Slot Ironman 70.3 Vichy
COVID-19 Updates: with current uncertainty of timing of the 2020 Ironman 70.3 World Championship and the large number of Ironman 70.3 races impacted by the virus, dates and slot allocations are subject to change. At present many listed races are in need of updating. 70.3 world championship. Ironman vichy 2019 women's finisher course cycle jersey. As low as €26.23 regular price €104.90. The Ironman 70.3 Vichy is a Triathlon race in Auvergne, consisting of a Half Ironman. SWIM BIKE RUN RELAX in the Queen of Spas Town Tree-lined boulevards laid out in the 19th century, and art-deco buildings such as the OpAra de Vichy, add to the town's nostalgic feel.
Vichy Ironman 70.3
Vichy Ironman 70.3 is a poignant location for me because it was my first ever triathlon which you can read about here.
If you’re thinking about entering Vichy Ironman 70.3 or 140.6 I hope you find the following review useful. Please bear in mind the courses and routes can change. Right from the outset I would recommend Vichy Ironman 70.3. It’s perfect if you are travelling on your own, with friends or family, but there are a few things you need to know. I’ll be talking about Vichy, the course, travel and accommodation and passing on as many practical tips as I can.
I’d initially chosen Vichy Ironman 70.3 back in 2015 because it was a flat course. That’s no longer the case, introducing an amazing bike course with some very challenging descents and ascents. But first let’s look at the practicalities.
Travel
Vichy is a beautiful city with good road, rail and airport connections. I decided to drive via the Channel Tunnel from my home in Essex in the uK with a return crossing costing £127.
It’s a 700km drive from Calais which will take 6-8 hours. Make sure you use a sat nav ideally with live traffic feed. Small parts of the routes can be a little tricky coming on and off junctions, especially around Paris. Most of the roads are toll roads, fast and smooth.
Some notes on travel
- I’d recommend getting a Sanef Toll Tag allowing you to go through dedicated toll road barriers and skip any queuing (not all the time). It’s a cashless way to travel through the tolls without having to fumble around for money. Be warned travelling this distance and back to the UK will clock up about £100 of toll charges, but it’s worth it.
- If you drive a lease vehicle of any description you’ll need documentation from the the lease company giving you permission. It’s a standard document they are happy to issue.
- If you’re travelling via city ring roads or through Paris or major cities you’ll need to purchase an Air Quality Emissions Certificate otherwise you could be fined. There are more details here. I stayed away from city centres and didn’t purchase one.
Consider getting to Vichy a day or two before to miss any weekend traffic and as it’s a beautiful place. The registration is relaxed and well organised with English speaking volunteers leaving you plenty of time to get yourself settled. Remember to take photo ID and you may have to purchase a race license unless a member of British Triathlon.
Arriving a few days before race day will allow you to do a leisurely recce of the area on your bike which is really worth it. If you can spare the holiday time stay for an extra day or two as there are some great places to visit, which I’ll tell you about. The full Ironman also takes place the day after the 70.3 which is worth watching all or part of.
Location
Vichy has a rich history and sits on the spectacular Allier River which is also where the swim course is located. The event is based at Centre Omnisports de Vichy where you can find Athlete Registration, T1, T2 and the Ironman Village. The whole Ironman area is a typical French well wooded parkland. There’s plenty of shade and is well serviced with catering stands with a variety of offerings. Equally there are plenty of restaurants and supermarkets within walking and driving distance. Just use your smartphone for routes and locations.
Parking
If you’re not staying within walking distance of the Ironman Village, parking is excellent on and before race day and is located just across the road. There’s a walkway underneath the road as it’s one of the main roads into Vichy. If you’re staying in Vichy itself check parking availability as parking is more congested. Access to the venue is easy on foot.
Heat
A quick note about the heat, Vichy is hot, very hot. Make sure you have sunglasses and sun hats preferably white in colour.
You can expect temperatures to be in excess on 30 degrees on race day by the time you hit the run, any less is a blessing. From the Ironman Village its a couple of miles to walk into Vichy city centre and there isn’t a lot of shade on the paths. On the days leading up to your event use your exposure to the heat and sun wisely as you don’t want to pick up sunstroke before your big event.
