More than 2,500 athletes will swim, cycle and run through Dublin city and county on Sunday as part of the Ironman 70.3 triathlon.
The course involves a 1.9km swim at Scotsman’s Bay in Dún Laoghaire, followed by a 90km cycle which goes through Dublin city before looping back to Phoenix Park where the race will conclude with a 21km half marathon.
Ironman 70.3 is a mid-distance triathlon but Dublin is also due to hold a full-distance Ironman (3.8km swim, 180km cycle, 42.2km run) in 2016.
About 1,500 Irish athletes, including professionals Kevin Thornton and Robbie Wade, will compete on Sunday alongside 1,000 international athletes from 40 countries.
More than half of these athletes will be competing in their first Ironman event. The races have also seen a large increase in the number of female competitors with about 500 women expected to take part on Sunday.
Triathlon Ireland spokesman Scott Graham said the sport has become increasingly popular in this country over the past decade.
“In 2005 we had 800 members, this year we are expecting about 10,250 members. So over the last 10 years it’s been double-digit growth in terms of membership year-on-year.
“And our members are people who are racing multiple times a year, they’re probably doing six, seven, eight, nine, maybe 10 races in a year,” he said.
“We’ve actually got 200 events this year, one of which is obviously the Dublin 70.3. They range from the “try-a-tri” distance [250m swim, 6km cycle, 3km run] to the middle and long distance races.”
First competition
Fifteen competitors took part in the first Ironman challenge in Hawaii in 1978.
Today, the championship is organised by the World Triathlon Corporation and consists of 31 races worldwide.
The Ironman 70.3 involves 58 races and has previously taken place in Galway. Sunday will be the first time it comes to Dublin.
Mr Graham said: “The benefit of triathlon over single single-discipline sport is you have that extra variety . . . and there’s great camaraderie between people over the different disciplines.”
Alongside the Irish professionals, Triathlon Ireland said Markus Thomschke is one of the favourites for overall victory.
The German came second at the Ironman 70.3 in Staffordshire in June where he set the fastest bike split of the day averaging over 40kph for the 90 kilometres.
In the women’s category Tine Deckers from Belgium, a four-time winner of Ironman Nice who also won Ironman 70.3 in Galway in 2012, is in contention as is German Sonja Tajsich, described as the “fastest triathlete on land”.
