1.9km of swimming, 90km of cycling, and 21.1km of running, totaling 70.3 miles in American measurements. This is the distance Ironman participants had to cover, with a bike race featuring an elevation gain of 1542 meters and a half-marathon consisting of 4 and a half loops on the prestigious Formula 1 circuit known worldwide.
At 7 a.m. on Sunday, the sea was calm when 1,120 athletes from 40 different countries rushed into the Mediterranean waters.
Stéphane Poulat (FRA) emerged first after 23 minutes, one minute ahead of Andreas Raelert and Andrea D’Aquino (ITA). For the women, Virginia Berasategui (ESP) was the first to reach the beach in 26 minutes, leaving Nicola Spirig (SUI) and Catriona Morrison (GBR) behind her.
The bike race between La Turbie and the Col de Nice alternated between climbs and technical descents on slippery and wet roads, making the task difficult for the athletes.
Andreas Raelert led the group on his bike for the first 20 kilometers. Then, mountain bike specialist Michi Weiss took the lead ahead of Sebastian Kienle and Andreas Raelert. Weiss was the first to arrive in 2h58, pursued by a group consisting of Kienle, Raelert, Elgezabal, Fernandez, Wild, and Cigana. For the women, Spirig took the lead ahead of Christel Robin (FRA) and Morrison.
For the half-marathon, the triathletes had the opportunity to tread the asphalt of the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Weiss maintained a 2-minute lead on foot over his pursuers, Kienle and Raelert, until kilometer 15 when Raelert overtook him, forcing Weiss to give up his position.
German Andreas Raelert won the race in 04h10 ahead of Michi Weiss (04:14:12) and Sebastian Kienle (04:14:48). On the women’s side, Nicola Spirig won the event easily in 04:37:12, ahead of Catriona Morrison (04:41:12) and Virginia Berasategui (04:44:25).
