Public demand ensures that sports are having to revolutionise their traditional formats to stay relevant, with cricket's Twenty20 thriving and the advent of GolfSixes earlier this year, and triathlon is now following suit with its own new, fast-paced genre. The Super League has ushered in a brave new era of triathlon by introducing a brand new format and Jersey will host only the second Super League event in history this weekend as the world's best triathletes descend upon the small British isle. Competing over short course distances for big money, Jonny Brownlee and co. will be battling it out for glory during the course of two days' of action that breaks the mould of traditional swim-bike-run...
The Super League series was launched on Hamilton Island, Australia, back in March and it proved to be a huge success as Richard Murray emerged victorious with 56 points to his name and the South African will be one to watch in Jersey this weekend. Murray finished seven points clear of Mario Mola, who was crowned the ITU World Champion for a second year running in Rotterdam on Saturday, and they will be strong contenders when competing in a world-class field in Jersey.
So, what does the Super League format involve?
Saturday - The Triple Mix
'The Triple Mix' on Saturday tests the triathletes ability to switch between disciplines as Stage 1 involves a traditional swim-bike-run race prior to a ten-minute break. Each triathlete's finishing position will dictate where they start on the next stage, with Stage 2 involving a run-bike-swim format before another ten-minute break and then Stage 3 is a bike-swim-run contest.
The winner of the 'Triple Mix' is determined by an athlete's cumulative time across Stages 1, 2 and 3, with the winner receiving a top score of 25 points and the rest of the field receive points according to their finishing positions. Those finishing sixteenth or lower receive only one point, while non-finishers are deducted one point and those that fail to start a race are deducted three points.
Sunday - The Eliminator
'The Eliminator' format is the focus for Sunday's triathlon racing and Stage 1 will involve a traditional swim-bike-run before a ten minute break, which starts when the first athlete crosses the finish line, so the slower triathletes will get less time to recover! The top-fifteen finishers then move on to Stage 2, which is another traditional swim-bike-run, before another ten minute break starting from when the first athlete crosses the line. Only the top-ten finishers will then move on to the final Stage 3, with the first athlete to finish collecting the maximum 25 points in the same scoring method as Saturday's 'Triple Mix'.
The triathlete with the most points across the two days is champion in Jersey, with each of the men's and women's overall winners receiving $130,000.
What Do The Triathletes Make Of Super League?
It promises to be an exciting weekend in Jersey, where a tight and technical course will take centre stage around the Elizabeth Marina in St Helier. The swim course involves a distance of 300m, while a five-lap bike course involves hairpin turns and a cobblestone surface, and the two-lap run will surely suit someone like Jonny Brownlee, who will be keen to impress on 'home' soil after he missed the first event on Hamilton Island earlier this year.
"It has taken place in Australia in March but I missed that because of injury so I'm looking forward to Jersey, especially as it will be the first time it has been held on the British Isles," Brownlee told The Sportsman.
It should be a great spectacle, something different and it is good exposure for the sport"
Jersey will also host the first female edition of the Super League Triathlon series as the ladies didn't attend Hamilton Island because scheduling conflicts meant that not enough of the elite women could attend. Like Brownlee, Great Britain's Jodie Stimpson is keen to hit the ground running following a frustrating season that has been beset with injury problems.
"I'm excited for it and anything that grows triathlon I'm a fan of," Stimpson told The Sportsman prior to her eighth place finish in the WTS Grand Final in Rotterdam. "It's such an exciting sport and anything that puts another positive spin on it is great, I think Super League has done a great job."
Stimpson is one of a 25-strong elite field that includes Olympic silver-medalist Nicola Spirig and the talented Kirsten Kasper in the women's event this weekend, while Brownlee is part of a 25-man contest that promises to add a new dimension to triathlon as we know it.
