Super League Triathlon - Arena Games
Just clear it up real quick let’s talk a little about what is the Arena Games Triathlon by Super League Triathlon.
Super League Triathlon(SLT) is a sports organization, that is passionate about revolutionizing how triathlon is done. They launched their fast and exciting championship series back in 2018. They were able to bring the best of the best to battle over game-changing formats, as they say on their website. This series is held every year since then, and the name of SLT is growing faster than we imagined. So they had a championship series, but Covid had other plans.
Back when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, all the races got canceled. It was tough for all the athletes, who were hungry to race and compete and do a final push for the Olympic Games. SLT is known for innovation, so they had to come up with a new race format that is allowed by governing bodies. They started brainstorming, and the Arena Games was born.
Arena Games is a dynamic high-paced and brutal series of races that blends real-life triathlon with virtual racing. A race consists of the semi-finals, with two heats, and the finals. Semi-finals contain 2 stages per heat, while the finals consist of 3 stages. Each heat has a number of 10 athletes.
The format
So we have semi-finals and finals with stages in them. But what makes Arena Games unique, is how these stages were built. Start with the stages of the semi-finals. The heats contain a 200 meters swim, a 4 km bike, and a 1 km run. To spice it up a little, there is only a 4-minute break between them. During these short minutes, you have to rearrange your bike shoes, change your gears and get ready for the next round. In the finals, it’s a bit different. In the first stage, you have to do the same format as you did in the semis. But then for the next round, the order of swim-bike-run is reversed. So you have a 1 km run, a 4 km bike, then a 200 m swim. This is what makes the whole thing brutal, we triathletes are used to the normal order of disciplines, but by reversing the order you get a different sport. The 3rd stage is a normal triathlon again, but with a pursuit start. They add up the time you lost compared to the first athlete and you have to wait that time after the leading athlete started the stage. This is what makes the whole thing pure pain, you can not slow down, and you have to give your best throughout the stages. Every second will matter in the 3rd stage. The swim is done in a 50-meter pool with a dive at the start. Then you have to climb out in your lane and run around the pool to your bike station. The bike part is done on a Tacx smart trainer that is connected to the online world through Zwift. For the run, it is almost the same, but we use curved treadmills. During the run and bike, there is a large iPad in front of every athlete, where we can see the others’ times and gaps.
Pre-race feelings
The temperature was around -10 °C to -20 °C when I arrived in Canada, as an Eastern European, it was a lot to take in. It snows more in one day in Canada than it does in a year in Budapest, Hungary.
I’ve had mixed feelings, to be honest. I wasn’t sure if this Arena Games format is the right fit for me. The main goal was to collect as many points as I can. (Since World Triathlon partnered up with SLT, you can earn World Ranking points with Arena Games races). I was nervous, I’ve never done anything like that, but I guess there’s always a first time, am I right? On the other hand, I hoped that because of my swimming background, I will have an advantage in the pool. First, everyone had their swim lane, so others couldn’t swim on my feet. Also, I hoped that since drafting is disabled, I can keep up with the other athletes on the bike.
We had to go to the venue a day before the race, there was a briefing session, and we had to do our weight measurements because the smart trainers are set individually for every athlete depending on their weight. They took headshots and handed out the race suits. There’s nothing left, only to race.
The race
If I had to describe the semis in one word, it would be: weird. The format and the fast pace are extremely different from what I’ve experienced so far. During the first swim, I tried to get into the race as soon as I could, I knew this would be important as I have had some super fast runners in my heat. I came out first with around a 4-5 second gap to the second. As I mentioned, we had to climb out directly from the lane and put the swim cap and goggles in the box near the swim exit. Then run to the bike. Any kind of error or mistake would result in a 5-second time penalty and in such a short race you would not wanna take that. This is why I practiced both transitions before the race, so it wasn’t a struggle for me. Actually, I think I did quite well in all transitions which have made me happy to see improvements. The bike section was brutal, but I fought to keep myself in the race, and I think I succeeded. I train a lot alone so the non-drafting race suited me well. No secret, there is still room for improvement in my running. But still, I didn’t run full gas in the semis, just so fast that I can secure a place in the final. I made it to the finals with the 3rd quickest time. We can’t draw conclusions from this, because there is power left in all of us. We had around a 6-7 hours break before the finals started.
During the finals, my tactics were to make some gap with my swimming, give it all on the bike, and run my best. For me, the toughest thing was to have two runs after each other, it was a killer. The whole final was stressful, fast-paced, and tense. Putting the swim caps on (in the second stage) after a run and bike is a bit of a challenge and I didn’t even mention the fact that we jumped into the pool with an overheated body. I gave it all, and there was no fuel left in me. It was enough for the 5th place, and I’m beyond happy with it. I’m still not sure if the Arena Games is for me, but despite I left as a dead person, I loved it and enjoyed it.
The next stop is…
So less than two weeks left until the second stop of the Arena Games Championship Series, the race will take place in Sursee, Switzerland. Can’t wait to go back to my favorite place in the world with the experiences I collected in Montreal. The overall field is going to be tougher, with more world-class athletes on the start list, but it’s always an honor to compete with my idols and with athletes who represent a higher level of professionalism. Can’t wait :D
If anyone is interested, you can easily watch the race on YouTube, at this link.
Thank you for taking the time to read my first race-summary post. I will write as often as I can, so it is worth coming back once in a while. If you found a mistake or have an idea for a future post, please do not hesitate to reach out to me on the given platforms!
See Ya next time! :)