According to the organisers, the second IRONMAN Maastricht-Limburg, which will start and finish in Maastricht on 31 July 2016, will be ‘every bit as gruelling as the first one last year’.
“That goes for both the bike course and the run course,” said reigning men’s winner Bas Diederen after his first course inspection on Wednesday. “The organisers may have scrapped the steep climb up Cauberg Hill, but tackling Côte de Hallembaye twice is quite a challenge, not to mention running up St Pietersberg four times.”
IRONMAN Maastricht-Limburg 2016 is expecting more than 1,800 athletes to take up the challenge of swimming 3.8km, cycling 180km, and running 42.2km on Sunday 31 July. The number of competitors in 2015 was 900. According to the event organisers, this year’s event is also likely to draw more spectators than last year’s edition.
In this year’s IRONMAN Maastricht-Limburg, part of the bike course has been altered to take in the Belgian municipality of Bilzen, which has signed on as a partner. Another new partner is the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten, adding a steep climb up Bemelerberg to the route.
The 180km course, consisting of two 90km loops, no longer includes Cauberg Hill in Valkenburg or the Sportzone in Sittard-Geleen. Instead, competitors will cycle through the undulating Belgian border region. The deciding factors in the bike course are Geulhemmerberg in Valkenburg, Bemelerberg in Eijsden-Margraten, and Côte de Hallembaye in the Belgian municipality of Bassenge.
The marathon is a four-loop course of just over 10.5km, passing André Rieu’s home, up over St Pietersberg and along Vrijthof Square in Maastricht, finishing like last year’s race in the Market Square.
The river Meuse will once again be the setting for the 3.8km swim, starting at Griend Park and ending at the Provincial Government Buildings.
Bas Diederen spent Wednesday morning inspecting a section of the course with other pro athletes, including Martin Dekker and Sarissa de Vries. “The Belgian part of the bike course is hillier, more uneven. But I know those roads. I trained there a lot when I lived in Maastricht,” he said. “The run course is also harder this year, with four loops over St Pietersberg. The amateurs will certainly find this tough, but it definitely appeals to me.”
IRONMAN Triathlon is one of the biggest and most international endurance sporting events in the world. Last year, the organisers signed a three-year contract with the City of Maastricht, the Province of Limburg and the City of Valkenburg, bringing the event to the Benelux countries for the first time. This year, more than fifty nationalities will toe the starting line, with spectators from all around the world.
After their inspection tour, the athletes met with the press, the organisers, and the partner municipalities at Alden Biesen Castle in Belgium. Bas Diederen refused to speculate about the results. He stated, “I’m not in peak condition yet, but I’m going to do my best to be the first to cross the finish line again. It’s very special competing in this race in front of the home crowd. I really felt that last year.”
Preparations for the event are well under way. At least 1,300 volunteers will be deployed during the race. They will guide traffic, ensure that the course is free of obstacles, and hand the competitors some 150,000 cups of water and 30,000 water-soaked sponges.
“This year’s event will be even more successful than 2015,” said race director Emiel Frambach. “There are many more competitors and we expect bigger crowds of spectators too. All this will do a lot to showcase Limburg as a top region for sport. I’m also delighted about our partnership with Bilzen. Our region is all about crossing borders, so it’s an important step.”
There will be two side events in the run-up to the race on Sunday 31 July, the Maastricht Sport IRONMAN Night Run on Friday evening and the Maastricht Sport IRONKIDS finals on Saturday.
The starting shot for IRONMAN Maastricht-Limburg 2016 will go off in Griend Park at 07:00 on 31 July. The male pro athletes will enter the water first, followed by the female pros ten minutes later. Next up will be the age groups and then the relay racers. The first triathletes should reach the finish line in Maastricht’s Market Square at around 15:00.
