I am thinking about registering for Ironman Switzerland and would greatly appreciate some feedback from those who have done the race. Is it well run? Course info? How difficult are the bike course hills? Also, how quickly did the race fill up last year? Thanks in advance!
Raced filled up very quickly for this year’s race. Register as soon as possible.
Other points : Very well-run race and organization Beautiful location Nice bike course, not that difficult although with some hills Flat run course
Maybe not so strong points : Not a crazy atmosphere like you can get in Roth or other races in Germany
Here is my .02cf
- spectator friendly course. Bike passes the start/finish area 2x each of 3x laps. Run 4x (general proximity) each of 4x laps.
- bike course (3 laps) is very scenic. 1/2 the distance is FLAT, so you can hammer. The other 1/2 is split between a 1k 15%-ish ball buster and two moderate, 4-5k climbs.
- be very careful about nutrition. The orange Powerbar drink on course is very different than Gatorade. The same applies to the European vs USA food in general.
This is on my “do it again” list, even with the hassles in international travel with a bike, as well as the nutrition challenges.
YMMV, (Mo)Joe
Thanks for the info. I’ve never traveled internationally with a bike. What unusual problems might I encounter?
Actually, travelling internationally with the bike wasn’t any worse than domestically. We shipped the bikes home so we count tour a bunch after the race, and fly out from a different city, without having to drag the bikes around. Best recommendation is: fly in/out from Zurich. Try to arrange with a hotel to hold your bike/box while you tour, and pick it up on the way out.
Also, the race did not fill up anywhere near as quick as the NA races. But, if you really want to race, don’t wait based on my advice.
Joe
I did this race last year and will go back and do it again for sure. It’s a great race and very well organised. The Swiss are meticulous in their organisation.
The bike course has some beautiful scenery although I found it a lot tougher than I expected. There is a long hill on each loop and whilst not steep it seems to go on forever. The big hill (Heartbreak Hill) is steep but quite short and you have hundreds of cheering people there to spur you on.
You can get a good rhythum going on the long flats which make up over half of each loop though which makes it relatively fast.
The run is a little boring to be honest as it’s a 4 loop deal if I remember rightly. It’s flat though so again it’s fairly fast. This race is also filling up faster each year and i’d expect it would be filled in the next few weeks so I’d advise to get in quick. Good luck!
I registered last night. Real excited. but also a little nervous. I haven’t trained for an ironman for five years now. I guess it’s time to get busy.
Any suggestions on decent hotels near transition. Zurich seems expensive, so should I count on paying 250/night minimum?
I have booked at www.engimatt.ch - close to transition and the prices are ok.