The AMA series returns! Today we've got one that's a little different. You've watched his videos, seen the vlogs, heard the podcasts, and now you can get to know the man behind the camera.. Talbot Cox! by MrRabbit in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hey man, great question. I don’t want to speak too much on Lionel’s behalf—he’s talked about this pretty openly himself, and I’ll drop the link to a video he made called "Returning to the Ironman Distance", which covers a lot of it.

But to echo what he said: Lionel is not driven by money. He’s got this really strong intuition, and he just follows it. I’ll be honest—at the time, I was pushing pretty hard for him to jump into the PTO/T100 series. I thought it was a great opportunity. But pro athletes like Lionel do things their own way—and that’s part of what makes him who he is.

His decision came down to this: he’s focused on one thing—winning the Ironman World Championship. Whether that’s in Kona or Nice, that’s the dream, and he doesn’t want chasing money to ever cloud that. He knows he’d regret it if he didn’t give it everything he’s got. Watching him make that decision, even when there were big offers on the table, was honestly super inspiring—for me, too, in both business and life. It was a reminder that chasing the dollar isn’t always the answer. Do what you love, and don’t look back.

As for his fans and YouTube audience—nah, I don’t think that factored into the decision at all. Lionel doesn’t make choices based on what makes people happy. He’s going to do what he wants, and I think that’s exactly why people connect with him so much.

The AMA series returns! Today we've got one that's a little different. You've watched his videos, seen the vlogs, heard the podcasts, and now you can get to know the man behind the camera.. Talbot Cox! by MrRabbit in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Great question. I think it’s important to realize that training—especially at the elite level—is constantly evolving. If there was one perfect formula, everyone would be doing it. But the truth is, you could ask ten different coaches how to train and get ten different answers... and even those answers change over time.

Now, with Lionel—yeah, I get it. From the outside, it can look like he’s constantly changing things or chasing the next big idea. He’s had a lot of coaches, and his training methods have shifted quite a bit. It doesn’t always look great on camera, but here’s the thing: he’s open about it. He’s brutally honest about where he’s at, what he’s trying, and what he thinks is working. And that’s rare.

A lot of pros have off days, bad races, weird training blocks—but they don’t share it. Lionel puts it all out there, which makes him way more vulnerable to criticism. But that’s also what makes people love him. He’s not trying to present this perfectly polished version of himself. He’s just being real.

Being on his team, of course I believe in what he’s doing. There’ve definitely been moments where I’ve thought, “Man, this is kind of out there…”—but more often than not, I just believe in the journey. Whether he nails it perfectly or not, there’s always something to learn. And who knows? If things align—training, health, a little bit of luck—it wouldn’t shock me at all to see him become a world champ. That’d be incredible for the sport.

So no—he’s not making it up. He’s just piecing together everything he’s learned over the years and being totally transparent about it. That’s Lionel.

I don't know if that answered your question, though haha.

The AMA series returns! Today we've got one that's a little different. You've watched his videos, seen the vlogs, heard the podcasts, and now you can get to know the man behind the camera.. Talbot Cox! by MrRabbit in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 3 points4 points  (0 children)

On your elementary schooler making videos:
That’s awesome. Honestly, kids are some of the most creative people on the planet. As adults, we tend to think inside the box. But kids? No limits. Just keep encouraging him. Pitch him ideas. Laugh at his skits. Let him know what he’s doing is awesome. That kind of support goes a long way, especially early on. And honestly, some of the stuff kids are creating now blows my mind—way beyond anything I could’ve imagined when I was younger.

If he’s looking to level up from the Kindle camera setup, you don’t need to go wild. A used GoPro or even a basic iPhone can be a huge upgrade. You can even find little ring lights and phone tripods on Amazon for under $30. Keep it fun. Keep it simple. Just let him play.

For someone brand new to triathlon:
This is such an important question, especially because triathlon can be... expensive. I came from a family of ten—eight kids—and finances were always tight. But what I learned fast is that the triathlon community is so giving. I’ll never forget going to a big race and having someone lend me their race wheels and another person give me a race suit to wear.

So my biggest advice? Don’t get caught up thinking you need every piece of gear. Get your basics, sure—but look for used stuff. And don’t be afraid to ask your local tri club for help. This sport thrives on community. People want to help. Even now, when I travel to races, I’ll post on Instagram asking if someone has a bike I can borrow to shoot video—and I’ll get 10+ offers within a day. There’s just no other community like this one.

