“As we get closer and closer to August, more and more racing gets scheduled and these athletes build form and build momentum. I must pay attention, because we want to pick the best team we can.”
Craig Alexander
The Collins Cup was inspired by and named after Judy and John Collins, who 40 years ago were instrumental in establishing the sport of triathlon by inaugurating a long distance event on the idyllic shores of Hawaii, where they were stationed while John was a Commander in the US Navy. Inspired by their recent experience in short distance triathlon in California, they designed a long distance, around-the-island event in Hawaii, by adding a long bicycle leg to existing swimming and running events. The winner was to be considered the best all-round athlete.
Since that fateful day, triathletes, male and female, have established themselves as some of the fittest athletes on the planet. From its earliest days, the competition has included men and women racing the same distance, over the same course, on the same day for equal prize money. This has always been an important principle of the Collins’ and the cornerstone of the philosophy of the Professional Triathletes Organisation.
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The Collins Cup was inspired by and named after Judy and John Collins, who 40 years ago were instrumental in establishing the sport of triathlon by inaugurating a long distance event on the idyllic shores of Hawaii, where they were stationed while John was a Commander in the US Navy. Inspired by their recent experience in short distance triathlon in California, they designed a long distance, around-the-island event in Hawaii, by adding a long bicycle leg to existing swimming and running events. The winner was to be considered the best all-round athlete.
Since that fateful day, triathletes, male and female, have established themselves as some of the fittest athletes on the planet. From its earliest days, the competition has included men and women racing the same distance, over the same course, on the same day for equal prize money. This has always been an important principle of the Collins’ and the cornerstone of the philosophy of the Professional Triathletes Organisation.
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Sign-up to be the first to hear about 2022 teams!
The Collins Cup was inspired by and named after Judy and John Collins, who 40 years ago were instrumental in establishing the sport of triathlon by inaugurating a long distance event on the idyllic shores of Hawaii, where they were stationed while John was a Commander in the US Navy. Inspired by their recent experience in short distance triathlon in California, they designed a long distance, around-the-island event in Hawaii, by adding a long bicycle leg to existing swimming and running events. The winner was to be considered the best all-round athlete.
Since that fateful day, triathletes, male and female, have established themselves as some of the fittest athletes on the planet. From its earliest days, the competition has included men and women racing the same distance, over the same course, on the same day for equal prize money. This has always been an important principle of the Collins’ and the cornerstone of the philosophy of the Professional Triathletes Organisation.
Dave “The Man” Scott’s career is so packed with accolades and firsts that it’s nearly impossible to list all his accomplishments. The six-time IRONMAN® World Champion is known by the nickname “The Man” for his intense training regimens and his unrelenting race performances that created a record number of wins. Dave Scott is the Roger Bannister, Pele, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Jack Nicklaus of triathlon. His performances transcended what was ever thought possible.
On his first attempt, Scott became the first athlete to go under 9:30 in Hawaii, beating the previous record by nearly two hours and transforming the event into a real race. He didn’t stop there though, he was also the first athlete to go under 9:00 and under 8:30 as well as the first athlete to break 3:00 hours for the IRONMAN® marathon, then the first under 2:55 and the first under 2:50.
He has spent a lifetime defining triathlon first as an athlete, then as a coach, including coaching multiple World Champion, Chrissie Wellington.
Julie Moss might not have won IRONMAN® Hawaii when she rocked up, naive and unprepared, for the February 1982 race but her finish would become a defining moment for the sport that helped triathlon break into the public consciousness.
Having thrown away her only nutrition on the bike – a chocolate bar – when TV cameras approached, 23-year-old Julie Moss found herself running on fumes while leading the marathon. As she neared the twilit finish, Moss’s energy ran out completely. Her body giving into 11 hours of fatigue in punishing conditions, she crumpled to the floor. But despite her unresponsive body and fogging mind, her singular purpose to get to the finish remained. Stumbling crashing to the ground another three times and eventually reduced to crawling, she finally made it over the line in second place.
The moment, captured by ABC’s Wide World Of Sports, was watched by millions unable to take their eyes off this moment of pure grit and determination that came to define the spirit of triathlon that’s inspired and endured for 40 years.
The Collins Cup returns to Bratislava for 2022 and this time you’re invited to race on the same course as the world’s best pros from Team Europe, Team US and Team Internationals.
Natascha “The Swiss Miss” Badmann is truly a legend of the sport, not just because of her six IRONMAN® World Championship victories in Hawaii, but the incredible longevity of her career, her passion for triathlon and her positive attitude.
Having become a mother at 17, it would be several years before Badmann set the prototype for supermom athletes as one of triathlon’s most dominant performers. Originally taking up jogging in her early 20s to lose weight, kick an eating disorder and find her true self from a broken past, Badmann first found her passion and talent for multisport competition as a duathlete.
Her incredible bike power and pure running strength earned second place at the duathlon world champs in 1994 and first the following year. She also raced Olympic distance triathlon, becoming European Champion in 1997 and collecting over 30 medals at international championships. Her first big long-distance win was at Powerman Zofingen in 1996 – an infamously tough race.
Her rookie IRONMAN® race was Kona 1996, where she came second only to fellow legend Paula Newby-Fraser. Always racing with a smile, Badmann returned to take victory in 1998 – the first European ever to do so. This began an era of dominance with wins on the Big Island following in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005.
While leading the race in 2007, a huge bike crash threw Badmann to the tarmac, destroying several parts in both of her shoulders and requiring two surgeries. The doctor’s prediction: “You’ll never be able to swim or race again.” Refusing to believe this, Badmann spent years fighting her way back, her overwhelmingly positive attitude keeping her in the sport she loves.
