Set yourself up for a personal best by choosing the right Ironman race
Study reveals fastest conditions for an Ironman race
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Daniela Ryf at the 2018 Ironman European. Championship in Frankfurt, Germany. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon
A new study reveals what make an Ironman course fast and where the speediest age group triathletes hail from.
Europe may be small in comparison as a continent but as a triathlon nation it is mighty. It has been determined as the continent with the fastest age group Ironman triathletes.
The finding was revealed in a study looking into age group triathletes competing worldwide in Ironman races between 2002 and 2020.
Crunching the numbers
Researchers used race times, splits and transition times, location, time of year, sex, age group and country of origin. These data points were measured alongside water and air temperatures and race course terrain.
Top performing athletes come from Germany, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Czechis, Estonia and Slovenia. Fastest race times are from Ironman Hawaii (Ironman World Championships), Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz and Ironman Hamburg. Optimal air temperature for cycling and running is 19-21 degrees Celsius or at 25-28 degrees Celsius. Optimal temperature for swimming is 23-25 degrees Celsius.
Triathletes and coaches can leverage results from the study to target effective training strategies. Insight into the fastest age groupers reveals the best stages of life for peak athletic performance. Details about characteristics of the fastest races can be used to inform decisions about what race will set triathletes up for their best performance.
Fastest age group
Fastest athletes are 25-34 years old with men finishing on average just under an hour ahead of women.
Race course characteristics have a significant impact on individual performance and overall race times. It is no surprise that venues with considerable elevation on the bike and run produce slower times. The best combination for speed, according to the study, is a flat run, rolling bike and ocean swim.
The numbers also reveal the global distribution of high performance non-professional triathletes. This information is a powerful tool for developing talent identification, training programs and financial investment by national federations.
Genetics and environment
Europe being the continent to produce the fastest age groupers also raises questions about genetic predisposition, quality of coaching, training environments and cultural influences.
Researchers used data from 677, 320 Ironman finishers from 150 countries across 443 Ironman events in 65 different locations. The read the full study, The fastest nonprofessional age group IRONMAN triathletes in the world originate from Europe, by Knechtle, B., Villiger, E., Weiss, K. et al.) here.