Tyler Butterfield has raced many endurance sports over the past decade and while the events he has raced have varied, one thing has remained the same, his supreme cycling skills. Sal Farruggia had a few words with him.

Sebastian Kienle leads a talented bunch of ITU and Ironman invaders while XTERRA veterans Conrad Stoltz and Josiah Middaugh are among the off road veterans defending their grip on the men’s crown at the XTERRA World Championship.

Age grouper John Jenkins from Atlantic City, NJ started at the Ironman World Championships for the first time this year and we decided to interview him after a random encounter at the Kona airport a few days before the event.

Boulder, CO based coach Neal Henderson is a very busy man and among his flock of athletes are Cameron Dye, Flora Duffy and Taylor Phinney. We were able to pin him down in between trips around the world.

During the bike check-in in Kona we noticed Efraim Manzano who had Crocs mounted to his pedals. He indeed rode with them during this race, and then he switched to another pair of Crocs to run the marathon in those.

Sebastian Kienle is the only serious Kona contender under 30 – and he seems to be cut in the mold of previous German uberbikers like Zack, Hellriegel and Stadler. But the 70.3 World champ has a more conservative approach.

Rasmus Henning and Ben Hoffman of Team Specialized discuss the 2012 Ironman World Championships, their current fitness and future sports careers.

We speak with professional coach, bike fitter, sports scientist, and general triathlon guru, Mat Steinmetz. We discuss his new business, his relationship with Crowie, and the simple ways to get faster.

Leanda Cave has won 3 World Championships, but last year her 3rd place finish at Kona and her IM Arizona win in 8:49 gave her the belief she belongs among the favorites in search of the sport’s most coveted prize.

A few days ago rookie Pro Beth Walsh from Southern California grabbed the title at the 2012 Superfrog Triathlon, but while she certainly enjoyed the win, it wasn’t the highlight of her season. We had a few words with Beth.

Chris Boardman is well known for his Tour de France prologue wins and the Hour record, but he retired relatively young. He is smart and outspoken when it comes to cycling technology and is passionate about triathlon.

Craig Alexander comes to the Ironman World Championship atop the Kona Pro Rankings by a runaway margin; with a sub-8 hour win at Melbourne and a second at 70.3 Worlds, he’s aiming at a 4th Kona win at 39.