Following the fast-sell out and success reported at last year’s inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin, the event will return to the Irish capital city in a month. Taking place on Sunday 14 August 2016, entries are still open for those considering taking part.
Over 2,000 athletes will tackle the second IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin race, which incorporates a 1.2 mile (1.9km) swim, followed by a 56 mile (90km) bike ride and then a 13.1 (21.1km) half-marathon run.
The official race route for the 2016 event was confirmed yesterday. The open-water swim will take place in Scotsman’s Bay (Dún Laoghaire) at 06:50 GMT, before athletes mount their bikes to travel through Dublin and west of the city on a looped cycle course, finally returning to Phoenix Park for the half-marathon run to cross the finish line.
Kevin Stewart, Race Director for IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin said “We are delighted to return to Dublin this year for the second IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon. Last year was a huge success; the feedback from participants on the iconic Dublin course and from spectators was fantastic, and we hope to achieve that again this year.
“Entries are still open for the race; so we would advise anyone thinking of participating in this year’s IRONMAN 70.3 to sign up soon! We are also encouraging as many local residents as possible to come out and cheer the athletes along the course on race day. It’s a huge boost for participants to see locals lining the route and cheering them on, particularly during the home stretch at the Phoenix Park.”
The event has an international flavour, with nearly a quarter of participating athletes so far from 48 countries travelling from across the globe to Dublin to compete, along with over 70% of Irish participants. Nearly half of these athletes will be completing their first IRONMAN event.
IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin is a qualifying race for the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Tennessee, USA, with 35 qualifying slots up for grabs for the pinnacle event in the global IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon series.
In order to host an event of this scale in Dublin, there will be road closures in place on race day, which will be announced at a later date.
The official IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin 2016 race route can be viewed online.
Swim
The 1.2 mile swim will take place at 06:50 in Scotsman’s Bay in Dún Laoghaire. Athletes will be in the area on Saturday for racking and bag drop, plus early on Sunday morning to prepare for the event. There will be local road closures in place from 05:00 until 10:00.
Bike
The bike course starts at Dún Laoghaire and travels up the coast and back into Dublin city, along Phoenix Park and then looping out west of the city towards Lucan, Maynooth, Kilcock, Dunboyne and back towards Phoenix Park.
Run
The third and final element of the race, will see the competitors complete a three lap, 13.1 mile run on Chesterfield Avenue, Phoenix Park.
