Ironman Wales
Ironman Wales is a gruelling annual triathlon event taking place at Tenby’s North Beach, Pembrokeshire. The inaugural event took place in September 2011, the course involved a 3.8km swim around North Beach, an 180km bike ride through coastal and rural Pembrokeshire, and a 26.2 mile run (a full marathon) through Tenby.
The disciplines in Ironman Wales take place in the above order, with transition areas for getting changed between each discipline.
Competitors must complete the course in 17 hours to earn the title of Ironman, with the winner of last year’s Ironman Wales completing the event in nine hours and four minutes. The winner was Jeremy Jurkiewicz, from France.
Entry to the 2012 event will cost from £375 upwards (depending on time of entry), Ironman Wales 2012 will take place on 16 September.
Interest in the sport has been growing in previous years, with 1500 athletes taking part in the Ironman Wales event. The sport is not to be taken lightly, and requires a busy training schedule, superb endurance fitness, and a tactical mind. For the best performances, athletes must pace themselves and know when to increase their power output.
The Ironman Wales competition takes place through idyllic scenery, and interest in the sport has peaked since it was confirmed that retired cyclist, Lance Armstrong, was to focus his future athletic efforts on Ironman Triathlon.
Thrill seekers have taken the Ironman mantra further by setting up Ultra-Triathlon, which sees athletes racing distances up to ten times that of a standard Ironman. These events last for over a week. There are also shorter distances such as Sprint and Olympic Triathlon, which take place all around the UK.
