Any Inputs on Ironman70.3 Tangier Morocco

Triathlon Forum
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My life worked out in a way that I can get literally get across to Tangier Morocco as easily as getting to US West Coast from where I live, and having never gone to Morocco I’m heading over this weekend. Assuming I get through, I’ll post a report on what its all like, but if anyone on here did it last year or the year before would love your inputs on the race.

There were a few European options in the last ten days (Cascais Portugal, Marbella, Greece, Croatia). Marbella and Tangier were the easiest to get to (one stop connection in Paris CDG) and Marbella was sold out and I’ve never been to Morocco and it sounded kind of epic swimming technically in the Straights of Gibralter.

The bike course sounds hard (1000m climbing), run flat on ocean front, swim in Ocean but wetsuit temps.

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Lot’s of nice hotels along the coast to stay in with a 10 minute walking distance for the swim start, T1 & T2, just to the side of the Marina. Water is colder than you expect but flat, no current. Salty for sure. It’s one big clockwise loop. The bike starts flat with about 5 miles (8K) loop and then you swing by the transition into a really high end area of the city. The bike is tough climbing with coastal winds of the Atlantic Ocean when you get on the other side of the bike climb. It’s long and steep in parts, few rest breaks. Beautiful views. There are a couple of spoke outshoots after the first, far turnaround. Expect winds to your back and in your face. Tough climb when moving back inland from the Atlantic. Long mostly, parts are steep. Then it’s a fast down hill to T2. The run is flat on cement along the sandy beach. Three loops. Lots of resident walking traffic during the race ON the run course. Look out for people not paying attention to the runners. No shade. Hot if sunny. The race started cool and cloudy and went clear and hot two years ago. Prepare accordingly. Tangiers is great place to enjoy after the race. Very unique on the IM circuit. You will not be disappointed.

The Croatia race is a beautiful setting as is Greece.

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Do please provide feedback, I will probably do it next year - I live in France. Enjoy the race !

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I made it over to Tangier. It was dead easy from Ottawa Canada…5 pm flight to Paris, got in at 11:30 pm Ottawa time (so it was like a day flight…did a bunch of work, watched a movie). 11:30 pm is 5:30 am in Paris, 4 hrs layover in Paris literally walked 150m between gates and slept 3 hrs on a bench, then caught my 2:20 long flight to tangier and I was in my hotel at 1 pm local time. Went for a walk, built up my bike, went for a run by the beach. The boardwalk (which is actually a concrete walk as you pointed out) is definitely beautiful, but that’s going to beat up my already old quads !!!

Next morning I did the bike main out and back over the mountain to the cape Spartel between Mediteranean and Atlantic…definitely an epic ride, crazy crazy winds by the airport. Almost got blown off bike three times, but was OK. Riding back into town was a bit crazy local traffic (I was coming back into town at noon) but that’s my fault.

Had lunch overlooking the Straight or Gibraltar and Spain on the other side.

Before dinner I swam in the Strait/around 1.5km from swim location. I swam with my 3mm shorty farmer john wetsuit that I like to use for training. I only use the long sleeve one in races. I was OK for 20 min (water likely around 18C), but will be glad to have full suit on race day

Some pics from the ride on the course

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There is a chance of rain on race day, so those descents and cross winds will be dicey if that happens. Forecast keeps changing so who knows. We had a nice warm 26C day today, but race day is supposed to be 14-18C range.

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So impressed you are still at it and exploring new triathlon destinations, Dev. You are a lifer, for sure.
Zoe and I spent a couple of weeks in Morocco in the late '90s, taking the ferry from Algeciras in Spain to Ceuta, then ferrying back from Tangier to Algeciras. We were doing our usual travelling on a shoestring budget, and I remember eating lots of dates, olives and baguettes to keep our costs down. Back then, I never could have imagined there would be a 70.3 in the area.
Best of luck at the race!

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Dev- just watched CTV National News who reported major rainfall and flooding in Morocco. What are the conditions like on the ground and prospects for the race?

@Kid

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Honestly, that race looks like it would be awesome. Always wanted to go to Morocco.

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Good luck mate…and stay away from the snake charmers.

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I rode the course and indeed awesome course, and location beside straits of Gibraltar is pretty insane. Will report back on logistics, but so far very easy once you fly in.

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It is definitely the anti Esprit Course…think Nice like climbs (2x300m climbs) with Muskoka in between (total around 1000m) and wind like Hawi !!!

Run is flat like Esprit. Swim has had whitecaps every day I was in straits.

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“On the morning of the competition, you will start on the Mediterranean coast where the calm and temperate water will mark the beginning of your adventure.” From their website, you think maybe a PR guy wrote that one.

Then I looked at the bike course profile and it looks like someone chucked in a quick couple of tours of Gibraltar, if there’s Barbary apes and they nick your food, look for the cannons.

And finally a run at sea level under a Mediterranean sun. So you’ll be well and truly cooked.

Hope you have a great day Dev, it will be different.
I’m almost jealous, different is always fun.

