IRONMAN RETURNS TO BELGIUM WITH THE INAUGURAL IRONMAN 70.3 KNOKKE-HEIST TRIATHLON EVENT
– Inaugural edition of IRONMAN 70.3 Knokke-Heist, Belgium to take place on September 17, 2023 with general registration opening October 4, 2022 here: www.ironman.com/im703-knokke-heist – Qualifying slots will be available for the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand – Weekend of triathlon festivity to kick off with 5150 Knokke-Heist Olympic distance triathlon on Sept. 16 Photo Credit: Knokke-Heist Tourism Office
KNOKKE-HEIST, Belgium / LONDON, UK / TAMPA, Fla. (September 12, 2022) – IRONMAN has announced the return to Belgium in 2023 with IRONMAN® 70.3® Knokke-Heist, Belgium set to take place on September 17, 2023. The inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Knokke-Heist, Belgium will mark the return of the brand to Belgium for the first time since 2012 and will see the evolution of the long-standing Zwintriathlon in Knokke-Heist into a weekend of triathlon festivity on the international stage.
Kicking off the weekend’s activities on Saturday, September 16, 2023, will be the 5150® Knokke-Heist, an Olympic distance triathlon perfect for athletes new to the sport or those who love a fast and fun race. On Sunday, triathletes from across Europe will take on the IRONMAN 70.3 Knokke-Heist with a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run through Belgium’s West Flanders. Both courses will showcase the beaches and lush green landscapes of the Zwin nature reserve with a finish on Heist beach.
“The triathlon culture is closely woven into the DNA of our municipality,” Mayor of Knokke-Heist,Piet De Groote, said. “Knokke-Heist has successfully hosted many short and middle-distance triathlons over the years, as well as fun triathlon events for our younger generation, and so adding an IRONMAN 70.3 event to our calendar feels like the natural next step. We are very much looking forward to putting on a special and memorable event and look forward to welcoming athletes to our wonderful town next September.”
Athletes taking on the IRONMAN 70.3 will kick off their swim-bike-run race day with a 1.9km open water swim in the North Sea, on Heist Beach. The water temperature in September is typically cool, but pleasant, and the course is protected by a dike which also aids a calm swim. The one loop bike course will take athletes along the tranquil green countryside and polders of Ramskapelle, Damme, Oostkerke, Hoeke and Sluis. With flat and fast roads, the course has personal best potential. Finally, athletes will take on the 21.1km run while enjoying the beautiful Zeedijk (sea dike) while being cheered on by the residents of Knokke-Heist as they head back to the beach to cross the finish line.
“We are so excited to see the return of IRONMAN 70.3 racing in Belgium after a few years’ absence,” said Thomas Veje Olsen, Managing Director of The IRONMAN Group in Europe, Middle East and Africa.“We have had our eyes on Knokke-Heist for a while now, thanks to its growing triathlon culture, coastal appeal, and close international travel links. Belgium has a strong triathlon culture and a proud history of producing multiple IRONMAN champions. Most well-known are former IRONMAN World Champions, Frederik Van Lierde and Luc Van Lierde as well as Marino Vanhoenacker, Bart Aernouts and Tine Deckers who also claimed titles on the European and world stages.”
Knokke-Heist is the greenest municipality on the Belgian coast. More than a quarter of the municipality is made up of recreational parks or untouched forestry – all easily accessible by bicycle. Knokke-Heist boasts diverse culinary delicacies, such as L’étage, and it is known as paradise for food lovers. It has numerous cultural events throughout the year, and a range of first-class shops for the shopping fanatics.
Frederik Van Lierde, Belgian professional triathlete and 2013 IRONMAN World Championcommented: “Knokke-Heist, an iconic destination for triathlon in Belgium! A very beautiful setting on the Belgian coast and a course where it is not the elevation that makes the difference, but the wind. I won on a similar course back in 2010 and 2012, and it was the perfect preparation for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i.”
IRONMAN 70.3 Knokke-Heist will offer qualifying slots to the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship taking place on December 14 -15, 2024, in Taupo, New Zealand.
