise or recovery routines. This helps your muscles get stronger and recover faster than they would without...
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#650 - Triathlon in New Zealand 2026
Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast
Jack Moody’s in the hot seat and we chat about the racing in NZ in the next few months and how the triathlon landscape might look for 2026. LINKS: Jack Moody on Instagram at Mount Festival of Sport at T100 at IRONMAN New Zealand at Procreate NZ at Race Ranger at Challenge Wanaka at
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#649 - Sam Shaw
Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast
Sam Shaw rode the 648km from Auckland to Wellington in a single day with the help of lots of bananas, gingernut biscuits, carrots and cans of Coke. He set a new record time for the solo ride, coming in at just over 17 hours - without a single stop along the way.
info_outlineThis week on FITTER Radio we welcome Kelly O'Mara Head of Content and Sports Reporter for Feisty Media.
The new IRONMAN Kona qualification algorithm is significantly affecting female athletes. While early projections suggested a 30-40% representation of women at the World Championships, initial data from races shows this is not the case. In the 'performance pool' an overwhelming majority have gone to men (around 95%), with only about 5% going to women in the initial races analyzed. In some events, like IRONMAN California, only one performance slot was awarded to a woman.
In this conversation, Kelly shares her history in triathlon and sports journalism, highlighting the evolution of women's sports and the challenges faced in media representation. She shares insights from the recent Kona race, the impact of the new qualification system on female participation and the implications of IRONMAN’s business model.
We review the racing from the Noosa Triathlon at the weekend plus Braden Currie announces his retirement.
(0:00:00) – Sprint finish in the NY marathon
(0:03:07) – Retirements in triathlon
(0:20:20) – Garmin Noosa Triathlon
(0:29:47) – IRONMAN qualification system
(0:36:22) – Kelly O’Mara: Feisty Media
LINKS:
Follow the Real Science of Sport podcast on X at https://x.com/sportsscipod
Kelly O’ Mara at https://www.kellyomara.com/
Feisty Media at https://feisty.co/
Feisty Newsletter “Understanding the New IRONMAN Kona qualification system at https://feisty.co/p/understanding-the-new-ironman-kona-qualification-system/
Garmin Noosa Triathlon at https://noosatri.com.au/