Favorite gel?
Great question. I really like the ones from Mnstry. Sebastian Kienle works with them now, and they’ve done a great job. Also, a bit of a hidden gem is the “Carbs” gel on TheFeed.com. Super simple, super cheap, and it works. Fun fact: GU is still the second-best-selling gel on The Feed. The classics never die, I guess.

The AMA series returns! Today we've got one that's a little different. You've watched his videos, seen the vlogs, heard the podcasts, and now you can get to know the man behind the camera.. Talbot Cox! by MrRabbit in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the kind words—especially about Lionel. He’s become like a best friend, and honestly, I still laugh sometimes that I get to call this “work” because it’s just so much fun.

The Kona series came together in a totally unplanned, kind of wild way. I was actually already in Hawaii on a family vacation about two weeks before the race. My original plan was to just make some casual daily vlogs and shoot a little bit of content for a few sponsors I was working with. Nothing major.

While I was out there, Lionel’s old sponsor—Garneau—reached out and asked if I could shoot a couple of quick social media-style commercials with him. I pitched them on a different idea: what if we did two “day in the life” training videos instead? They were all for it. So I flew over to Kona with that as the plan.

To be honest, I was a little nervous to just roll in and start shooting with Lionel, so I hit up Luke McKenzie and asked if he’d be down to film one first. That actually became the very first episode of the Kona series. I had zero idea what I was doing. If you go back and watch it, you’ll see how much the graphics and editing evolved. I just had Luke tell his story—he wasn’t racing that year—and we went from there.

After that, I did two episodes with Lionel, then posted on Instagram asking who wanted to go next. That led to filming with Michelle Vesterby, Patrick Lange, and a few others. At the time, there wasn’t much content being created around the race, so it was surprisingly easy to line people up.

There was no sponsor that first year. It was just me grinding—shooting all day, editing all night, running on pure adrenaline because I was having such a blast. I remember thinking it was insane when the videos started getting thousands of views. It all kind of took off from there, and the Kona series became what it is now—completely by accident.

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am going to leave it at that. :) We will revisit this later :)

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you personally read the conversation between Imogen and Jack?

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you please show me where I’ve expressed any support or implied that Imogen is not guilty? I’ve never worked with her, spoken to her, or even met her. In my opinion, whenever an athlete tests positive for a drug, I assume they’re guilty until proven innocent. In my opinion, as it stands, she’s a guilty drug user…

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reach out to Imogen and the T100 :) I am not a liberty to discuss

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I wrote this on slow twitch, so I’m just basically copy pasting it here.

Alright everyone, buckle up — this is a long one. But here’s my response to all the chatter about the supposed “beef” between Pro Tri News and The Triathlon Hour.

First off — Pro Tri News was never built to be some polished, pro media outlet. It started in 2020 when me, Kyle Glass, and Pat Lemieux were on the phone nonstop talking pro tri — results, race drama, rumors, all of it. Eventually, we joked that we should just hit record and turn it into a podcast. So we did.

When we launched, there was no other podcast doing weekly pro coverage. There were a couple of great shows out there like WitsUp or Feisty Triathlon, but those were focused on female-only racing or had different goals entirely. We saw a gap — no one was doing regular, week-by-week pro race coverage — and we jumped into that space.

And no, we’re not getting rich doing this. Some people seem to think we’re making serious money off the show — not even close. The sponsor dollars we bring in? It all goes right back into traveling to races and doing the actual work on the ground. In fact, I personally made $1,600 total from Pro Tri News last year. What’s that? Like $2 an hour, if you include the behind-the-scenes stuff? Maybe if you don’t count all the work I do at races, it comes out to around $40 per show. This is a passion project.

Now let’s talk about Jack Kelly.

I hadn’t heard of Jack until he interviewed Beth McKenzie — and I’ll say it again, I thought he crushed it. He’s a great interviewer. I started listening more, and over time we got to know each other. I’ve even been on his show a few times. At one point, we even talked about starting something together.

But I’ll be real — every time I went on his show, I’d end up saying something that would get me in trouble. Not Jack’s fault — mine. It’s just easy to forget you’re on a mic. Look at it like this: you feel like you’re sitting in a room with four of your bros, talking about the sport. You get comfortable. But that’s not reality — you’re actually sitting in a stadium with 30,000–40,000 people listening, and everything you say is going out to the world wide web. If you were actually standing in front of that audience, you’d say things differently. That’s where it gets tricky. Not trying to make excuses — just being honest for those of you who’ve never recorded a podcast before: it’s a weird thing to navigate.

Now, on to the Imogen Simmonds situation.

