Ironman have announced that September’s Ironman Wales in Tenby will be allocated 25 additional qualifying slots for the 2018 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, taking the total number of slots available to 65.
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The race on Wales’ south-west coast has become a firm athlete favourite and now carries the added prestige as a high-ranking qualifier to the world’s most famous triathlon in Ironman’s birthplace of Hawaii.
Find out why we named Ironman Wales as one of the world’s toughest races
With a sea swim, a total bike elevation of 2,095m and a rolling run route (elevation of 350m), Wales is known as one of the most challenging courses on the Ironman calendar. The additional slots now give athletes an increased chance of earning a coveted place on the start line of the World Championship – one of the highest slot allocations in Europe outside of the regional championship.
With Ironman Wales’ 10th of September date, the race is one of the earliest qualifiers for the 2018 Ironman World Championship. This gives athletes the opportunity to gain early qualification and allows them to plan their 2018 season well in advance.
Ironman Wales starts with a 3.8km swim on Tenby’s North Beach, followed by a 180km bike through the scenic countryside of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, including the infamous ‘Heartbreak Hill’ in Saundersfoot. The 42.2km marathon run passes by medieval town walls with the beachfront providing an impressive backdrop for the marathon through Tenby, and all of this backed by some of the biggest, most passionate and vocal crowds in Ironman racing.
Ironman Wales takes place 10 September 2017 in Tenby, Pembrokeshire. For more information and to enter visit the event website, www.ironman.com/wales