While the cancellation of the triathlon and the uncertainty caused by the Iran war are frustrating, the brief pause may offer a moment of much-needed perspective.
As the Iran war creates uncertainty around the world, including the triathlon calendar, we need to keep things in perspective, writes senior editor Susan Luck. (Photo: World Triathlon)
Updated March 6, 2026 3:13 p.m
The beauty of triathlon is that it is a global sport – you can find triathlons almost anywhere in the world, even as far away as Antarctica.
But the global nature of our sport also means that it is 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’ll be exploring it again this week as war with Iran has caused the World Triathlon Championship series to postpone its season opener in Abu Dhabi. As Tim Heming reported todayNot only does the war have the potential to disrupt the World Triathlon, T100 and Ironman calendars, but it is already affecting triathletes traveling to the March races in Australia, as several major airport hubs are in the Middle East.
The battle also affects Camp Pendleton, host of the beloved Oceanside 70.3 race on March 28. The Marine Corps base in Southern California is currently on a Bravo+ alert level due to the conflict, and we spoke with representatives from Camp Pendleton about it. what does this mean for the competition.
As I was working on these stories this week, I couldn’t help but cry: We are a triathlon publication. Why should we write about war? I’m mad, not because of the stupid inconvenience of a canceled race (it’s a hobby for most of us after all), but because after the last few years I just want to write about swimming, cycling and running without the context of a global crisis. I am tired of these unprecedented times. I would very much like a prediction.
But here again we don’t have a sense of what lies ahead for the world. To cope, we turn to the comfort of swimming, cycling and running. When these unprecedented times become too much to bear, we find 30 minutes or an hour to escape under the water or the sound of our feet on the floor.
I hope we also take a moment to think about those around the world who cannot do this. If a triathlete’s biggest problem right now is a canceled (or potentially canceled) race, that person is living an interesting life indeed.
While cancellation and uncertainty can be frustrating, a brief pause can offer a moment of much-needed perspective. We turn to triathlons for solace and escapism in these unprecedented times, but we must remember that the true solace lies not in the exercise itself, but in the privilege of doing it altogether.
This comment first appeared on March 6 Triathlete ballot. For more from our editors, sign up below for Triathlete’s twice-weekly newsletters with the latest articles, behind-the-scenes insights and more.
