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2mo ago

Ironman Frankfurt Shortens Bike and Run Over Heat Risk

Organizers cut the bike to 125 km and the marathon to a half-marathon to protect athletes as forecast highs near 40°C have prompted a stepped-up safety plan including cooling stations and extra medical teams.

Der Start ist wieder am Langener Waldsee.
Image
Collage aus den drei Athleten Finn Große-Freese (Schwimmen), Gustav Iden (Laufen) und Caspar Stornes (Radfahren, v.li.). Im Hintergrund die Stadt Frankfurt.
Besonders die Radstrecke sorgt für erhebliche Einschränkungen.

Overview

  • On Friday the organizer formally announced the change: the swim stays 3.8 km, the bike is reduced from 180 km to 125 km and the run will be a half-marathon instead of a full marathon.
  • Organizers have expanded hydration and electrolyte supplies, added cooling measures such as ice baths, sprinklers and showers, deployed mobile climate tents and increased medical staffing with authority to remove athletes for health reasons.
  • The race remains scheduled to start at Langener Waldsee with professional starters at 6:20 a.m., and leaders are now expected to finish much earlier in the day, which reduces athletes' exposure to peak heat.
  • The event is the Ironman European Championship and a qualifier for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii; officials have not yet specified whether or how professional qualification rules will change because of the shortened distances.
  • More than 2,300 competitors including roughly 70 pros will run through Frankfurt and the Wetterau region, prompting extensive road closures and public-transport changes and prompting organizers to publish interactive maps and hotlines for residents and teams.