Last weekend the inaugural IM Vitoria was held in the north of Spain. This is a 1 hour drive from home, I have raced the half ironman before (the race has been running for more than ten years before IM stepped in, killing the half), and I am looking at it for my first IM.
Being a fast, flat bike, drafting was a big question mark for this race. For those of you watching the FB coverage, the 5-min penalty for the early female leader Judith Corachan is no news, but it is only the tip of the iceberg. Spanish media are reporting the following figures: 183 drafting penalties and 28 blocking penalties. 45 officials from the Spanish Fed were deployed, 34 of them in gps-located motorbikes. It is great to see such policing in a race, and effectively having a flat course not turn into a draftfest!.
Beyond that, I could talk to several athletes, and all of them were quite happy with how the bike segment was policed. Add the fast bike splits and the wonderful setting (check the FB footage if you haven't done so) and I am sold.
The icing in the cake was the big party I saw in Herreria (a slightly sloped narrow street in the 4-loop run course, lined with loud cheering fans; a finisher described it as "a solar hill for runners"), we spent the evening there and it was the best feeling of the day. Just this short stretch made me want to race next year.
If any STer has raced here last Sunday, I'd love to read your report!
Sr. Salitre
Being a fast, flat bike, drafting was a big question mark for this race. For those of you watching the FB coverage, the 5-min penalty for the early female leader Judith Corachan is no news, but it is only the tip of the iceberg. Spanish media are reporting the following figures: 183 drafting penalties and 28 blocking penalties. 45 officials from the Spanish Fed were deployed, 34 of them in gps-located motorbikes. It is great to see such policing in a race, and effectively having a flat course not turn into a draftfest!.
Beyond that, I could talk to several athletes, and all of them were quite happy with how the bike segment was policed. Add the fast bike splits and the wonderful setting (check the FB footage if you haven't done so) and I am sold.
The icing in the cake was the big party I saw in Herreria (a slightly sloped narrow street in the 4-loop run course, lined with loud cheering fans; a finisher described it as "a solar hill for runners"), we spent the evening there and it was the best feeling of the day. Just this short stretch made me want to race next year.
If any STer has raced here last Sunday, I'd love to read your report!
Sr. Salitre