Event: Ironman 70.3 Luxembourg
Date: 29th June 2024
With the Triathlon season well in flight, it was time for the first 70.3 of the 2024 season – my preferred race distance. Having searched for new places to visit that wouldn’t require a flight and little interest in going to Bolton! I settled on Ironman Luxembourg which is a ~4.5hr drive from Calais after a Channel Tunnel train ride – meaning no hassle of packing bikes into boxes, the risk of things not arriving and the tension of putting it all together the day before the race… and of course being able to take as much equipment/tools as you want!
A couple of triathlon buddies were also keen, so we made a weekend adventure of it!
I have tried plenty of race brands over the years, but there is something that always draws me back to Ironman events. They are not the cheapest, and they know how to milk you for every last £ – and god forbid you need to ask them for any flexibility – but this aside, when you get to one of their races, you know a big show is in town and it starts from the event village all across the course and even how they engage the local community! The guaranteed closed roads also make the rides far more competitive and safer for all.
As to the race, Luxembourg 70.3 is a good balance of challenge vs speed – a river swim (in the Moselle), a rolling bike with ~800m of climbing and a very flat run course along the river bank – out and back – all hosted in the town of Remich which is the wine region of Luxembourg and on the border with Germany (the river being the border). The race also offers the unusual experience of racing in 3 countries in 1 event! And is a super beautiful place. The roads in Luxembourg are fantastic and the place is super clean!
The day before showtime was registration and bike racking. Transition was in a field, which seemed to have been recently mown/prepared, and was pretty bumpy, thankfully carpeted, but the chances of twisting an ankle were very high, especially in bike shoes! With 2500 racers starting, it was also huge, so it was certainly going to be interesting. The sun was shining for this part, but all weather reports were aligned – heavy rain, thunder and lightning were coming…with heavy rain scheduled overnight and for race morning and the risk of more thunder… We all went to bed apprehensive, as we knew lightning/thunder would cause the swim to be shortened/cancelled. In the middle of the night, we heard some of the loudest thunder ever and awoke to a monsoon first thing!
Getting ready to race in the rain is always a different and more stressful process than a nice mild summer morning – wresting a wetsuit on a wet body isn’t easy! But we were all at the start on time after a limited amount of faffing and drama!
I lined up at the back of the 30-35min swim group – aiming for a 35-38min swim time. It was a rolling start so seeding is important and there is no need to believe I would turn into a dolphin overnight. Swimming is my weakest event and something to endure and not waste lots of energy on – there will be plenty of time later in the day to push things along.
2500 people lining up to start is always an impressive sight, especially with so many having brought their supporters along – it makes you feel like a superstar! With the gun fired the early racers were off… 10min in and we saw the first person pulled out of the water – it was scary to see someone look like they couldn’t swim go in so early. The emergency crews were slow to react and two people waiting to race jumped in to help the person. This elevated the heart rate more than one would want when adrenaline is already flowing. The bleeps gone – I dived in. As normal, I set off too fast and 100m in I realised I was pushing myself too hard, with my breathing all over the place. In my early days of tri this would have caused a panic, but I’ve learnt to slow everything down, focus on the next few strokes and forget everyone around you.
The swim was a bit of a bundle as it was ~500m downstream, a full 180° around buoy and 1000m against the current, followed by another 180° and 400m back. This caused the buoy turns to be very congested and both shorter legs were proper bundles of people swimming over each other and bumping together. I got a kick to the face and an elbow for my trouble. I know they have to get a lot of people onto the course, but it seemed the gaps between entry were too close and a rectangular course with only 90° turns could have solved the issues.
I was out the water in 37mins, so about where I expected to be on an average swim. It was a long transition (6mins), across the bumpy, and now muddy, transition carpets and out onto the bike course.
I knew from my research that the first bit of the ride was going to be super fast – 35km flat as a pancake out and back along the river – and Luxembourg roads in general are great – so it was time to go full TT and put the power down. Even though the rain was falling, it was still a reasonable 17°C so good overall conditions with a low wind. The danger would come on the technical descents and sharp slippery corners.
The climbing all came over 25km after the first flat section, so it was all about watching the power. Unfortunately, someone had stolen my Garmin bike computer in transition (I should know better than leaving it in my bento box), so I only had my watch and feel. Hills done, it was rolling back down into France for a bit and then back along the river to T2. I was pleased to be getting off the bike in 2hrs 30mins. Good speed and didn’t feel I had burnt my matches!
Another long transition ~4mins this time!
And out onto the run. 3 x laps. The first thing I noticed was the size of the crowds. It really is an international race – with big attendances from Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and France, plus a decent contingent wearing the Union flag on their numbers and many other countries! Lots of fantastic support especially through the main town. It had finally stopped raining and the sun was breaking through and the temperature was rising.
The run was flat and as always in a 3 loop race it’s all about pacing and not letting the laps play on your mind. The first few kms flew by and I felt great, but experience told me not to fall into the trap of running a fantastic 10km only to struggle in the last half and throw all the good early work away – so I backed off the pace a little, stuck to my nutrition plan and drinking a cup of water at every aide station. 2 laps in and I knew I was on for a great half marathon and still feeling strong – coming home in 1hr 34mins.
My final time was 4hrs 52mins, which is only 6mins slower than my fastest ever 70.3 (which was on an incredibly flat bike/run course with tiny transitions). I was 15th in my age group (of 215) and 222nd overall from 2500. It was a competitive field! I qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Taupo New Zealand (Dec 24) at Weymouth in September 23 on a similar bike/run course and ran/biked much faster in Luxembourg but finished further down my age group!
I noted at the finish my bloody trainer! Hadn’t noticed in the race, but I had badly cut my foot in the swim. A trip to the St Johns Ambulance (Lux equivalent) required some Steri-Strips and strapping – plus some tissues for my tears about my beautiful (and expensive) carbon On running shoes. Then back to our Airbnb and out to the pub to watch England put Slovenia to the sword (sort of) in the Euro last 16… and of course, a few celebratory beers!