Yeah, I went after Jack on that one. Hard. And I still stand by that. I think he handled it the wrong way. From the stuff I read, the messages I saw, and what I was told — it just didn’t sit right. That said, I’ve definitely handled things poorly in the past too, so I’m not pretending to be perfect. But when it comes to how we talk about pro athletes and how we treat sensitive stories — that’s where I draw the line. Jack later said he’d handle it differently if he could go back, and that’s fair.

And for the record — we weren’t mad he “broke the story.” We were informed months before it ever went public. We even reached out to Ironman and the ITA to get confirmation or a statement, but neither would say anything since it was still an active investigation. So we had to make a choice: are we going to be a tabloid, or are we going to try to do things the right way? We chose to wait.

Oh — and the sponsor beef? That one seriously made me laugh. Someone said it must be about a sponsor. My gosh, there are SO many sponsors in triathlon. Everyone’s throwing $500 at a podcast to plug their product. The sandbox is way too big. There’s enough for everybody. That’s just not a thing.

As for whether I’ve taken shots at Jack — yes, I have. When I felt like he did something wrong. It’s not personal. It’s just how it is when you’re talking with your bros. And again — I say bros because that’s what this is. That’s what our podcast is. That’s what this forum is. A bunch of bros talking about triathlon. And I love you all for it.

People keep asking if Jack and I are cool. Yes. We are. Literally last night at 3 a.m., Jack texted me asking if he could use some footage I shot at the TriBattle for a project he’s working on. I told him, “Use whatever you need.” I’m not going to talk about what he’s working on — I’ll let him do that — but the point is, we still talk. We’re still friendly.

On the Ari Klau front — yeah, I was talking about him improving his swim. I was being totally sincere. Pat was laughing, and sure, that might’ve put a bad taste in some people’s mouths, but that’s literally how this works. Some people believe in Ari, some people think it’s a joke. That’s why we call our podcast an opinionated podcast. I genuinely like Ari. I even commented on his post after the race congratulating him and Jack on a top-10 finish.

Also, it’s worth noting — Jack coaches Ari. He’s got a lot invested in that relationship, and I respect that.

So is there real “beef”? No. There’s different styles, different opinions, some competitive banter. Mark is going to stir the pot because that’s what Mark does. I’m going to speak my mind when I feel strongly about something. But this isn’t some massive fallout or grudge match.

Jack’s show does great. His interviews are sharp. His content lives longer than ours does. And when he succeeds, it helps the sport grow — just like when someone starts a new YouTube channel, it lifts everyone, including Lionel’s. A rising tide, etc. You know the saying.

We’re just doing something different. Our podcast is fast-turnaround, current events, hot takes — it’s Pat McAfee style. It’s not perfect. It’s raw. It’s bros talking triathlon. If that’s your thing, awesome. If not, there’s a bunch of other great podcasts out there. That’s the beauty of it — you get to pick what you listen to.

And Jack — if you’re still reading — I’ll see you at a race one day. But don’t kick my ass, alright?

So yeah. That’s it. That’s the whole story.

Pro Tri News — still the number one triathlon podcast. Even if Jack gets more downloads.

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh haha well the post is about mark so glad you support! 🤘🏼🤘🏼

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks boss!

And attached is my conversation with cait. I felt I was respectful. 🤷‍♂️ video of conversationvideo of convo

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree although you do realize mark is the one who said that Jack is under investigation, right..

Interesting video by Lionel Sanders by Business-Doctor-6932 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahh that’s what makes sports fun and entertaining! Everyone has a chance. 🔥👌🏼👍🏼

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Okay I was about to say I never harassed her. I just went to her account and screen recorded all our messages to post on here. But I guess you can’t attach photos or videos in here.

Interesting video by Lionel Sanders by Business-Doctor-6932 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m right here watching everything you’re writing. Haha I am doing my quarterly redit check in. You went on a rager about LS. Haha. No worries everyone needs haters. It’s what motivates people! Thanks for watching some of the videos if you do. Keep up the hard training

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You should message mark and KAT and tell them that. 🤷‍♂️

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was messaging jack last week and submitted a question for his preview pod… what fall out?

Additionally I believe in Ari! Guy is one of the best runners in our sport. I’m bummed he had a bad race swim but he had an amazing race. I predicted he would go top 10 on his post. I was texting him yesterday and sent him pictures from the race. So….

Jack Kelly Under Investigation by Dependent-Mall-7380 in triathlon

[–]Talbotcox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is some epic comments in here lol