This is the sixth episode in our series of podcasts featuring the speakers from our 2020 Science and Triathlon Conference. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Gareth Sandford, a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia, who is currently working with athletics Canada in preparation for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
In this episode, we discuss the anaerobic speed reserve (ASR), a re-emerging area of research that has shown important applications in running and cycling but has yet to be explored in triathlon. With shorter events increasing in popularity in the sport, Dr. Sandford explains why athletes must have a range of characteristics, being able to excel regardless of how races unfold. In addition, we also discuss why this is an important concept to allow athletes to dictate the races, and the crucial role it might have in assisting athletes to handle surges in intensity during the race.
If you are interested in Dr. Sandford's work, he is quite active on Twitter (@Gareth_Sandford) and you can also find his research on Research Gate (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gareth-Sandford).
We hope you enjoy this episode and make sure to sign up for Dr. Sandford's seminar on January 20th, 2021. Check edmonton.triathlon.org for further details!
Bio
Dr. Gareth Sandford is a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia based in Victoria, BC in collaboration with the Performance Innovation and Physiology teams at Canadian Sport Institute Pacific & Athletics Canada. Gareth has been in his current role since January 2019 and joins Team Canada for the Tokyo 2021 Olympic cycle having completed his PhD on the 'Applications of the anaerobic speed reserve to elite 800m running,' a collaboration between Athletics New Zealand, High Performance Sport New Zealand and AUT University. A role which included leading the endurance physiology support for Athletics New Zealand into the Rio 2016 Olympics and London 2017 World Championships, as well as conducting a 6 ½ months International collaboration travelling 68,000km between 33 high performance track and field centres with Professional, Collegiate and Federation coaches and athletes.
Gareth’s background in triathlon involves work with GB U21 development and Paratriathlon squads at Loughborough University in 2013, alongside more recently consulting with national coaches and practitioners in both New Zealand and Canadian national federations.