Accommodation
Vichy has plentiful accommodation to suit all budgets. I use Hotels.com. Both offer free cancellation options and good filters but Hotels.com will give a bigger geographical spread. Ironman is a well established event in the area, Vichy accommodation does fill up fast. If you are still thinking about entering Vichy Ironman but have not registered yet, book the accommodation first.
If you can’t get anything in the immediate area don’t panic. There are many surrounding towns with Hotels with easy access to Vichy. I’d book a couple of options to give you time to do some research then cancel the least favourable. There’s nothing worse than learning that there’s no parking for your hotel or you booked it an hour away from the event without realising. Again, if you are staying in Vichy check available parking for your hotel as it can get congested in the city centre.
I favoured staying away from Vichy as I found it too busy for my liking (just a personal thing). On both occasions I stayed on the outskirts of Riom. Whilst it’s 40km away the route to Vichy is fast and traffic free. It only taking you 30 minutes and has some stunning scenery (don’t take the toll to Riom as it’s unnecessary cost). Out of the city there is a greater sense of space which I found more relaxing away from the Ironman crowds.
Remember it’s worth stocking up on some food, snacks and drinks from the supermarkets for race day. There wont be any available breakfasts that time of the morning in the hotel.
Race Day Morning
All Ironman Triathlons are an early start. Staying in Riom it was a 3:30am rise, leave by 4:30am, arrive by 5am leaving 1 hour before the 6am race start.
Plan your morning!
One of the most important tasks is making sure you get your ablutions done before the race. Otherwise this can lead to a lot of discomfort until you can find a toilet in transition or at a feed station. There are plenty of portaloos at the Ironman Village but as all events there are queues and you will have to hold your nose! If possible do your best to do your ablutions in the comfort of your hotel.
Despite the hot day time temperatures, at 5am in the morning it will be cool. Make sure you have layers you can take on and off, and a hat, which you will leave in your street bag and drop off before lining up for your swim start and then pick up at the finish.
Your bike is in T1, your T1 Bag and T2 Bag is racked, you’ve dropped off your street bag for after the race.
You have read the rules specifically rules on drafting and the finish line. Hopefully you will have gone to safety briefing.
You are ready to go!
The Swim
The swim start in Vichy was the least stressful I’ve experienced. A rolling start with 3 swimmers jumping off a jetty entering the water every 12 seconds. This gives you plenty of space vs the waves of mass starts I experienced back in 2015. You may find your start time delayed but is well worth the wait.
The first thing you notice getting into the water at Vichy is it is warm. Unlike UK waters there’s no initial shock, so getting into a rhythm and pace early on is easy. The water is a little muddy but clean so underwater visibility isn’t great but sighting is easy with lots of landmarks.
The sun will be coming up as you swim and depending on how you breath you may find you get blinded as the sun shines between the buildings, so be prepared to change sides or use polarised goggles. The 1.9km clockwise swim takes you up 950m up the river and back with an easy exit. It’s a short jog to T1 where taking your wetsuit off is a welcome relief as you’ll be warm. There’s a central safety area on the swim with lots of safety canoes and boats on route should you need to rest or ask for help.
The Bike
The roads in France are fantastic with the cyclist in mind. With 2300m of ascent Vichy has some long challenging climbs into the surrounding hills with rewarding views that will take your breath away. Make sure you train with some hills in mind!
Bike Safety
There are some big descents on this ride, which they may have changed by the time you read this. Eyre on the side of caution, especially corners, so feather your brakes. If you’re wearing sunglasses, the contrast between shadow and bright sunlight suddenly changing as you enter into wooded descents for example which cast shadows on the road. This can leave you blind to dirt or gravel that may have worked its way onto the road. I can’t stress caution enough after seeing several ambulances on the course last year so feather your brakes at all times.
Bike Drafting
I ought to mention drafting. Know the rules on drafting and passing your fellow athletes as the French are more enthusiastic to enforce the rules than in the UK. You could land yourself with a time penalty. There are outriders with officials constantly circulating the course for your safety but also watching you.
Remember to keep your helmet on and clipped until your bike is racked as you can still get a 5 minute penalty.
The Run
After re-racking your bike its a short jog to T2 and prep for the run. The route takes you 2 loops along the side and over the Allier River into Vichy city centre for some well needed shade. It’s then back out along the side of the Allier to cross it again into the Ironman arena and back out for lap no. 2.
