Triathlon News & Notes: Heat Shortens and Cancels Races, St. George Debuts on NBC, and More

This article originally appeared on Triathlete

Heat impacts New York City, Boston triathlons

With temperatures soaring intos the 90s throughout much of the East Coast, both the New York City and Boston Triathlons are, well, taking the heat. On Thursday, race organizers of the New York City Triathlon announced they would be shortening the bike and run courses at the race on Sunday, reducing the distances by half. (The bike will be 12.4 miles and the run 2.5 miles; the swim distance will remain the same). And the Boston event, which was set for Sunday, has been postponed to Aug. 21. "Boston does not compromise on safety or athlete experience," said Boston race director Michael O’Neil in a statement.

Ironman Lake Placid contract renewed through 2024

As thousands of triathletes and spectators descend on Lake Placid, New York for the Ironman race this Sunday, local officials announced that the event will return through 2024. The Lake Placid Village Board of Trustees on Monday unanimously voted to support a three-year contract extension with the Ironman Group, despite heavy pushback from the local community who have raised various concerns about the event, including road closures, increased traffic, and the danger of cyclists on the road.

Ironman World Champs doc debuts

Get ready to relive all the feels of the epic 2021 Ironman World Champs in St. George, Utah: The NBC documentary detailing the May 7 race debuts today. Showcasing several storylines from the race, including those of inspiring age-groupers and pros, like Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden, and U.S. stars Skye Moench and Heather Jackson, the documentary also details the location pivot from Kona, Hawaii to St. George due to COVID. You can watch the doc on NBC/Peacock on Saturday from 3-4 E.T., or stream it on Peacock, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app.

British woman becomes first with Down's syndrome to complete a sprint triathlon

Call it the Chris Nikic effect: A British woman recently set a Guinness World Record as the first female with Down’s syndrome to complete a sprint triathlon. Inspired by Nikic--who holds the record for first person with Down’s syndrome to complete an Ironman--Jade Kingdom, 35, completed the sprint triathlon last August, but was just awarded the Guinness record this month. “I stumbled across Chris Nikic training...and that was a big turning point," she said. "Chris' motto is to get 1% better every day, and that's what I employed in my day-to-day life and training.”And Kingdom's not stopping at a sprint triathlon: In September, she'll tackle a six-mile swim in London's Serpentine Lake.

Age-group athlete warns of the scary effects of hyponatremia and low sodium

A Nebraska man, who had a near-death experience during Ironman Des Moines last month, is now sharing his story as a cautionary tale for other endurance athletes. Doug Carroll, who was competing in Des Moines on his 40th birthday, logged about 100 miles on the bike course before becoming overcome by hyponatremia or low levels of sodium. “My sodium levels were at a level where the in-patient mortality rate is 50%,” said Carroll, adding that he only took "a couple" of salt tablets over the course of his eight-hour ride, and did not drink much Gatorade, either. When he became dizzy and stopped at a volunteer station, he chugged several bottles of water, which, along with the lack of sodium, caused him to collapse and "black out for 16 hours." Carrol spent two days in the hospital, but is expected to make a full recovery.

RELATED: Are You Doing Thirst Right? The Science Says Probably Not

Two members of the same triathlon club injured in separated hit-and-run accidents

Two members of New Jersey's Mullica Hill women's triathlon club have been involved in separate hit-and-run cycling accidents in two weeks. Both Misty Price and Jenna McEntee are recovering from injuries incurred when they were hit by cars and thrown off their bikes during training rides on local roads in southern New Jersey, just ten miles apart. In both accidents, neither driver stopped after hitting the cyclists. While the Safe Passing Law, which went into effect in New Jersey in March, requires drivers to allow four feet between cyclists and cars, the triathlon club's founder says more work needs to be done. "No distracted driving, no texting and be aware of your environment," said Colleen Fossett. "We really need to work together and look out for each other."

Podcast Notes

• The Triathlete Hour brings on mental health researcher, ultra runner, and triathlete Jill Colangelo, who shares what she’s learned about the link between mental health and endurance sports, as well as the overlap with triathlon and ADHD and autism.

• Pro Tri News has a casual chat with Flora Duffy, with the world and Olympic champ, sharing the frustration of missing her chance to earn a 70.3 Worlds slot last month when her bike never made it to Mont Tremblant after she flew there from Denver. Fellow champ Kristian Blummenfelt also chimes in to ask Duffy some questions.

• Greg Bennett catches Denmark's Magnus Ditlev fresh off his big win at Challenge Roth to chat about how he got the W there.

• Ironwomen launches its limited Title IX series with a conversation with Wendy Mink, a politics, women’s and gender studies professor and the daughter of the very first woman of color in congress, Patsy Mink, who also co-authored the Title IX legislation.

• That Triathlon Show brings on Cecile Reynaud, PhD, author of Winning Ways of Women Coaches, who discusses the topic of women in coaching across any sport and what can be done to increase the numbers of women in high-level coaching positions.

Get all the latest triathlon news in your inbox twice/week. Sign up for the Triathlete email newsletter.

For exclusive access to all of our fitness, gear, adventure, and travel stories, plus discounts on trips, events, and gear, sign up for Outside+ today.