So the reality is more like a 1520m total elevation gain versus close to 1800m? That is a huge difference. Can any locals confirm?
They are not the same course. The WC course for this year has a quick detour off the first main climb that goes through Ojen, but you only do that section on the way out.
I loaded the correct 2025 WC course into the Swiss Side Performance Platform and it’s giving 1,707m of elevation gain.
Depending what application you load the gpx into and its algorithm, you will get different cumulative climbing totals. I have taken the issued gpx and loaded it into RwGPS. I’ve just done it again and get 1526m AGAIN! (same as 17 days ago)
What @Th4ddy says ref Ojen is correct - see my specific reference to that. The Rouvy route up and down the main road gives 1483m. In November it’s a bit more because (as I describe up thread) athletes lose some height dropping into the village (which splits the climb btw) and that has to be regained (steeper/less graded) climbing out of the village back to the main road.
The SSPP gives more! Choose your weapon!
How on earth would locals know any better? They (may) ride it and their fit loads into whatever app is their preference. My Garmin Connect climbing totals from a ride are very close to the route I’ve plotted during planning on RwGPS. I’ll be there, cheering.
@CoachGlenn says: “I live in Marbella and have done the original course several times. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to connect. I am also an Ironman U certified and Tridot Coach.”
To add colour to my attempted explanation on why people get different amounts of climb for the same route, the Kona course is advertised as 112 miles (180.2km). The supplied gpx shows 180.8km. Ironman say “5814ft” (which 1700+m). From the gpx loaded into RwGPS the climb is 933m but loaded into Openrunner it’s 1611m!
There is a combo of mapping choice and granularity/fractals, and contour counting algorithms at play here.
Ah yes, the coast line paradox. That’s why my bike computer always seems like it’s making random crap up!
Thanks. I assumed the locals may have ridden the old climb not going through Ojen and the new route via Ojen. Whatever, they upload to, they would either see a delta of ~350m (roughly the delta between the old advertised vertical and the new one) or ~40m (which seems to make more sense)
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Athletes are now listed on the IM Tracker, anyone know where we can see the full list by AG?
I don’t think that’s available anymore.
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I found the list on Sportstats IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship - SportStats where you can filter by AG
Thanks for sharing. I see there are 176 in my age group M60-64. I guess the stupid goal is to squeek into the to 88 (I know it’s stupid as we can’t control who shows up, but top half would be Nice). 176 starters would equate to around 1-2 slots per global 70.3. I will be interested to see how many slots go to this old guy golf club age group at Nice2026 with the performance pool.
Back on the topic of the course are the wave times posted somewhere? I have not gotten into reading much about the race instructions etc yet, but when I was in 55-59, it was fine getting caught by the fast 50-54’s but right after them were the 25-29’s and the front of that age group often in tight fast moving groups would pass me late in the bike ride and that was always nerve wracking as they would generally be going 10kph faster than me in large enough groups and would buzz me/other 55-59’s to sling shot past us. In St. George it was no fun coming down Snow Canyon at close to 80 kph and having these guys buzz me at 95 kph !!! Lahti and Taupo at least it was not in dangerous stretches, but in Marbella, it could be on the long downhill. If the wave spacing is the same with 60-64 going befoe 55-59, then I will have a clean shot on the downhill (I am not worried about 55-59’s who pass me, they are respectful).
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Neat!!! I thought they couldn’t make the lists public due to privacy laws in the EU.
Sportstats are the company doing all the slot calcs for IM, and are US based, Perhaps they can get away with it, or just loaded it early in preparation for posting results/tracking. Not sure…. but it is there 
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I am in your age group, my first Worlds apperance. This summer’s focus was on Maryland so until late last month I probably got 5000 feet of climbing my whole block leading up to race day.
Interesting that everybody is nervous about climbing - I did Marbella (standard course) in 2019 and I do not remember the climbs to be super hard or particularly steep. I am more worried about the descent: In 2019 there was quite a bit of wind coming from the sea and the fact that the descent isn’t technical didn’t really help because people were barrelling down the final stretch in what looked to me like an attempt to dive bomb Puerto Banus…
Does anyone know where the wave starts/order are posted. I see race start time at 8 am (that’s good, because I imagine it would be close to pitch dark at 7 am 6 weeks AFTER the equinox when there is probably 14 hrs of darkness). Time change in Europe is this weekend so that should help the morning light vs darkness equation.
@Billabong see you in Marbella, and hopefully you had a great race at IM Maryland!
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We are all waiting for the long overdue Athlete Guide! It will be posted here
On Sunday (men’s race) sunrise is at 7:51 CET (local), a minute after the MPro start.
Note that the sun will rise at 110 degrees which will be fairly close to directly in the eyes on the outward leg (300m) of the swim and again the short leg 645m-865m and be even more in the eyes by 8:30. Of course this diagram is a schematic. I would be unsurprised if when laying out the buoys they seek to make the first turn an obtuse angle (ie less of a turn angle) and not consider that will put the ‘swim out’ even closer to the rising sun.
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When I did 70.3 Tangier Morocco, the race started at 7 am and the first leg of the swim was a disaster of no visibility with the sun just clearing the horizon and refecting directly off the whitecaps into our eyes. As we have to keep buoys to our left on the first leg, we will definitely be swimming into direct sun. Too bad the course does not go direct parallel to shore with coast on left shoulder and then do a wide U turn and come straight back and then you’d have sun on your right shoulder going out and left shoulder coming back. But it is what it is for everyone. Thanks for overlaying the sunrise line
A Slowtwitch Meet Up would be great
Maryland was great. I finished 6th in Age Group with 2nd fastest run. Only one slot rolled down and it was to 4th in my age group, 12 minutes ahead of me.
Replying to last post
To those flying out of the US to Spain, what are your thoughts and what have you heard with delays regarding ATCs. I hear on the news every day how some ATCs are taking second jobs and news personnel are stating they might be distracted or are calling in sick. I fly out of Logan and so far I’m not hearing about delays there. But have heard they are happening in Newark and LAX and a few other airports. .