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The favorite 70.3 Ironman in 2019, the recent Les Sables-d'Olonne triathlon promises a unique experience! Do you dream of swimming, pedaling and riding in an Ironman in France? Ekoï offers you a focus on the Ironman 70.3 Les Sables-d'Olonne Vendée: distances, course, prize list... With its enchanting setting, this competition in Sables is a must-see!"
Les Sables-d'Olonne, a unique setting for the Ironman 70.3
Since 2019, the city of Les Sables-d'Olonne hosts an Ironman 70.3 competition, famous label of the World triathlon corporation (WTC). A new event that is causing a sensation and attracting triathletes by the thousands!
It joins the municipalities of Nice, Vichy and Aix-en-Provence, which are already on the calendar of French Half Ironman. Open to professionals and amateurs alike, the race usually takes place in early summer, in June or July. It offers 50 qualifying spots for the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St. George, as well as 25 additional slots for female athletes as part of the Woman For Tri program.
Located on the Vendée coastline in the Pays de la Loire region, Les Sables-d'Olonne is the perfect place to discover the landscapes of the Côte Lumière.
The distances of the Ironman 70.3 Les Sables-d'Olonne Vendée
Like any other Half Ironman, the Ironman 70.3 Les Sables-d'Olonne Vendée consists of a sequence of three disciplines (swimming, cycling, running) over a total distance of 113 km, or 70.3 miles, half the distance of a full Ironman.
Before you cross the finish line, you'll have to swim 1.9 km, ride 90 km, and run a half marathon (21 km). A true long-distance triathlon!
One point to consider, however: to get your finisher medal, the sine qua non condition is to complete the entire course in less than 8 hours, transitions included!
The general amateur classification includes different age categories for both men and women.
The Swimming Event
The swimming component takes place in the canal of Les Sables-d'Olonne, from which the iconic Vendée Globe race starts. Athletes launch into the water from the beach, in front of the Les Atlantes convention center.
The course consists of crossing the canal to the port in less than 1 hr 10 min.
The cycling event
Once their bikes have been collected from the bike park on the Vendée Globe square, participants can begin the cycling part!
The 90 km loop will take them into the heart of the Côte Lumière, through about fifteen Vendée communes and strikingly varied landscapes: the Olonne forest, the surrounding countryside, salt marshes and the Atlantic coast. Rather rolling, the route accumulates 600 m of positive elevation gain.
The time limit to perform swimming and cycling is 5 h 30 min. Beyond this time barrier, competitors will not be able to continue the competition.
The running event
The final event consists of three loops to be run on a flat course totaling 21 km. Triathletes will tread the Remblai boardwalk before turning back around Lake Tanchet, all under the encouragement of the public that came to support them.
As a bonus, the route includes a 200-meter stretch on the beach.
Half Ironman triathlon hailed by participants
The inauguration of the first Ironman 70.3 Les Sables-d'Olonne Vendée in 2019 was a great success! Organized by Les Sables Vendée triathlon (LSVT), the race boasts no less than 2,500 registrants and recorded a record satisfaction rate of 99.71%. Never before seen!
In fact, the event caracolates at the top of the top 10 favorite Ironman 70.3 in the world, according to the "athletes' choice awards" survey conducted by the WTC. In addition, the Sablaise event appears in nearly every other ranking in the survey, with the exception of the "post-race ceremonies" and "running experience" categories.
In 2020, the awards continue to rain down as the second edition "even more beautiful than the first" is awarded the organization award by Trimax Magazine.
An admirable performance for Sables-d'Olonne!"
The prize list for the Ironman 70.3 Les Sables-d'Olonne Vendée
The podium of the 2020 edition among professional female athletes:
- the Frenchwoman Justine Mathieux in 4 h 17 min 55 s;
- the Belgian Alexandra Tondeur in 4 h 19 min 11 s;
- the British Fenella Langridge in 4 h 19 min 21 s.
The 2020 edition podium among professional male athletes:
- American Rodolphe Von Berg in 3 hrs 44 min 12 sec;
- the Frenchman Antony Costes in 3 h 45 min 26 s;
- the Belgian Pieter Heemeryck in 3 h 46 min 54 s.
The podium of the 2019 edition among professional female athletes:
- Britain's Frankie Sanjana in 4 hr 32 min 26 sec;
- German Anne Reischmann in 4 h 34 min 17 s;
- the Frenchwoman Jeanne Collonge in 4 h 39 min 5 s.
The 2019 edition podium among professional male athletes:
- the Belgian Frederik Van Lierde in 3 hrs 56 min 46 s;
- the Frenchman Denis Chevrot in 3 hrs 58 min 57 s;
- the Frenchman Arthur Horseau in 4 h 2 min 44 s.
- The Ironman 70.3 Les Sables-d'Olonne Vendée has no secrets for you anymore! How about learning more about the Ironman 70.3 format, Nice Ironman or Vichy Ironman?
