Ironman Triathlon - 4th August 2013
For the fourth year the 140.6-mile Bolton Ironman triathlon will start at Pennington Flash Country Park, Leigh on Sunday, 4th August.
This endurance event attracts around 1400 competitors from more than 30 countries around the world. Competitors in previous years have come from:Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa, Kenya, USA, Canada, Argentina and Venezuela to name just a few.
The race starts at 6.00 am with a 2.4-mile swim in Pennington Flash. The competitors then take to their bikes and head off towards Bolton and a 112-mile bike ride in and around Lancashire. The final leg of the course, a 26.2-mile marathon, takes place in the streets of Bolton finishing in the town centre outside Bolton Town Hall.
The Swim
All the competitors have to enter the water prior to the mass start at 6.00 am. The 2.4 mile swim route is comprised of two laps going anticlockwise around a large part of the Flash. After the first lap each competitor has to get out of the water, run a short distance and get back in again for the second swim lap in what is known as an Australian exit. This allows spectators to see how well each athlete is doing in the swim stage and to encourage them by cheering them on.
The fastest competitors complete the 2.4 mile swim in about 45 minutes, they then run to the transition area on the picnic field near the golf course. Here they change, often while on the move, and collect their bikes. They then run, pushing their bikes to the bike ride start point by the main car park. Spectators in this area, including friends and families of many of the competitors, get great views and opportunities to take photographs of all the action.
The rest of the competitors continue to come out of the water for another hour or so; most can be seen checking their watches to check their times and unzipping their wetsuits as they dash to the transition area. The maximum time allowed for the swim section is 2 hours and 20 minutes.
This swim section and the transition to the bike ride are a great spectacle and well worth getting up early to see. If you don’t fancy getting up early on race morning you can still watch some of the action as there are two practice swims on the Friday and Saturday before the event. All event information including details of the race week schedule, parking arrangements and road closures can be found in the IRONMAN website.
The Competitors
The competitors include both men and women and are aged from 18 to their early 70s’. They come from all walks of life and many enter the event to raise funds for charity. Whether they are professional athletes, triathlon enthusiasts or first timers all will have undertaken an intensive training programme over many weeks to be ready for race day.
The professional athletes will complete the 140.6 mile triathlon in around 8 hrs 40mins with the rest of the field finishing the gruelling all day event over the following eight hours. For most simply finishing the race under the cut off time of 17 hours is the aim and the real prize with a good time being a bonus.
For the last two years Team True Spirit have entered the race. This team was formed in 2011 with the aim of providing an opportunity for a group of recovering injured servicemen to do something special. Together with a support team of rehabilitation physio's, civilians and volunteers they have put in some remarkable performances in what is one of the toughest endurance races in the world.
In 2011 and again in 2012 the team completed the race and have raised nearly £60,000 for the military charities that support them and their families. The aims of Team True Spirit are to raise awareness of the new battles injured servicemen face and to generate financial support to help them and those close to them. Team True Spirit allows these injured servicemen the chance to do some amazing things and to show what they can achieve. It is hoped that the team will be competing again this year and raise even more funds.