It’s a historical moment for Elbaman, the race organisers note. For the first time ever, the long distance race in Italy is sold-out. The writing was on the wall when the organisers of Elbaman opened entries for the ninth edition of the iron distance and middle distance events, which take place on Elba Island in Italy on 29 September 2013. Within less than 20 hours of opening up for business, the organisers reported a doubling of entries – when compared to the first day of event sales in the previous year.
Elbaman takes place next September at the Marina di Campo (Elba Island) between Corsica and the western coast of Italy. The race on the small Italian island was born in 2005 and has pioneered long distance tri racing in Italy. (Both Ironman and Challenge Family have events in the country, although in the middle distance/half iron/70.3 format.)
Since 2009 the main Elbaman race has been supported by the half-distance Elbaman73 event. This has gone from strength to strength and has had an early sell-out in each edition.
The organizing committee of the middle distance triathlon Elbaman73 confirmed in May that the event sold-out four months in advance of race day, with all 400 places allocated. This represents a record for the triathlon on Elba Island in Italy. The 2012 event sold-out last July.
Up until now, the long distance Elbaman race, even if held on one of the most spectacular courses in Italy, always had some places available. The organisers note that this could be due to the difficulty of the bike leg (with its 2400m of climbing).
Yet, in 2013, as the organisers go on to point out, ‘something has happened and more than two months in advance we are proud to announce that all places are sold and the waiting list is open!’
In addition to the growing popularity of triathlon in Italy, the organisers point to ‘maybe a mix of good reputation, good organization, amazing location and relatively low fees compared to most of the other big races.’
