NAU XC Alum Matt McElroy stomps deepest triathlon field in history (Leeds, England)

You didn't mention that he was 2nd....Birtwhisltle ran 8:08 for 3k as a junior.

Fair point. And you didn't mention that McElroy smoked a stellar field. Gomez, Silver in London. Brownlees... gold, silver in Rio, Schoeman Bronze in Rio... Vincent Luis... #1 ranking. I could go on... I let you continue it for us though..

A great result for sure and shows how talented triathletes are....I believe Matt was a 28:30 10k runner which is very impressive. At the wc or Olympics the bike courses tend to be more difficult...not sure what Leeds was like.

Coahc wrote:

A great result for sure and shows how talented triathletes are....I believe Matt was a 28:30 10k runner which is very impressive. At the wc or Olympics the bike courses tend to be more difficult...not sure what Leeds was like.

Leeds is the hardest course in the circuit and the men's race had the best field in the last 2 years. Matt's performance was very, very good.

buttermilk bacn wrote:

Fair point. And you didn't mention that McElroy smoked a stellar field. Gomez, Silver in London. Brownlees... gold, silver in Rio, Schoeman Bronze in Rio... Vincent Luis... #1 ranking. I could go on... I let you continue it for us though..

You ninny. You can’t say someone “stomped” or “smoked” the field if he was second. And the third place guy was only two seconds behind him. Your description makes it sound like he won the race by 30 seconds.

Leeds was brutal from the video. Punhcy, hilly. They hammered it.

Rio had a big hill. Tokyo is pancake flat. No matter. It's the pace on the day. The groups are riding hard (on the flats too) to keep the super runners out of mix on the run. All set up by fast swimming.

This was a breakthrough race for Matt. Also for American men, as they have been very weak and a podium on the top level hasn't happened for years... His was was stellar but really, his swim set it all up. Excited for his season...

buttermilk bacn wrote:

After a great swim, he finishes the bike wit the lead pack, then mows through the field!

Full race here (forward to 1:30 for run start):

wwwDOTyoutubeDOTcom/watch?v=bPCF3c6DpVs

You being misleading about his finish makes me not like him. Well done.

Lumberjacked wrote:

Coahc wrote:

A great result for sure and shows how talented triathletes are....I believe Matt was a 28:30 10k runner which is very impressive. At the wc or Olympics the bike courses tend to be more difficult...not sure what Leeds was like.

Leeds is the hardest course in the circuit and the men's race had the best field in the last 2 years. Matt's performance was very, very good.

It was slated that Leeds was the first race since the world champs in 2014 that the Super Seven triathletes of ITU had all been in the same race. It had every medallist from the last 2 Olympics and World champions going back goodness knows how many years. The course in Leeds is the hardest course on the circuit, and was designed by the Brownlees. Matt had a brilliant race, this can't be denied. He is now the first USA male for many years to actually podium, was a very exciting race. Birtwhistle at only 24 yrs old has a huge future.

So where does this leave him with regards to odds of making the Olympic team? I know Morgan Pearson was one of the favorites - does McElroy move in front of him now?

How cute! You flexed on somebody with your ITU knowledge. A small blip for the American, where has he placed leading up to Leeds? Brownlee is neither here nor there for now. Gomez is pointing towards the rest event. Who knows what is going on with Mola? Let’s see what McLeroy can do when it counts but fair play to him for this result. All that matters in this window is Tokyo 2020.

Runner not in the know wrote:

So where does this leave him with regards to odds of making the Olympic team? I know Morgan Pearson was one of the favorites - does McElroy move in front of him now?

The odds for Matt to make the Olympic team are very good. On top of this result that puts him at the very top of ITU triathlon, he's anchored the US Mixed Relay team to a 1st and a 2nd place at MR World Series races last season.

As for Morgan, he's up and down. His last race was a 41st place at a World Cup, which is a level of competition lower than the World Series Matt competes at.

Deepest in history? Hardly. Both Brownlees were at far less than peak form, Gomez has not been training for shorter distances, but rather going longer. He took advantage of a weak year for triathlon men in general, but particularly at that race. He also finished 3rd this weekend...beaten by a couple of mediocre guys.

There's a good chance the two USA men's spots will be filled with people who excel in the relay format. If the US chooses the right guys, the Relay team can compete to win a medal. I'd think Matt will need another race or two of this caliber to get a discretionary nod. Of course, if he gets top 8 at the test event or in Yokohama next May, then he's in automatically. And after Leeds, that is actually realistic.

Matt, Eli Hemming, Ben Kanute, Tony Smoragiewicz, and Morgan Person are all fairly even when it comes to the relay. And there is still a long ways until selection. (I'd say Morgan is the least likely to be picked at the moment, but that's a wild guess)

All the official media pre race were reporting that yes, this was the deepest field in ITU history. Everyone who is anyone was racing. Every Olympic medalist and world champion for many years back. Both Brownlees have been at "far less than peak form" for a couple of years now, they both stated they were fit, before and after the race. Gomez is trying to make Olympic team for Tokyo, he has been back working on shorter stuff for a while now. For your info, a weak year for triathlon in general is not the year prior to the Olympics when everyone is racing for points and trying to secure their spot for the Olympics. An actual Olympic year would be weaker as there is really only one race that matters for those already selected, but many countries leave discretionary selection up until very late and those athletes need to be producing the results right up until. The year after the Olympics would be the weak year. In triathlon the Olympic points system starts 2 years out.

Sure he finished 3rd this weekend, but he had just completed an Olympic distance race 5 days prior and with travel fatigue etc, he wasn't going in fully recovered and at his best. The winner of that race hadn't raced for over a month and then it was a supersprint. You really have no idea!!!

At the moment I think all the guys are pretty much equal in relay ability, swap them around and the times and results don't really change much. Saying this I believe Matt now has a big selection advantage going forward as has shown that on the right day he can also be on the podium. If it has happened once it could happen again. No other USA man has been able to say that this decade I am pretty sure.

Matt has been a solid member of the mixed relay team, anchoring them to podium finishes in the biggest races...Nottingham, Hamburg, Edmonton, etc.

Based on recent results and performances in the relays, it would seem that Matt and Eli are the top two options if it goes to discretionary picks.