There are regular feed stations with a good selection of fluids, fruit, salted snacks, gels etc. There is also an opportunity to be hosed down to cool off. Be careful not to get your trainers too wet as this can cause rubbing and or/grit to get picked up as you run through the city centre.
The route alongside the river doesn’t provide much shade so ensure you wear a sunhat at the very least. I can’t stress how debilitating the heat can be if you are not use to it so make sure you prepare as the temperature peaks as you go into mid to late afternoon.
The Finish
No one does the finish like Ironman where all the pain and discomfort disappears as you cross that finish line. That final approach to the Ironman arena is magical with cheering crowds. A couple of tips:
- As you cross the finish line don’t look down to press stop on your Garmin you can afford a few seconds. Look up and smile for the camera’s.
- Don’t take anyone with you across the finish line, you will be disqualified!
- Make sure you can make the cut off times, more so for the 140.6 as the French literally turn everything off and go home.
Vichy Has The Best Athlete Recovery Area
Once you cross the finish line, have your finisher medal and t-shirt you’ll be directed to the athlete recovery area. If you’ve never completed an Ironman before this is a place to to get some food and drink, relax and chat with your fellow athletes. Vichy has the best recovery area I have ever seen with a huge selection of fresh fruits, meats, cheeses, pasta, freshly cooked crepes even a beer if you want it. Compare that with the UK where it tends to be a cup of tea and Dominos Pizza!
After picking up your street bag there is plenty of space to get changed and even a small number of showers.
What to do afterwards
After my Ironman 70.3 I headed back to Riom. Whilst you might want to celebrate with some food and drink you’ll find consumption of anything will be slow. Take a shower and shut your eyes for an hour and let your body get back to normal. The last thing you will want is a sweet drink and you may find you have little appetite for big meal in the evening. Away from Vichy I highly recommend a place called Le Zinc in Riom which was next to my hotel. Food was amazing!
Post Ironman Food..slow progress
The next day
Walking around Vichy was great but I have to say Riom and the surrounding areas was a real treat the next day and an opportunity to loosen up the legs. I drove to Puy-De-Dome Volcano. The drive alone is stunning along some amazing cycle routes. Its’ worth getting there early as it does get busy. It’s a steep walk to top of the volcano which will only take you 45 minutes, even after an Ironman, or you can get the train. At the top is an opportunity to relax, take in the history and the stunning views. It’s well worth having an extra day there for this alone.
Summary
The Vichy backdrop is a stunning location for Ironman 70.3 which you can easily turn into a short break with family or friends. As a course it’s a great swim with little or no risk of bad weather. A challenging ride that will reward you with adrenaline and stunning views and a flat run taking through a beautiful city. It’s spectator friendly along the whole course with plenty of support.
There’s plentiful accommodation of all kinds in every direction with no shortage of places to eat. If you want to get away from the crowds the surrounding areas have plenty to offer with easy access and plentiful parking at the Ironman venue.
My only reservation for Vichy is the heat. It’s something you need to train with before you take on Vichy Ironman 70.3.
Will I go back and do it for a 3rd time?
Definitely.
Enjoy your race and finish strong.
Russell
IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain – Saturday 7th December 2019
Ahead of the 2019 edition of IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain, the IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship, here is the second part of our re-published and updated ‘70.3 Bahrain experience’ from the our visit to the event in 2017.
This piece centres on our experience of race itself.
IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain 2017 – Part Two
Having covered the travel, accommodation and logistics of getting to IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain in Part One, lets take a look at the race experience that awaits when you get there.
First up, unlike Challenge Bahrain in 2014 (when I did the bike leg in a Relay team), I didn’t take part in the race itself myself. However, eight weeks before the race when I knew I would be going, I said to my wife, “how do you fancy racing it?”. Given her only triathlon event during 2017 had been the Club Relays in Nottingham, and she hadn’t ridden her bike since then, it seemed like a good chance to both start and finish your season in one go. Eight weeks on the Wattbike followed to get ready.
