Monday is the first big day for the triathletes to arrive in Kona but it is already quite clear that this race is coming up.

The City of Los Angeles Triathlon brings together 2,500 age groupers and the world’s elite to compete on a course that starts at Venice Beach and winds up in downtown LA. Photo Gallery by Timothy Carlson.

Matt Reed leads defending champion Greg Bennett and Sarah Haskins leads defending champ Becky Lavelle and Rebeccah Wassner going into the Race to the Toyota Cup Series finale in Dallas

What about nutrition during training? Gels, bars, gummies, things like that? Yes, it’s time you started to think about these sorts of things.

Getting sponsors. Yes, the task every race director looks forward to. If, that is, your favorite word to hear is, “No.” This assumes you actually get any word at all in response to your supplications.

Two books represent the Slowtwitch “boxed set” for ascenders. It’s doubtful either of these books’ publishers or authors (one is dead) know of the other’s book. But to this site’s publisher each book is the others’ companion.

The two ITU World Championship Series silver medalists get some non-drafting redemption at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon; Javier Gomez tops Stuart Hayes and Lisa Norden tops Sarah Haskins.

Here’s the live coverage of the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon, as we called it, from the Slowtwitch Ice Cream Truck (the unofficial lead vehicle).

Now that the ITU World Championship series is over, several European and Australian stars have come to fight it out with Life Time Fitness series stars in Los Angeles

Can anyone beat Chrissie Wellington? The odds say no. But the deepest field in years may yield a challenger who is unafraid to take on the new Queen of Kona.

Picking Ironman Hawaii odds is a risky business. What if you miss a 1996 Luc van Lierde? Or the Faris Al-Sultan in 2005? Or Scott Molina in 1988? Timothy Carlson takes on the unforgiving task.

Announcing the SlowTwitch Bike Lounge, powered by Retül. Meet the Slowtwitch staff, let us fete you with goodies, while you get your fit coordinates databased by the good folks at Retül

You’re more than halfway to the goal. You could certainly do a triathlon right now. In fact, you’d probably be fitter right now than plenty of people who’re going to be doing the race with you. Isn’t it a great feeling to be getting fit?

Slowtwitch worked with Jeff Solomon of Tableau Software to present an interesting way to look at the top 10 Ironman performers in Hawaii from 1978 through 2008 and that allows you to see how the performances have trended through the years.

The countdown has started to the 2009 Ford Ironman Hawaii and here are a few things we have noticed leading up to the event. A unique bike case from Biknd, a data logger from Quarq, the Great Athlete Auction, a new Scott Rigsby book and an Oregon event that has nothing to do with triathlon.

This is triathlon’s new speed item nobody wants to talk about, but many want to use. If there is such a thing as a decadent wetsuit, De Soto has made it. Admit it, isn’t the “unfair advantage” just a little appealing?

Even if old ideas fade away, if they have value, they’ll kick around and reappear. So it is with “empty space” between a bicycle’s fork and its wheel.

Short course stars Greg and Laura Bennett, in the midst of a year spent recovering from injuries, venture into long course, conquer Augusta, and qualify for the 70.3 Worlds

Nicolas Lebrun of France outran Conrad Stoltz of South Africa and Melanie McQuaid of Canada used her swim to outlast US pro Shonny Vanlandingham to win the XTERRA USA National Championship in Ogden Utah

The USA’s Jarrod Shoemaker won the ITU elite men’s short course Duathlon World Championship with a come-from-behind photo finish sprint over France’s Damien Derobert today at the Charlotte NC motor speedway

Many more pictures from the 2009 Interbike trade show. Bikes, parts and people.

We have been roaming the halls to find more interesting bits from the 2009 Interbike trade show.

Monique Petrov, 39, a triathlete from San Rafael California, was struck by a minivan on a training ride September 16 and is recovering from critical injuries

The 2009 Interbike show opened the doors at the Sands Convention Center and here are images from the first day.