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Here are some details form Tangier today.

As it turns out I biked only 12 minutes slower than Esprit with 2xGibraltar equivalent climbs…and ran 7 min faster.

The swim at sunrise going straight into the sun was a massive clusterf&*k for ME as I went somewhat off course, and then got clobbered at a buoy (that’s why it is tri racing not a swim meet). The bike course as you said seems to feature two Gibraltar equivalent climbs one on the way out and then on the way back from Cap Spartel (where Atlantic and Med meet). The winds in the middle 45 km of the course on the rollers just ate you alive (I ended up at 2:48 with 1100m climbing), but things go quickly because you are constantly changing scenery. The best part is all the roads are closed and with around 500-600 in the race, lots of room on pristine pavement. The run course is all concrete and with my lack of run training I was fading around 1 min per loop (3.5km out and back). It did not get too hot. Temps were comfortable all around.

Even with my horrible swim, I was 6th in the swim, then 4th in the bike…but the run well I was 16th…ended up 7th thanks to my bike. Being the old guy in the age group (today I turned 59, my run is really bad compared to the 55 year olds…oh well). Final splits 34+2:48+1:59+6 ~ 5:29 (so I was just a bit slower than Muskoka and a bit faster than St. George)

. I’ll take that as I find it really hard to travel east and race in the middle of my REM sleep (I got here on Wed and the 7:45 start time is 2:45 back home and not really enough time to adjust, but I am in the working world today and I can’t be gone for too long…my tradeoff is doing this stuff around work and just do what I can, versus wait till I retire and go on the MPro60-64 program (vs the MTech55-59 program LOL)

The race primarily has French, Spanish, Italian and British athletes…short flights from all of the above and in the case of Spanish athletes from southen Spain, they can drive over to the ferry and take a sub hour ferry ride and then be on the main beach strip and just walk to hotels and transition.

But it is a super easy race to get to from North America if you can fly direct to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Heathrow in London and take a one stop here. It took me barely longer than going to US West coast from Ottawa (total 9 hrs of flying plus a connection…most places US west coast take me 7 hrs including a connection).

So that is stop 6 on my 59 year old half IM Tour (St. George, Tremblant, Muskoka, Penticton, Esprit Montreal, Tangier). One more stop to go in Taupo, but I figured while I can, I better go do all this (I had a few friends die in the last year at 57 and 59). I think I had my best race of the year after a mid year pause for a small back/disc procedure (thus the horrible running).

At this point I am 98 percent sure I will transfer my IM Ottawa entry fee to a half Ironman next year (and build up some type of a half IM tour again as I am already registered for St. George, my son wants to take a trip with me to do 70.3 Hawaii (he’s not planning to race, but he actually wants to vacation with me, which is rare for a 28 year old), Tremblant70.3 and Muskoka 70.3 and Challenge Quebec and Challenge Montreal are nearby.

While it is tempting to do a full IM at home, I don’t think my run is at the point that i can get thru a full IM without a lot of walking (most of my run training is 4-5km after my daily swims and one run per week that is 10km…enough to fake a half, but not enough for a full). I think I enjoy master swimming way more than long runs and lilke to do hard shorter rides in the 90-150min range. That’s perfect for half IM

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Nice RR Dev.
Sounds like this was way more fun than the Esprit and better weather.

Bear in mind that next year you are young in an old group (tell me about it, I’m about to be ancient in an even older group). So most of the poor buggers can barely walk…you just did a sub 2 hr half marathon in the desert. Some might suggest that ain’t bad running.

Coupl’a dates and few beers and you’ll be right as rain.

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Dev:

Thanks for the post-race report. Glad the weather held for racers. Awesome bike leg for that course with the two giant climbs and wind. Its beauty though does make the race go fast no matter what the clock shows. Hope you experience a quick recovery. Good luck in Taupo.

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Nice job. Congratulations! And happy birthday!

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Sorry did not reply. Great to hear from you. We should do another one of this trips with you and Zoe again. Those trips to St. Croix were fun. The course here is very much like St. Croix,except smooth pavement. The swim is tougher, the bike around the same, but smooth pavement, the run way easier (flat), but the wind gets to you on the run here (or maybe I just suck at running compared to when we did St. Croix) . It did feel a bit hot out on the run on the concrete board walk (zero shade), but weather was mild. If it was high 20’s C and now shade, we would bake for sure.

In terms of being a lifer, I think with many years missed participating because I could barely walk from mishaps, forget about runnning, I am more appreciative of the ablity to do this stuff (many people have the ability and don’t use it…many days I feel like I may be a few wrong steps from not walking all over again LOL), plus with friends reaching close to retirement age dying before they could go “enjoy” what they want to do, I need to not be that guy who regrets missing out on other aspects of life because he was busy making other people rich (and essentially this is my job for my investors, BUT i need to take care of myself…I think I spent a few too many moments in the last three years sacrificing myself for investor outcomes and I still do, I just need to pull away for myself)