The sixth edition of the IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella European TriClub Championship is set to take place on May 7, 2023. This early season event in Marbella, Spain, offers men’s and women’s qualifying slots to the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland on August 26-27, 2023.
The professional men and women’s field will also be racing for a piece of the €30,000 total professional prize.
The professional field features defending champion, Nikki Bartlett, who won the 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella European Championship and placed second at IRONMAN Frankfurt, IRONMAN 70.3 Dresden and IRONMAN 70.3 Cascais. She then concluded her season with a strong display in St George, Utah by cracking a top-10 finish, crossing the finish line in eighth.
The professional women’s field will also feature Marta Bernardi (ITA), Alexandra Tondeur (BEL), Daniela Kleiser (GER), Charlene Clavel (FRA), Justine Guerard (FRA), Jeanne Collonge (FRA) and Spanish duo, Laura Gómez Ramon & Kaidi Kivioja.
In the men’s field, the absence of defending champion Christophe De Keyser (BEL), means that a new champion will be crowned. Andreas Dreitz (GER) who has had a troubled season the last few years, will be looking for a statement win to kick off his 2023 season.
The professional men’s field will also feature Patrick Cometta (CHE), Domenico Passuello (ITA), Youri Keulen (NLD), Antony Costes (FRA), Nicolas Mann (GER) and Henrik Goesch (FIN) who will be looking for an IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship qualifying slot to race on home soil for the first time in Lahti, Finland.
As the European TriClub championship, Marbella will see 216 clubs battle it out and try to take the bragging rights away from last year’s overall winners, Tri Team Lutry, as Europe’s best TriClub.
A tough IRONMAN 70.3 course awaits athletes as they navigate their way through an unpredictable 1.9km swim course which starts in the Mediterranean Sea and finishes on the Levante beach of Puerto Banús.
The swim is followed by some extensive climbing through the hills of Marbella, with a bike course that makes Marbella a race that favours the experienced athlete. The 90.1km bike course starts at the ‘Gold Mile’ before crossing through the city of Marbella.
Athletes will race through Monda, Coín and Cartama before returning to transition in Puerto Banús. Lastly, athletes will take on a fast flat 21.1km run course that leads along the promenade of Marbella.
Across the sea in Italy, IRONMAN 70.3 Venice-Jesolo will also be taking place this weekend. As an age-group only race, an amateur triathlete will have the opportunity to be crowned winner. Last year the event featured a pro category and saw Alessandro Fabian (ITA) cross the finish line in 3:41:06 and Lucy Byram (GBR) in 4:09:48. With it being an all age-group race in 2023, the times are expected to be a little slower.
