While triathlon cancellations and uncertainty due to the the Iran war are frustrating, a brief pause can offer a moment of necessary perspective.
As the Iran War creates uncertainty around the world, including the triathlon calendar, we must keep things in perspective, writes senior editor Susan Lacke. (Photo: World Triathlon)
Updated March 6, 2026 03:13PM
The beauty of triathlon is that it’s a global sport – just about anywhere in the world, even in the far reaches of Antarctica, you can find a triathlon.
But the global nature of our sport also means that it’s subject to the whims of the world. We learned this during the COVID-19 pandemic, when races were canceled, pools were closed, and we added “supply chain issues” to our collective vocabulary. We’re learning it again this week, as the war with Iran has resulted in the World Triathlon Championship Series postponing its season opener in Abu Dhabi. As Tim Heming reported today, the war not only has the potential to disrupt the calendar for World Triathlon, T100, and Ironman, but it’s already affecting triathletes traveling to March races in Australia, as several major airport hubs are in the Middle East.
The war also affects Camp Pendleton, host of the beloved Oceanside 70.3 race on March 28. The Marine Corps base in southern California is currently at alert level Bravo+ due to the conflict, and we talked with Camp Pendleton representatives about what that means for the race.
As I worked on these stories this week, I couldn’t help but mutter to myself: We’re a triathlon publication. Why the f*** should we be writing about war? I was mad, not because of some silly inconvenience of a canceled race (this sport is a hobby for most of us, after all) but because after the gauntlet of the last few years, I just want to write about swim, bike, and run without the context of a global crisis. I’m tired of These Unprecedented Times. I would very much like some precedent.
In times of chaos and uncertainty, many triathletes try to cope through swim, bike, and run. (Photo: Brad Kaminski/Triathlete)
But here we are, once again, with no clear sense of what’s ahead for the world. To cope, we turn to the comfort of swim, bike, and run. When These Unprecedented Times become too much to bear, we find 30 minutes or an hour to escape underwater or in the sound of our footfalls on the pavement.
I hope we also take a moment to think of those around the world who can’t do that. If the biggest problem a triathlete has right now is a canceled (or possibly canceled) race, that person has a charmed life, indeed.
While the cancellations and uncertainty are frustrating, a brief pause can offer a moment of necessary perspective. We turn to triathlon for comfort and escape In These Unprecedented Times, but we must also remember that the true solace is not in the training itself, but in the privilege to do it at all.
This commentary originally appeared in the March 6 Triathlete newsletter. For more from our editors, sign up below for Triathlete’s twice-weekly emails with the latest articles, behind-the-scenes insights, and more.