French election forces date change at IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Olonne Vendée

In just over a week, over 80 top professional triathletes are expected to converge on the seaside town of Les Sables d’Olonne, France, to compete in IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Olonne Vendée – the tenth race of the IRONMAN Pro Series.

The elite and age grouper race is now taking place on Saturday June 29, 2024, a day earlier than originally planned, to accommodate the snap presidential elections in France on the Sunday.

This is a similar scenario faced by the 2024 edition of L’Étape du Tour de France, which also brought its event forward by one day due to the elections in France.

IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Olonne Vendée will be broadcast for free across multiple platforms for global viewers including proseries.ironman.com, Outside TV, DAZN and L’Equipe in France, and YouTube among others.

The event is reportedly the fastest selling IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon in Europe, and will transition for a full-distance IRONMAN triathlon next year.

The 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Olonne Vendée triathlon will offer professionals a maximum of 2,500 points towards IRONMAN Pro Series standings, a US$50,000 event total pro prize purse, and the final three pro qualifying slots for each gender to the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon taking place in Taupō, New Zealand.

Among those to watch in the elite men’s race will be Rico Bogen (DEU), Gustav Iden (NOR), and Clément Mignon (FRA).

In the women’s professional field, Emilie Morier (FRA) will wear bib number one as she makes her IRONMAN Pro Series debut, alongside fellow French athletes Justine Mathieux and Marjolaine Pierre.

Danish Maja Stage Nielsen is also expected to toe the line, alongside a strong British contingent made up of Kate Curran, Ruth Astle, Nikki Bartlett, Rebecca Anderbury, and Rachel Brown.

The race will welcome approximately 3,000 registered age-group participants looking to earn age group qualifying slots to the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship race on December 14-15 in Taupō, New Zealand.

Athletes will take on a one-loop 1.9km (1.2-mile) sea swim in the Vendée Globe canal, famous for the Vendée Globe yacht race. They will then traverse through the French countryside on a one-loop 90km (56 mile) bike course, which takes athletes to the east of the city and into the Olonne forest.

Finally, a two loop run course of 21.1km (13.1-miles) will see athletes run on the promenade along the Tanchet Lake and cross the finish line in the centre of town, also taking in a 200m sandy run on the ‘Grande Plage’ beach.

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