Burns and Blisters in Lanzarote Heat Raise Questions About Transition Safety
Several athletes suffered burns and severe blistering after transition in Lanzarote became dangerously hot.
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When temperatures climb high enough, even transition can become a hazard.
That is exactly what several athletes experienced at Ironman Lanzarote this past weekend, where extremely hot flooring in and around T2 left some competitors with painful burns and large fluid-filled blisters on their feet.
The issue appeared to stem from concrete covered with plastic flooring that absorbed and conducted heat under intense sun and ambient temperatures exceeding 30C. Athletes, many running barefoot through transition before reaching their shoes, described conditions so hot they could not stand on the surface without burning their skin.
Officials eventually responded by covering portions of the area with rolls of carpet and hosing down the surface to cool it before the first age group athletes arrived in T2.
Among those affected was professional athlete Steph Clutterbuck, who was forced to abandon the race despite reaching T2 ready to run. Clutterbuck later shared on Instagram that she had successfully managed her POTS symptoms throughout the swim and bike and considered the day a major step forward physically before the burns ended her race.
“I got off the bike excited and READY to run,” Clutterbuck wrote. “I honestly cannot put into words how much progress this is.”
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However, by the time she reached the transition tent, she said the damage to her feet had already become severe.
“I’ve got second degree burns on my left foot and third on my right with skin discoloring,” she shared. “DNF’ed in absolute agony feeling like my feet were melting off.”
According to Clutterbuck: “It was absolutely foreseeable, temps were forecast to be 30+ and transition was on a plastic covered in hot sand with no carpet. Unacceptable in my opinion.”
Ironman Lanzarote champion Lucy Charles-Barclay raced the marathon with burn blisters on her feet the size of multiple ‘toonies’. Images later shared by @thetriathlonhour showed the severity of some of the injuries, with viewers warned that the photos were not for the faint of heart
Reports have also surfaced that similar conditions occurred during the 2022 edition of the race, when some professional athletes experienced comparable burns before carpet was later placed out for age group competitors.
The incident has prompted questions around transition safety protocols during extreme heat events, particularly at races where athletes must cover long distances barefoot across exposed surfaces before reaching their gear.