Feisty Triathlon · Feisty Triathlon podcast

We're Back B*tches #5: Press Conference & Race Day Vibes with Announcer, Joanne Murphy

·1 hr 1 min·4 clips

Cat Matthews says she can tackle anything after her crash and injury recovery.

Joanne Murphy joins the Feisty crew live from Kona Canoe Club. The week is already moving quickly. One host has been on the road from Ireland for 39 hours, and that sets the mood. They laugh about Monday's Irish dancing by the Kona sign, which made the reel and probably earned it. Race week keeps rolling through the Kona Town Fun Runs. Then comes the Hoala Swim. Lucy Charles skipping into the water and then walking out like a queen becomes its own little moment of pageantry. The conversation keeps circling back to the idea that the best athletes still need to have fun. That matters even more when the sport asks so much from the body and mind. They look at the women the way race-week people do, by posture, expression, and loose shoulders. Chelsea looks like she is having fun. Kat does too. Taylor looks relaxed, which they joke is the kind of thing that should make people pay attention. The race is framed as open, with five women who could win it. The island is still the bigger variable. They bring up the way Kona can change the script and how a favorite can still get jolted by something no one sees coming. The jellyfish sting example hangs over that point. There may be odds and rumors, but they say there are no secret injuries right now. The discussion then widens to the men's race and the influence of short-course athletes on the swim and bike. Martin Van Riel and Jamie Riddle become part of that lens. So do the athletes coming up from shorter racing who may drag the race into a different shape. The tone stays practical the whole way through. It sounds like people who know the difference between a polished preview and what race week actually feels like. By the end, the message is simple: get to the finish line, adapt to whatever Kona throws at you, and keep supporting each other out on course.

As heard by us

Kona chatter that stays with the people and the race-week mood.

Joanne Murphy's Kona stop stays close to the feel of race week and keeps circling the same useful question: what happens when the pressure starts to climb?

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Why you'd press play

Press play for live Kona race-week chatter with sharp eyes and a human pulse.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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