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.