Ironman World Championship Nice course announced
The Ironman World Championship course in Nice will feature 2,400 m of climbing on the bike
Photo by:
Kevin Mackinnon
After pushback from the local community in Kailua-Kona last year, Ironman was forced to rethink its goal of having two days of racing in Kona for the Ironman World Championship and announced that the men’s championship would take place in Nice, France.
There will be two full-distance races in Nice this year, with the regular Ironman France Nice taking place on June 25 and the world championship event set for Sept. 10.
Nice has long been considered one of the sport’s epic destinations, having played host to the Nice International Triathlon starting in 1982. After that event folded, between 1994 and 2002 Nice hosted the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships five times.
The course for the world championships appears to be pretty close to that of the June event, with the exception of some small changes to the bike course.
The course is spectacular, featuring upwards of 2,400 m of elevation gain on the bike, which follows roads that are often used in the prestigious Tour de France. Things are centred around the Promenade des Anglais, the famous walkway along the waterfront in Nice.
Swim Course
The 3.8 km swim course will start at the Place des Ponchettes, a pebble beach, sending the men into the beautiful blue Mediterranean Sea. The course features two rectangular segments, with a turnaround just off the shore.
Bike Course
The one-loop 180.2 km bike course takes the athletes up into the mountains through the villages of the Parc Natural des Prealpes d’Azur. There are a mix of long climbs and steep technical descents, although it appears that one steep section from the June race won’t be part of the September course. The elevation gain is reported to be “up to 2,400 m.”
Run Course
The classic run course in Nice has always followed the Promenade des Anglais, which makes for a flat, specctator friendly final leg of the race. The four-loop, 42.2 km run has the Mediterranean Sea in the backdrop and passes by the many beach clubs and the famous Negresco Hotel before the turnaround at the Nice International Airport.
