Hamburg is much more consistent, Tenby is great in the town but not so much when you head out and back (to be fair it’s not ‘non existent’ but not as good as Hamburg)
Noticed there is a return of 140.6 in Mallorca
1 Like
I heard there was a backlash to the road closures, it’s a problem for holiday makers coaches to get to the hotels which is probably a large chunk of the islands economy.
That’s cracking! 
Everyone has their own ‘wish list’ but a swim off a sandy beach and a bike on good roads with great scenery is high up mine.
350 euros and full refund before end of March 2020. Opens September. Thats just pulled me out of long distance retirement.
2 Likes
Must admit, it is tempting.
Especially as it falls in October half term, and family would not take any persuading to go there!
Exciting !
There is a Challenge Half event in Oct as well
I cant see how they keep all 3 events in same month?
Does anyone have a link to where the old Mallorca IM bike course went?
It’s on here
1 Like
Star. Thank you
Actually, that swim was Mallorca rather than Barcelona. And escape from Alcatraz was another good swim although at the other end of the temperature scale.
Best swim - Ely half…can’t get lost (33mins)
Worst Swim - IM Vichy…kick in the nose after 30 metres and much breast stroking followed, numerous chats to the support crews and plenty of claret, non wetsuit 1.50 
Best Bike - Vichy (Old course)
Worst Bike - IM Maastricht…3 punctures in first 27 miles
Best run - not managed one I’m happy with yet in a half or full
Worst run- Maastricht…cobbles were a killer
Best medal - Maastricht
Best support - Maastricht
Best finisher t- shirt -Maastricht
Best bag - Vichy
Favourite non IM event - Lakesman
Least favourite - Vitruvian
1 Like
I think only the half at Lakesman is sold out…still places on the full
Yes should have clarified. Don’t think the full sold out this year, or if it did only close to event whereas half sells out within weeks
1 Like
It sold out around October (I think) as I had one of the last 5 places …was holding off but saw the notification on Facebook so entered
Oh wow, OK I stand corrected.
My triathlon is ltd to just 4 ironmans and a few halves but boy the halves have been great
Best swim - alpe d’huez long course & Ironman Wales. Crystal clear blue water in the lac du Verney at alpe d’huez. Ironman wales however has such an amazing swim start atmosphere and i love a sea swim with a bit of chop. I swam a pb in 2017. Done it twice and gets me quite emotional at the start.
Best bike - alpe d’huez long course. Woweee 
in the french alps and the oisan valley. 3 big climbs - the finale being the mythical 21 bends of alpe d’huez. It’s just amazing.
Best run - Bolton Ironman uk 2017. My first IM, so will always be a good memory finishing esp if ran well. the atmosphere was totally bonkers. It was a party and everyone was incredibly supportive. I ran really well. Loved it. I went back in 2018, they’d changed the course and I was awful 
so it’s now also worst run… Helvelyn is fun but that’s more a hill walk isn’t it really?!
Worst bike course - Bolton, IM UK. It’s not fun. It’s boring, it’s twisty turny, I never know where I am. Just seems to go on forever. Wales by comparison whilst is tougher psychologically feels easier.
What else…
5 Likes
Best:
Swim: Cozumel. Current assisted non wetsuit point to point along the coast in crystal clear water, glorious.
Bike: Lanzarote. Just epic, one lap tour of the Island with heat wind and hills.
Run: Wales. Nothing beats the support, and for some reason I’ve always run well there.
Wales was very close in bike and swim and my overall favourite race. Italy also has a great run.
Worst:
Swim: Bolton. Like swimming in a muddy puddle. Oh and one year they had the entry pontoon by a load of rocks, another year it pissed down so badly you couldn’t see the next buoy.
Bike: Italy, Barcelona (equal). Nothing wrong with the courses just having your own honest races messed up by peletons of drafting cheats made them both awful experiences.
Run: Barcelona. Along the promenade for a bit then you go down this road to nowhere for no good reason to the far turnaround. Cozumel nearly made it because of my epic heat exhaustion meltdown but the run was actually lovely it’s just that when I was on all fours hurling bile over the pavement I forgot to appreciate it…
2 Likes
Worst event ever was the Trentham Half. My first half iron distance. Horrid shallow swim, was it 3 or 4 laps? Too many anyway.
Bike was a DC (A52?), dangerous roundabout turns, 8 bloody laps, dull as f£&k and it absolutely hammered down for every second of the bike. Nasty crash with ambulance in attendance at one of the turns. Grotesque and dangerous, and I should have pulled out.
Can’t really remember the run other than at some point it actually stopped raining, but I don’t remember anything too bad about it.
However the damage was already done to my enjoyment of the day overall. Dreadful event, I wonder if it still exists…
A lot of my races were outside Europe, so I’ll stick to the ones folks will probably know.
I like any sea swim and I like waves, so Tenby when lumpy is good.
Bike- I’m going to give equal points to Tenby and the old ADITL course, almost for opposite reasons. Both are/were hilly AF, one has tremendous support with great aid stations, the other has amazing views, one easily missed water only station and if you’re lucky, a farmer having lunch by side of the road, scratching his head in amusement. Both of those extremes appeal to me.
Run, probably ADITL, who doesn’t like a ford crossing and some fell running at the end of a long day.
Most pleasant surprise award goes to Marlow HIM. (F3 event IIRC), mainly because I thought swimming in the Thames would be utter shite (figuratively and literally) but we had a beautiful sunrise, very clear water and zero biff. By far my best fresh water experience in tri.
Haven’t said that, Marlow also gets a brickbat for being the biggest logistical FUBAR by using the same entrance/exit to the field for cars/slower cyclists/ runners all trying to use the same laneway. Absolute shemozzle.
1 Like
Near my neck of the woods. I’m amazed that it actually lasted a number of years, you are literally cycling up and down one of the busiest A roads in Staffordshire!