Pre-Race
One of the aspects that was a particular highlight of that Challenge race three years previously was the quality of all of the ‘stuff’ around the race – goody bags, pasta party, awards dinner and the like. Had much changed under the M-Dot banner? Not really – it was still pretty impressive. The race ‘goody bag’ rucksack was certainly a level above many of the ‘copy/paste’ versions we’ve seen any many races in Europe, while if Trucker hats are your thing, well, you got one of those too. A nice start and good first impression.
There was little to complain about in terms of the pre-race banquet / pasta party either. Taking place right next to transition on the Thursday night (ahead of the Saturday race), this definitely did bring back memories of the awesome food provided in 2014 at the Challenge event. There were EIGHT – I counted them (!) – different pasta dishes available in the buffet, extensive salads and I gave up counting how many different sweet options were provided. Something there to suit pretty much anyone and plenty of it too.
Clearly, it would appear that Bahrain takes hospitality very seriously. White linen table cloths, bottled water on the tables, soft drinks provided – we were even able to order post-meal coffee. Seriously, nothing to fault.
The race did however, in my opinion, make one error which could be resolved by a VERY simple communication update. On all of our pre-race information and even within the Athlete Guide, the event – which preceded the Race Briefing in the same specifically constructed venue – referenced ‘Opening Ceremony’. In truth, we weren’t 100% sure that this was in effect a pasta party / welcome banquet, until when we spotted a reference to it on a local site plan map of the race venue.
Given that the weather on the Thursday evening was a little wet and windy, the thought of an (external) opening ceremony of the “carrying flags down a road” type you typically get at ITU/ETU events would have not been that appealing – and perhaps explains why the venue didn’t appear as full as it deserved? Sorry to anyone that missed out. Hopefully the organisers will tweak their race pack for future year – because the effort that went in to preparing that food means it deserved to be enjoyed.
[UPDATE – the 2019 athlete guide has added the words Welcome Banquet – 7pm on Thursday at The Avenues Park, immediately prior to the race briefing. Nice one, don’t miss it!].
A bit windy…
Now, when you go to Bahrain in November you are likely expecting some warmth – nothing too extreme, mid 20’s °c perhaps? Well, thankfully we did get that on race day… but only after some strong winds on the days ahead of race. The organisers made the (correct) decision – announced at Thursday’s Race Briefing – to not rack bikes as planned on Friday, but require athletes to bring these with them on race day morning. Having spoken to some of the event crew who had to do some significant transition rebuilding overnight, a wise decision. With less than 1000 athletes, this didn’t appear to cause any issues on race day from what we saw at least. Get there 15 minutes earlier than you original planned, job done, no worries.
The Race
Ahead of the 2017 event I did profile the course (HERE). By far the biggest change since we were last there – and an update on the two previous IRONMAN 70.3 races – was having one central race site, with T1 and T2 together. In previous years T2 has been based at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) race track which is about 30km away. Building upon the relative ease of travel to Bahrain highlighted in Part One, this was a massive improvement that further adds to the admin-free simplicity of this event. Not only that, it was achieved while still maintaining arguably the marquee element of this event – a circuit of the BIC within the middle part of the bike course.
Swim – the swim was a single loop, rolling start, taking place in the sheltered Bahrain Bay in the shadow of the Four Seasons Hotel and opposite the Bahrain World Trade Centre. I’m reliably informed by my wife (a very good swimmer), this was more challenging than it looked on paper; a combination of choppy conditions and some athletes somewhat over-estimating their swimming ability by starting far too close to the front. She loved it though, the harder the better, as it meant clear roads to get out on to the bike…
[UPDATE – the 2019 swim takes place in the same Bahrain Bay water, but the event hub moved from 2018 a few hundred metres across to The Avenues – the course map is HERE].
Bike – the winds that had been seen ahead of the race thankfully seemed to calm somewhat on race day, and fear of being blown around too much with deep rims and disc wheels subsided. Everybody – athletes and organisers – were more than thankful for that.
The road surfaces in Bahrain are excellent and the course is predominantly flat with the modest quoted 300m of net altitude gain coming in very close to the figure reported on Lesley’s Garmin data. Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) set the fastest bike split of the day with a very impressive 1:57:59 time. That performance was totally legit too, with Lesley recording a couple of hundred metres over the 90km on her post-ride stats. No short course here.
[UPDATE – The bike course map for 2019 can be found HERE. The course is very similar to 2017].
