Is 2023 the most open race season ever?

A Clash Endurance race over 100km at the Miami Speedway and a middle-distance Challenge event in Puerto Varas in Chile are unlikely to be career-defining races for elites trying to progress in the sport.

But while there might not have been an M-Dot in sight, smart-thinking Brits Lucy Byram and Tom Bishop seized the chance to compete with the very best in 2023.

Back-to-back wins for Byram and a runners-up spot followed by victory for Bishop in the March contests have gone a long way to earning the points required to gain entry to high-profile races to come, starting with the PTO’s European Open in Ibiza on 6 May.

Both Brits are now on the cusp of the PTO’s top 30 in the rankings, which should guarantee a start in the first big money race of 2023.

And once they’re lining up anything seems possible – not just because of their own form, but because the competition looks more wide open than ever before.

Who are the top female long-distance triathletes in 2023?

On the women’s side, big names such as Daniela Ryf, Lucy Charles-Barclay, Anne Haug and Laura Philipp are still going strong.

But as debutant Chelsea Sodaro showed in Kona and Australian Ashleigh Gentle displayed in winning the PTO Canadian and US Opens, there’s little fear factor from their rivals.

Kat Matthews – the fastest woman ever over long distance thanks to her efforts in last year’s Sub8 Project – is coming back from injury [and coming back strong after victory at IM Texas in April].

If Olympic champion Flora Duffy and 70.3 world champion Taylor Knibb can successfully mix short- and longer-course racing, both will be a factor.

Then there’s Canada’s Paula Findlay and British middle-distance specialists Emma Pallant-Browne and Holly Lawrence, maybe even Byram too, who cannot be ruled out.

The PTO’s decision feels at odds with the depth of talent the sport has right now

Who are the top male long-distance triathletes in 2023?

The men’s side looks equally competitive. The Norwegians, Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden, may be ranked No. 1 and No. 2, but have stated a commitment to Paris 2024 and need to earn Olympic qualifying points.

Will the bodies of Jan Frodeno, who turns 42 this summer, or Alistair Brownlee – whose latest injury withdrawal came at Ironman South Africa – hold up enough to get them to the start-line?

Challenge Roth winner Magnus Ditlev looks an increasing force. France’s Sam Laidlow didn’t lack confidence, even before his runners-up finish in Hawaii. Lionel Sanders and Sam Long bring the bike power that always makes them a threat.

Plus there’s Leon Chevalier, the German pair Florian Angert and Frederic Funk, and Britain’s indefatigable Joe Skipper. In fact, as was shown by last year’s surprise victory by (the now-banned) Collin Chartier in the US Open, a challenge could come from anywhere, including Bishop.

The one disappointment is the PTO’s decision to slim down its field sizes, which feels at odds with the depth of talent the sport has right now. If getting to the start-line fit and healthy is half the battle, you have to add getting into the world’s top 30 now, too.

In choosing to race early in the year, Byram and Bishop have given themselves every chance. But there are plenty more who’ll be believing the same.

Illustration credit: Daniel Seex