The Pho3nix Foundation today announced its team of commentators and analysts for the Pho3nix Sub7 and Sub8 Project, Powered by Zwift, taking place on June 5, 2022.
The audacious attempt for men to go under seven hours and women to go under eight hours over the full distance of triathlon requires an ambitious broadcast over nine hours long. The on-air team includes accomplished sports broadcasters and champion athletes calling the action live from the race venue at the Dekra Lausitzring in Germany.
Australian sports and travel presenter Will McCloy and Emmy Award-nominated sports broadcaster Craig Hummer will act as lead hosts and commentators throughout the broadcast.
McCloy is best known as the “voice of Super League Triathlon,” hosting for the premier global triathlon series, but in his two decades in the industry has also provided commentary and play-by-play at multiple Olympic and Commonwealth Games, the 2007 Rugby World Cup, seven Formula One Grands Prix and four Australian Tennis Opens.
Hummer has commentated for over 50 sports and multiple Olympic Games as well as the Tour de France. He has been involved in sport for over 20 years, with a sporting pedigree of seven U.S. Ocean Ironman titles and over 40 national and international lifesaving titles.
Four-time triathlon world champion Chris McCormack, a Pho3nix Foundation board member and the CEO of Mana Global, will add his accomplished voice to commentary not only as the first athlete to complete a full distance triathlon under the eight-hour mark four times, but also as part of the team that developed the concept of Sub7 and Sub8 Project two years ago.
Joining them will be three-time Tour de France green jersey winner Robbie McEwen and Olympic bronze and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Vicky Holland. Along with several special guests from across the sporting spectrum, official swim technology partner FORM Goggles founder Dan Eisenhardt will provide insights during the swim leg, while data analyst Graeme Acheson will crunch numbers that will provide much-needed context and estimated finish times for the attempt throughout the broadcast.
Australian Triathlon Hall of Fame member Belinda Granger and triathlon event host Julian Meinhold will tackle on-ground hosting duties to keep onsite spectators abreast of race developments.
McCormack states: “My vision at Mana Group has always been about driving better quality content within our sport to showcase and draw greater interest in it. Sport commentary plays a big role in creating a narrative the viewers can easily understand and follow. In working with the Pho3nix Foundation for Sub7 and Sub8 we have an opportunity to make history and go above and beyond anything we’ve seen before.
“The Pho3nix Sub7 and Sub8 Project, Powered by Zwift is a massive project that epitomises what is possible across the full triathlon distance and the different disciplines that make up this sport. The commentary team selected will support the magnitude of this attempt, bringing in different voices and expertise across multiple fields to appeal not just to triathlon enthusiasts, but also to a wider sports audience.”
This race against the clock and against history will push the boundaries of what is considered humanly possible, and will take its place among the key moments in human athletic evolution.
LIVE COMMENTARY ROSTER
Lead Commentator/Host
Will McCloy
- Host and lead commentator of Super League Triathlon, the premier global triathlon series broadcast across five continents.
- Covered some of the biggest global sporting events across two decades, including Multiple Olympic and Commonwealth Games, the 2007 Rugby World Cup, seven Formula One Grands Prix and four Australian Tennis Opens.
Co-Lead Commentator/Host
Craig Hummer
- Emmy-nominated sports broadcaster, involved in the “alternative” and “action/lifestyle” sports markets for over 20 years
- Covered over 50 sports as host, play-by-play, analyst, reporter, or narrator, including multiple Olympic Games and the Tour de France
- Seven-time U.S. Ocean Ironman champion, winner of over 40 national and international lifesaving titles
Commentators
Chris McCormack
- Four-time triathlon world champion: 2x Ironman world champion, ITU world champion, ITU long-distance world champion
- First athlete to record four full distance triathlon finishes under 8 hours
- First male athlete to win the ITU World Championship, ITU World Cup, and be ranked #1 in the same year
- Ranked World #1 for more than 26 months in total
Robbie McEwen
- Triple winner, Tour de France green jersey (points classification) ‘02, ‘04, ‘06
- First Australian to win the green jersey
- Arguably the fastest sprinter in the world, consistently beating sprinters such as Alessandro Petacchi, Mario Cipollini and Erik Zabel
- Winner of 12 Tour de France stages
- Around 120 wins in 17-year professional career
Vicky Holland
- First British woman to capture Olympic medal in triathlon (bronze at Rio Olympics)
- 2014 Commonwealth Games gold (mixed relay) and bronze (individual)
- 2018 ITU world champion
- 2012 mixed relay world champion
Dan Eisenhardt
- Founder of FORM Goggles, the official swim technology for the Sub7 and Sub8 Project
- swam competitively for 14 years before starting his career as a sports technology entrepreneur
- co-founded and ran Recon Instruments, which shipped the world’s first smart eyewear for sports and was acquired by Intel in 2015
Graeme Acheson
- Co-founder and CEO of Sports4Cast, which uses data in sport to drive engagement and connect with audiences, and to improve athlete performance and enhance results
- ACA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
- BSc Honours in Biology and Mathematics at Bristol University
