Big month ahead for Team Ireland in Triathlon.

Erin McConnell leads off the month with the World Cup in Tiszaujvaros, one of the most iconic races on the circuit. 2 days of sprint distance racing, swimming 3 laps of a town center pond, 2 different bike routes with short loops for the final and fast flat run laps all in front of big crowds and a wall of noise through the finish area. 

There is a small enough field this year of only 44 so getting through the semi finals is well within McConnell's abilities. The swim with a brutal 80 degree left turn after 100m tends to line out very quickly which will suit her. We will be looking to see where her run is as well as she gets a chance to lock down the leadoff position for the back to back relay events over the following 2 weekends. She would seem an obvious choice for the role with consistent front of race swims but Hollie Elliott has not been far off those swim times and has been running faster and may have a better chance of putting the 2nd athlete in a better starting position.

Saoirse O’Brien, who has shown she is not far off the top 2, races in Morocco in the well established event in Larache. You wont see many of the known big hitters on the start list of 46 with just 2 of the Top 100, but this is a nice race for O’Brien coming off a racing in the French GP series in Vichy last week. I would really like to see what she could run off a relatively easy bike in a big group to give us some idea of her potential speed. 

The National Champs in Lanesboro is the only Draft Legal race in Ireland this year but has provided some great racing in the past. Unfortunately there is a clash with Hamburg so we miss previous winner James Edgar for sure along with Luke McCarron who will be racing in Canada, along with the rest of the team for the relay and possible replacements as well, but it remains an event that deserves to be supported and there are some good view points even though the action takes place away from the finish area. 

McCarron is also racing in Larache this weekend. This is an opportunity to get his year back on track after a couple of disappointing races in Poland. His swimming improved dramatically over the last few years and if he can put it all together in a race again there still appears to be a lot of upside to be tapped into. 

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