On the heels of Boulder’s 70.3 on Sunday, some of the local pros sound off regarding the full Ironman coming up in August, predicting a brutal race that is “exposed to the sun and radiating heat.”
From the Boulder Daily Camera:
Boulder has been the site of a half-Ironman race for 13 years, but the town so many elite athletes use as a training ground will finally graduate to full Ironman in early August when it hosts its first 140.6-mile triathlon.
The men and women who make a living competing as pros on the Ironman circuit expect Boulder’s first Ironman to be “brutal.” Race organizers confirmed Monday that Boulder’s Ironman Aug. 3 will be the largest Ironman in history with more than 3,000 registered to compete. The race sold out in less than a week.
Boulder has become so popular with elite athletes because it’s a desirable place to live combined with high altitude and proximity to a major airport on top of everything else the area offers.
The altitude is the first issue racers think of when they imagine what race day will be like Aug. 3 when elite athletes and plenty of Average Joes will try to conquer a 2.4-mile swim at Boulder Reservoir, followed by a 112-mile bike course that will take racers to Loveland and back to Boulder High School before tackling a full marathon that will culminate at the finish line in downtown Boulder at 13th and Pearl.
“It’s going to be a very honest, very tough race,” said Greg Bennett, a 2004 member of the Australian Olympic team. “I don’t think any of us would expect anything less for Boulder. The world’s greatest athletes live here and I think whoever fronts up to give it a go, they’re going to know they did a race. That’s for sure.”
Race director Dave Christen said Monday that Boulder’s Ironman Aug. 3 will be the largest Ironman in history with more than 3,000 registered to compete. The race sold out in less than a week. . .
Read the full article here.
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