After getting back to fitness with second at IRONMAN® Lanzarote in 2011, Badmann won IRONMAN® South Africa and came sixth in Kona the following year, setting the day’s fastest bike split at age 45. Badmann competed her last IRONMAN® Kona in 2016, 20 years after her first start. She continues to race, using her legendary status to inspire others while taking first at IRONMAN® 70.3 Oman and India in 2019 and 2020.
Badmann lives in Switzerland with her husband and long-time coach Toni Hasler. Both pioneers of the sport, they heralded new training methods, developing mental techniques, nutrition strategies and aerodynamic advantages that took the sport to previously unknown levels. Today, both Natascha and Toni remain inextricably linked to triathlon. Badmann works as a business coach and motivational speaker – skills that she will combine with experience from her glittering pro career to lead Team Europe in the battle for the Collins Cup.
Normann “The Norminator” Stadler (born February 25, 1973). Winner of the 2004 and 2006 IRONMAN® Triathlon World Championship, Kona.
Normann ran his first marathon at 11 years old. Later, he became a triathlete and was a member of the German national team in 1988. He won a world duathlon title in 1994. He first competed at the IRONMAN® World Championship in 1999 as an age-group athlete. He took third place in 2000, fourth place in 2001 and 2003, and then he won in 2004.
Following his 2004 IRONMAN® World Championship, Stadler was expected to do well in the 2005. However, he withdrew from the race after suffering three tire punctures and a bleeding bee sting on the thigh and in the process created one of the most iconic moments of all time at Kona, in a fit of rage, “the Norminator” threw his bike into the Kona lava fields… a devastating moment for Stadler’s defense of his title, but an unmissable watch for the rest of us who could sympathise with Stadler’s frustrations!
In 2006, Normann returned to Kona to compete in the IRONMAN® World Championships. Stadler swam fast enough to exit the water only moments behind the race leaders. Once on the bike course, Stadler managed to gain over 10 minutes on the chase pack, setting a bike course record at 4:18:23 (26 mph). Australian Chris McCormack came within 71 seconds of Stadler but was unable to get any closer.
On July 5, 2011, following successful heart surgery, Stadler announced his retirement from professional triathlon racing, but continues to be involved in the sport he truly loves at every opportunity. Has triathlon ever seen more passion? Undoubtedly the Norminator will instill the same in Team Europe!
Erin Baker MBE was originally coached by John Hellemans but controlled and developed her successful career by self-training, “I was self-trained. I just trained as much as my body would handle, and that was a shit load. I trained and trained, and I trained more if I had time. I never got injured so I would often do more in case somebody else was training while I was resting”.
In 1981 she was convicted of throwing explosive devices while protesting during the South African Rugby team tour of New Zealand. This act prevented her from entering the United States for several years, restricting her from competing in any American competitions. Baker was also known for her protests at the Hawaii IRONMAN® competitions when she rebelled against the notion of the winner of the men’s division receiving a car and the women’s division winner receiving nothing for her efforts. She voiced her opinions on numerous occasions and as a result was well known as a controversial athlete.
She finished her triathlon career in 1994 with a record of 104 wins from 121 triathlons entered.
Baker was named “Triathlete of the Decade” by American magazine Triathlete. The magazine commented on her success by saying, “We’ve stopped trying to figure Erin out, we just accept her as the best female triathlete that ever lived”.
In the 1993 New Year Honours, Baker was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to Triathlon.
Craig “Crowie” Alexander raced in his first professional triathlon in Sydney, Australia and notched his first win later that same year. Alexander focused on ITU and Olympic Distance racing in the first portion of his triathlon career, racing in France and becoming a dominating force in the US Olympic Majors (Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles – ‘The Triple Crown’). He won the prestigious Olympic Distance Triple Crown in 2004.
Perhaps the sweet spot for Alexander was the half distance, winning everything in sight including the debut of the IRONMAN® 70.3 World Championships in 2006 . That win qualified Alexander for the full distance IRONMAN® Hawaii World Championships the next year (2007) where he finished an astounding 2nd place in his first attempt in the lava fields.
In 2008 and 2009, Alexander dominated the IRONMAN® World Championships with his blazing foot speed and became only the 4th man in history to win back-to-back IRONMAN® World titles. But it was 2011, where Alexander the Great had perhaps his finest year in IRONMAN® racing, becoming the first athlete to win both the 70.3 and the IRONMAN® World Championships the same year.
In 2014, Craig retired from full distance racing to solely focus on the half distance and launch his own brand, Sansego (meaning; Without Ego), a mantra the Sydney native became known for in triathlon circles around the globe.
Amongst his multisport performances and victories over the course of his 25-year career, Alexander has been the recipient of many awards including the Triathlete of the Year (4x), the Australian Sportsperson of the Year, and the prestigious Order of Australia medal.
Mark “The Grip” Allen (born January 12, 1958) was voted in an ESPN poll as the “Greatest Endurance Athlete Of All Time.” Mark is a six-time winner of the IRONMAN® World Championship, the winner of the inaugural ITU Triathlon World Championship, a ten time undefeated winner of the Nice International Triathlon, and the the holder of one of the longest records in endurance sports with his 2:40:04 marathon split set in 1989. That record stood for 27 years.
Mark is also the holder of a record 21 straight wins at every multi-sport distance and discipline that lasted over two seasons starting at the end of 1988 and continuing through the end of 1990. He resides in Santa Cruz, California and is the founder of Mark Allen Coaching. Mark’s passion is coaching athletes at all levels of the sport.
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