The 10th edition of IRONMAN Wales is set to take place on September 11, 2022, after a two-year hiatus. The event will be celebrating ten years of racing since its inaugural outing in 2011.
Wearing bib number one in the men’s professional field, Joe Skipper, will be looking for his first IRONMAN victory this year. He will be challenged by the French duo of William Mennesson and Leon Chevalier as well as German athlete Boris Stein.
Age-group athletes will also be battling it out for early qualification slots to the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship event in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i.
IRONMAN Wales has taken place in Pembrokeshire since 2011. In 2012, a professional category was introduced – with Sylvain Rota (FRA) and Regula Rohrbach (SUI) winning in the men and women’s race respectively.
In addition to the pro line up, 10% of the field is made up of international athletes, with the county of Pembrokeshire welcoming athletes globally, and the highest number of international athletes flying in from Ireland, Germany, the United States, and Spain.
One of IRONMAN’s popular master of ceremonies, Paul Kaye, will announce at IRONMAN Wales for the first time since 2017, “I am ecstatic to be coming back to this event in Tenby, it’s been a while.”
Kaye continued “I had the privilege of attending the first edition in 2011, and wow was it special. Special for Tenby, special for Pembokeshire, special for Wales, special for IRONMAN, but special for me as well. It was my first year doing an IRONMAN Europe tour and I was astonished at the atmosphere this event produced.
“It was also at Tenby that I signed my first long term contract with IRONMAN Europe. However, what’s most special about Tenby is the incredible crowds. Regardless of the weather, the course will be packed and full of support, it’s truly special. I cannot wait to be in Tenby again, this time celebrating the tenth edition of the event. It’s going to be massive!”
The pro men will start their race at 06:55 BST and age groupers will start at 07:00 BST. The first finisher is expected to cross the finish line between 15:50 – 16:00 BST.
The two-loop 2.4-mile (3.8 km) swim course starts at North Beach in the seaside town of Tenby. Crowds will line up along the ‘zig zag stairs’ to cheer athletes out of the water and into transition.
The two-loop 112-mile (180.2 km) bike course takes athletes through the countryside of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Finally, the four-loop 26.2 mile (42.2 km) run course takes in medieval town walls and the beachfront…. ‘lined with tens of thousands of spectators that will push athletes all the way to the finish line.’
