Hi All,
I asked this 3 years ago and ended up in Cork for the Ireland Ironman, which was a great trip w/ the family. I am looking for a new adventure - any recs? Will be traveling with young kids but they know the deal by now…
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What time of year?
Another US athlete here and had an amazing time in Kalmar. Really great venue and people. Several hotels right next to absolutely everything race related and also plenty of restaurants so we didn’t need a car at all. The only other European IM races I have done were Nice and Cork. Kalmar does not have the epic bike course of either of those but it’s flat and fast and a really nice swim and nice run with lots of spectators. Only down side is it sells out really fast so you definitely have to plan ahead. We spent several days in Stockholm after. Really enjoyed the time there and would do it again.
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Summer is preferable with kids being out of school @WhittleFit
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I was eyeing Switzerland at the end of a work trip this year, but couldn’t find a bike to rent. Looks like a pretty incredible course.
I have done Kalmar, Barcelona and Nice. Enjoyed all of them.
For Kalmar, there are three hotels nearby, and all are locked up by Nirvana. It’s worth it to be in one of them but be aware you’ll be paying their markup.
Nice and Barcelona (Calella) have quite a few more options nearby.
Can you say what you and your family are looking for? Do you have any priorities? ease of travel, entertainment for kids, cost, race course?
My initial instinct without knowing anything is to say Switzerland. It’s a fantastic course, fantastic location, travelling around by train is a doddle, and has pretty good direct flight options from the US (at a quick glance). When are the school holidays? July/August
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Ironman Vichy is back in 2026. It is a great race if you fancy a hilly bike. The run course is super spectator-friendly with laps around the river right in the city center. Vichy is a very welcoming city, they’re used to large events and locals are happy about visitors crowding their streets. Tons of accommodation/rentals, great food, lots to do/visit around. I also flew from the US when I did it, and I hope to be back racing there one day.
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yes july / august is summer break. would love to travel throughout the country via train post race. some fun parks and things for children is a plus but they have ipads these days so will go where we take them.
I would recommend Copenhagen then! August race, easy swim, flattish bike, flat run in the capital creating amazing atmosphere.
City is small with amazing public transport so so easy to get around. You can walk the whole city easily. You did not me tion age of the kids, but small ones the city is littered with amazing playgrounds. The food scene is bar none in the world. Lots of good museums, amusement park etc.
Lots of good spots for beer etc., and as you americans always say about cph, extremely safe. Ple to see in city center, train gets you quite far too.
Only downside is it is fu**** expensive…
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So possible options:
Nice and Frankfurt June 28th if you want to start summer a few days early.
Switzerland July 5th.
Vitoria Gastiez July 12th - Tour de France starts in Barcelona on July 4th before going up to the Pyrenees so not too far away. Also from reports from friends it’s an excellent event
Kalmar - Sweden and Copenhagen August 15th and 16th but both sold out very quickly
Tallinn Estonia August 22nd
Vichy France August 23rd - I know nothing about this race but will be looking it up after the recommendation of @ALG
From what is available I’d go 1. Switzerland, 2. Vitoria Gastiez 3. Any of the rest.
But if Copenhagen was available I’d probably do that one
Nice, FR or Thun, Switzerland but Thun gets the edge. Closed roads for the bike and the best pavement in the world. Swim in crystal clear cool water and run along the river. Absolutely gorgeous. Biggest drawback is that the U.S. dollar is 25% weaker than the Swiss Franc.
where did you stay for Thun? airbnb or hotel?
Kalmar is a very small city with far more than 3 hotels. Most of the hotels are central.
I was going to say, maybe things have changed since I raced in 2018 but we booked our own hotel, not through Nirvana, and the swim start was about 200m from my hotel room.
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If you could make June then I’d vote for Austria. But I’m biassed as it was my first one and where I got engaged. Super fast bike course. Swim is mostly in a crystal clear lake, then finishes with a jetflume like length down a canal where the draft effect has you feeling like an olympic freestyler.
When I was doing it I found more options yes, but looked like they were west of the peninsula where the race starts. And I was booking fairly well in advance.
Heard lots of great things about Thun but I found it very difficult to find a good affordable hotel and then optes against it.
Vichy was my first, I am glad to see it back. The bike course is great but swim bit nasty and run has barely any spectators outside of the IM zone. Hotels plenty and affordable.
Frankfurt has a great swim but expect traffic jams on the way to the swim, triathletes lose their shit there. I like the rolling bike course, and amazing support on the run- like second to none, its really insane how many people are at the sidelines.
Calella has amazing swim, a draftfest on the bike and a narrow run at times, with great atmosphere. The whole city vibes IM. It goes thru the city and needs a bit more space on the run. Hotels very affordable and many.
I also did Les Sables but its not happening next year. I think Vitoria sounds fantastic but I imagine its a hassle to get there. Klagenfurt is also really beautiful and at least reachable by plane and train.
Cant speak for Kalmar or Kopenhagen.
Walking distance to race village and start and it’s right on the lake.
which hotel?