England, Norway Gear Up for FIFA World Cup 2026™ Quarterfinals Thriller at Club Facilities - Inter Miami CF

As is our tradition here at Slowtwitch, we begin our post-Kona gear articles with the swim. In case you’re wondering why women’s swim leader Lucy Charles-Barclay doesn’t appear on the list, athletes need to finish to be included. This year’s swim was a choppy affair, to the point where even experienced pros like Laura Philipp complained of getting seasick. Thanks to those conditions, the times were considerably slower than in years past, with Charles-Barclay (51:28) running up to the pier over three minutes slower than her best time (48:14) set in 2018. On the men’s side, swim-leader Marten Van Riel (48:17) went 2:34 slower than Aussie age-grouper Sam Askey-Doran’s (45:43) swim course record set in 2024.

Chris Foster is at the 2026 Ironman World Championship in Kona, checking out the latest gear. From brand activations to the expo, he found some intriguing new tech and gear worth a closer look.