Run – Previously held at the Al Areen Wildlife Park next to the Bahrain International circuit, the all new four-lap run course was now based in a very contained area in and around the transition and finish. Each run lap actually passed directly alongside the finish line – possibly a painful site for those suffering with more laps to go, wishing they could turn off onto the red carpet!
While far from anything that could be described as hilly, the roads did include a flyover section (which was part of an out-and-back), so there were some undulations. Having had an excellent swim and bike, Lesley’s lack of training was finding these tougher than she hoped!
[UPDATE – the relocation of transition from 2018 meant some changes to the run course, which is now three out-and-back loops and is almost totally pan flat. Remember, this is the course that Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt set the fastest ever middle distance time on last year. You can see the new run course map for 2019 HERE].
IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship qualification
If early qualification for the following years IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship is your goal, the race in Bahrain – a Regional Championship event – offered a generous 75 slots. Here are the details on the breakdown of that from the 2017 race:
Slot Ironman 70.3 Vichy 2019
[UPDATE – The 2019 race will also have 75 age-group slots available for the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship].
Kona Qualification – Military
Despite being a 70.3 event, for some athletes, the IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship in Bahrain was also in 2017 an IRONMAN World Championship qualifier in the Military Category. 10 slots were available and we met several British athletes there who were aiming to earn one.
One athlete who did just that – finishing second in the F25-29 category – was Becky Hoare, a previous winner of the Military Division in Kona in 2016. Becky was also the first British female finisher at the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon this year, reporting for us on her experience HERE. I asked Becky for her thoughts on the event:
“Bahrain 70.3. Possibly the ONLY 70.3 in the World where the finishes ‘t-shirt’ is a down jacket! Choppy swim, phenomenal bike course on pristine roads, a finishers banquet that was second to none and the best medals in the business!”
Will Bahrain offer those Military Division slots in 2018 and beyond? I’m not sure of the answer to that one – and with the recent update of the Ironman.com website, I can’t find where the Military Division information is any more. This is how the ten Military slots were allocated across the 113 Military entrants this in 2017:
Slot Ironman 70.3 Vichy 1000
[UPDATE – there are no IRONMAN Military Division qualifying slots at the 2019 event].
Post-Race
As Becky mentioned above – and as was the case at the 2014 Challenge race – no finishers t-shirts in Bahrain. Instead, a far more practical and impressive finishers jacket.
Slot Ironman 70.3 Vichy 70.3
Bahrain doesn’t appear to do small medals either. While the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 finishers medal wasn’t quite as big as the HUGE medal we got in 2014 at the Challenge Bahrain event, it is still rather impressive and substantial:
Slot Ironman 70.3 Vichy France
For some perspective on just how big those medals are, here is a side-by-side comparison to a medal from IRONMAN 70.3 Vichy (which is not ‘small’). If you are a medal Magpie and like a bit of bling, this race could be for you!
And finally on the awards front, Age-Group trophies might not be a major factor or consideration for those not contending for podium slots in their categories, but it is an area where is is easy to see if effort / thought has been made. There are plenty of events that are providing generic trophies/awards which have little or no relevance or connection to the location they are based in. Kona is the opposite of that – the tradition of the Umeke hand-carved wooden bowls is embedded in Hawaiian culture and make them the most iconic trophy in our sport.
There was no cookie-cuttter approach on the trophy front in Bahrain either. The trophies feature the M-Dot logo (of course…), but also the Bahrain flag colours and the outline map of Bahrain. Becky also assures me that the trophies are as substantial as they look; “It’s proper solid!”. We didn’t make the post-race awards ourselves, but we are reliably informed that the catering was just as impressive as the pre-race banquet was.
Overall
All told, the event is an impressive one. You have the full M-Dot organisation behind it, but with around 1,000 entries (including relays teams), it doesn’t feel like a corporate giant. The venue, co-located transitions and multi-lap run course make it about as ‘admin free’ as you will find anywhere, while the course provides great road surfaces and a ‘hook’ with the inclusion of the Formula 1 circuit. The little details – catering, medals, trophies, finishers jackets etc. also distinguish it from many others on the circuit.
In the final part of the series, I’ll outline a few of the tourist options you might want to consider adding in during a trip to Bahrain, perhaps giving your family a break from your own triathlon objectives.