S8E9 -- UM Australia 2026 Race Preview with Jeff Morris & Tim Franklin

Send us Fan Mail515 kilometers can sound like a number. In Noosa, it turns into three days of decisions: how you fuel a 10 km ocean swim, how you survive a 276 km bike loop through the Sunshine Coast hinterland, and how you keep moving when the double marathon starts to ask harder questions than your training ever did.We’re joined by Ultraman Australia race director Jeff Morris and KOA endurance coach and event MC Tim Franklin to preview Ultraman Australia 2026 from the ground up. We lay out the full 515 triathlon format and cutoffs, explain why the calendar dates differ depending on where you live, and share exactly how to follow along on the YouTube livestream. This year’s coverage gets a major boost with live GPS tracking (even during the swim when signals allow), planned drone shots at sunrise, and crews calling in live so viewers at home can feel the real-time pressure and emotion on course.Jeff also gives a progress update on Ultraman New Zealand in Wanaka.  Then we get into the heart of race week: the 2026 field. From returning athletes chasing redemption to first-timers stepping up from Ironman to Ultraman, we spotlight what makes each competitor interesting, what crews need to know, and why Noosa’s swim conditions and paddler support can shape the entire weekend.The Athletes:Nicole Allen, Sadanand Amarapur, Prajakta Aswar, Boris Bakouline, Ashley Bates, Rahul Chaudhary, Douglas Clark, Jacob Crowe, Devraj Devraj, Nat Dodd, Tabatha Draper, Roscoe Dray, Shane Duffy, Noe Duran, Anthony Elder, Guilherme Escaleira da luz Oliveira, Mehdi Gerbeaux, Jomy Jacob, Timothy Jensen, Shubham Kajale, Claire Kunc, Brittney Litton, Anna Longdill, Keri Mandell, Nestor Ochoa Rivera, Chia Ling Pow, Mahesh Prajapati, Erica Riley, Nathan Schmid, Patrick Shanahan, Marcus Smith, Puneet Sudhir Sood, Giancarlos Taraborrelli, Chloe Thomas, Mark Thomson, Dr Bishwanath Tiwary, Marco Ullrich, Denise Wilson.Resources mentioned in this episode:KOA Sports UM New ZealandKenilworth BakeryPeak Energy GumHervey Bay 100 T100 TriathlonUltraman MexicoShout outs and mentions in this episode:Tiff DahlJen McVeayAlex LunaBeñat OliveiraSimon Cochrane Steven KellerKellie RidgesDave CarrollMax AllansenTeaghan Roatz Anthony VloedmansVishesh MadanAndrew WheatleyPeter HodgsonAnthony LucasCraig JacksonAngus aka Bango DraperElans Anton Jen MacMillanKate BevilaquaNatalie ElderAlana SharmaPaul GiddingsMatt O’BrienKathleen SwallingAri LittonHayley FryAndrew TroutNick MallettMel CockshuttTim BelsteadKirsty SheehanSupport the showShow Contributors:Host : Larry RyanContributing Raconteur : Steve KingAnnouncer : Mary Jo DionneProduction : 5Five EnterprisesMusic  :  Run by 331For show notes and past guests, please visit the Podcast Website: https://515theultrapodcast.buzzsprout.comFacebook: @515TheUltraPodcastInsta : @515theultrapodcastYoutube : @515TheUltraPodcastEmail : [email protected]