ピナレロのフラッグシップ、DOGMA F のニューカラーとなる。ピナレロのと言えば、トライアスロンのサーヴェロのイメージだろうか。ロードバイクのトップに君臨するメーカーだ。バランスの取れたオールラウンド性の高いDOGMA Fはエアロダイナミクスも高いが、エアロロードではなく、総合力の高いバイクとして位置付けられる。
Professional Triathletes Organisationの略となる。ロング、ショートでのカテゴリー分けではなく、プロトライアスリートのための組織で、非営利団体となる。その運営は、ゴルフのPGA/LGPA やテニスのPGA/LGPA をモデルにしている。各レースに設定されたポイントによるランキングがタイムリーに決定するシステムで、現在、今回のコリンズカップでそれぞれ最速タイムのブルンメンフェルトとリフが1位となっている。
今回のコリンズカップにおいて最大のトピックスは、「Match 1」だったのだが。。。それは「リフ vs ダフィ」となったからだ。ロングとショートの女王の直接対決だけに、注目は集まった。リフは5月のセントジョージで5回目のアイアンマン世界選手権覇者で、圧倒的な強さを持っている。一方、WTS横浜大会でもお馴染みのダフィは昨年のオリンピックTOKYO2020のゴールドメダリストだ。ランのパワフルなスピードはやはり圧倒的な速さで安定している。
リフのコメント（PTOサイトより）「It feels really amazing to be coming back after last year I could perform well in all three and feel like I’m a complete athlete again. When I got to the last km I heard it was 5s over 5 min so I pushed as hard as I could to try to get the max 6 points.」
「Last year I raced while I was sick. I had blisters all over my legs, I had shingles and you obviously can’t race like that. This morning I went for a jog and my heart rate was about 30 beats lower than last year.」
スピリグのコメント（PTOサイトより）「I was pretty nervous. I felt pretty good but didn’t know what to expect. I had the extra pressure from the team. I was nervous but came out of the water and was 25 seconds behind Lopes and knew I could make that.」
「I was really keen to show I was the right pick and I deserved the spot and I’m really happy I’ve helped the team to have a good performance.」
「I’m just happy to have a good performance in my last international race and it’s nice to go out like that.」
ハウグのコメント（PTOサイトより）「My main goal was to stick with the girls on the swim because I’m with them in T1 then everything is in my hands and it was. Jackie did a great job on the bike until the turning point and then I took control and then just wanted to run fast.」
ブルンメンフェルトのコメント（PTOサイトより）「It’s tough to come from sprint distance to 100km but I knew that Hayden was one of the ones who could do it. That’s why I stayed behind until 50km or so on the bike because that’s when it starts to get hard and was super stoked with my run legs.」
「The support out on the course was giving me a little bit more energy and it’s such a great place.」
サンダースのコメント（PTOサイトより）「Not bad for a couple of duathletes! It was deeply personal for me too. I told Sam, let’s put this guy in his place. I like Sam Laidlow but I think it got too personal, so I think we were on the same team on this one.」
「This is totally next level. We were both here last year and it’s going in the right direction and we’re showing the world and people are excited about it.」
ロングのコメント（PTOサイトより）「I had absolutely no option but to back this up. The song in my head was Aretha Franklin R. E. S. P. E. C. T. When Lionel and I are working together the strategy is to inflict as much pain on each other as possible.」
「Better just to do what you got to do and get the job done.」
「I think he learnt his lesson here and think some respect is due but the race is done, we’ll have a beer and we’ll become friends and Sam will have to buy all of the rounds!」
レイドローのコメント（PTOサイトより）「I knew I’d come out with a lead on the swim but I got onto the bike and my stomach wasn’t taking on any nutrition. I don’t want to make excuses but it just wasn’t my day. Once I stopped for the toilet four or five times, towards the end I started to feel OK again so there’s still hope I guess!」
「They beat me and were better today. There will be other races. I can’t predict how I would have done if it wasn’t for that, they were just better guys today. II’m definitely hungry to have another shot, it’s just fuel to the fire. I’ll be back.」
On embrace at end with Sam Long
「I appreciated that [the embrace] and their respect. They’ve got more experience than me and achieved a lot more, so it was nice to share some kind words even after my failure.」
ロイルのコメント（PTOサイトより）「I think especially for me I prefer a bit of a dynamic course where there are some hills so it made for a really hard day. I knew I had to swim hard which I did and when I put myself in that position I knew there’s no looking back now. At times it’s just playing with your mind that you’re starting to slow down or they’ll start catching you. And thinking they are catching you when you turn around on those long straights and seem closer than they are.」
Knokke-Heist is the greenest municipality on the Belgian coast. More than a quarter of the municipality is made up of recreational parks or untouched forestry – all easily accessible by bicycle. Knokke-Heist boasts diverse culinary delicacies, such as L’étage, and it is known as paradise for food lovers. It has numerous cultural events throughout the year, and a range of first-class shops for the shopping fanatics. Frederik Van Lierde, Belgian professional triathlete and 2013 IRONMAN World Championcommented: “Knokke-Heist, an iconic destination for triathlon in Belgium! A very beautiful setting on the Belgian coast and a course where it is not the elevation that makes the difference, but the wind. I won on a similar course back in 2010 and 2012, and it was the perfect preparation for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i.” IRONMAN 70.3 Knokke-Heist will offer qualifying slots to the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship taking place on December 14 -15, 2024, in Taupo, New Zealand. For more information on IRONMAN 70.3 Knokke-Heist, Belgium please visit www.ironman.com/im703-knokke-heist. For more information on 5150 Knokke-Heist, please visit: www.ironman.com/5150-knokke-heist. For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com.
