Reigning Ironman champion Kristian Blummenfelt is a firm favourite to retain his title despite it being his first race in Hawaii.
To take the tape on the Big Island and perhaps even beat Jan Frodeno’s existing course record, he not only wants to optimise his training but also his equipment.
Here we run through the state-of-the-art kit he’s hoping will give him the edge.
What will Blummenfelt be using in the swim?
While the water temperature in the Pacific makes the race in Hawaii a no-wetsuit swim, the athletes are still allowed to wear an additional sleeveless layer called a swimskin.
Blummenfelt is likely to be wearing the latest version of the Tsunami 1.0 from wetsuit sponsor Deboer.
While not the biggest name in swimming, Deboer have signed the biggest names in triathlon in recent years, including three-time Ironman world champion Frodeno.
The Norwegian signed with the brand at the start of 2021 with a view to the Phoenix Sub7 Project the following year.
A new wetsuit will be launched towards the end of this year, which has input from Blummenfelt’s coach Olav Aleksander Bu.
While sponsored by Form Smart Swim which provide in-goggle metrics when swim training, it’s unclear if he’ll be wearing them in the race.
What will Blummenfelt be using on the bike?
Blummenfelt is the only triathlete currently racing on the unmistakable Cadex bike that has divided opinion among fans for its aesthetics.
Its floating seat stay, wide triple-crown fork system and lack of top tube is not to everyone’s liking
It has a Cadex carbon four-spoke wheel at the front, but the rear disc wheel that was run in St George will be replaced for the crosswinds of Hawaii.
The 28-year-old will be running SRAM components with an ISM PS 1.0 saddle and Drag2Zero aerobars.
There are currently only around 25 of the bikes in existence with no confirmation yet of whether it will go into commercial production. Emma Pallant-Brown will join the Olympic champion in riding one next year.
Blummenfelt will be wearing a Trimtex long-course tri-suit made from the same material as he used in last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
It has been wind-tunnel tested at speeds of 40-44kph and incorporates aero dots or turbulators on the shoulders which – depending on the wind angle – give reported gains of between three and eight per cent. A saving of around 3mins on the bike in Kona.
Perhaps even more importantly for Hawaii it has an innovative cooling effect to try to keep core body temperature more stable. It's also up 40% lighter than regular tri-suits.
His bike shoes are likely to be a prototype Fizik.
What will Blummenfelt be using on the run?
The Norwegian ran a 2:38 marathon in St George and a 2:35 marathon in Cozumel on debut.
Both would be good enough to take the run course record here and he’ll be wearing a pair of the original Asics Metaspeed+ when trying to do it.
Handily, race nutrition sponsor Maurten is also an individual sponsor of Blummenfelt and he’ll pre-load with bottle mixes and gels, and can pick up his own special needs nutrition on the bike and the run.
He’ll be wearing a pair of Oakleys from the extensive range and potentially the Sutro model.
Finally, he’ll protect his head by wearing the trusty Red Bull trucker hat.
Top image credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
