Just posted up on the Ironman Website. After the race finished this weekend Ironman have now confirmed that next year it will be a 70.3 in Bolton. There was a 23% DNF rate this year and the race has a reputation for being pretty brutal. Shame.
…and Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 is cancelled too.
Not only is the course brutal in terms of ascent, the road surface is staggeringly bad in lots of places. I’ve raced both the full and the ‘one off’ 70.3 in 2021 (where parts of the course near the end were little more than a farm track). It is a shame that a better course couldn’t be found because the event and crowd support is generally great.
Gotta wonder if they’ll announce another race in the UK. It’s a pretty big market and they now have more WC slots to give away than ever.
I think the problem with the UK is that its not mainland Europe and there are quite a few non branded 140.6 races that historically get filled - although post covid that is no certainty any more. Anyone outside the UK either wants to race here for a particular reason, or has multiple European races to choose from. Ironman Wales is will probably end up being the only full distance race. I cannot see that one disappearing it has amazing local support and is still a WPRO qualifier for Kona slots. I guess if Ironman cannot make their $$$ out of it anything is possible - as they say 
…and Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 is cancelled too.
Unfortunate. This route had majority great road surface (for the UK). I would be interested to know why Bolton was chosen over Staffs for future 70.3?
I noticed at Stafford this year they moved the finish line to what looked like the back of / delivery area of some of the shops on the high street (I could be wrong though) so maybe ironman had issues getting access to the high street and maybe other stuff and can’t be bothered anymore
Also Stafford is a ruddy nightmare logistically with the split transitions
.
I noticed at Stafford this year they moved the finish line to what looked like the back of / delivery area of some of the shops on the high street (I could be wrong though) so maybe ironman had issues getting access to the high street and maybe other stuff and can’t be bothered anymore
Also Stafford is a ruddy nightmare logistically with the split transitions
Thank for the clarification, I didn’t race there this year. Agreed on the split transition unpleasantness.
…and Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 is cancelled too.
Unfortunate. This route had majority great road surface (for the UK). I would be interested to know why Bolton was chosen over Staffs for future 70.3?
Don’t they sign contracts for agreed number of years with local stakeholders? If so probably because Staffs has run out and Bolton still has some years to run.
Wonder how Weymouth will fair. I think Challenge have been smart taking on London. If they can get extended road closures for a decent 70.3 distance then it will do very well. Non UK folk are more likely to come to London than the IM locations.
Stafford 2022 = 1647 finishers
Stafford 2023 = 1211 finishers
😬
.
UK has the Outlaw which is a pretty big full distance at half the price, logistically easy, central location, easy ish course but can get you quite close to an IM vibe.
I’d imagine IM would love to snaffle it up, but they’ve not succeeded so far.
…and Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 is cancelled too.
Unfortunate. This route had majority great road surface (for the UK). I would be interested to know why Bolton was chosen over Staffs for future 70.3?
Did you race? If so, I hope I never ride where you live! The first 8 miles are some of the worst roads I’ve raced on! It’s pretty good after that, but that section is terrible, especially as it’s on narrow roads and people overtake like maniacs
Just posted up on the Ironman Website. After the race finished this weekend Ironman have now confirmed that next year it will be a 70.3 in Bolton. There was a 23% DNF rate this year and the race has a reputation for being pretty brutal. Shame.
sad to read this,
It was one race in my bucket list. But as I live in Spain, it is much more expensive to travel to UK after BREXIT than race in Center Europe. So I am doing first races as Frankfurt, Austria… I would race Roth or Switzerland this year (but I am injuried).
I hope that IM Wales will be mantained.
I don’t think that Ironman Europe are not doing their numbers, so many races need to be discontinued (so people would concentrate in less events). let’s see which events will be the survivors
I don’t think that Ironman Europe are not doing their numbers, so many races need to be discontinued (so people would concentrate in less events). let’s see which events will be the survivors
Yes. I did Ironman Lanzarote in May and the numbers there were significantly down on what they have been when I have taken part previously. Having said that the atmosphere there was brilliant as always.
Perhaps changing full distance to 70.3 as they did with Bolton will become more the norm? Easier event to manage, more athletes prepared to do the 70.3 as opposed to the 140.6 which is a much bigger commitment for age groupers, and still has the Ironman badge associate with it. In other words, more athletes for less management and outlay = more profit.
There are 67 million people in the UK, and all they can muster is 1 full in IM Wales? That is very worring! Should easily be 2.
Denmark and Sweden have 2, 1 day apart and fill out reasonably.
…and Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 is cancelled too.
Unfortunate. This route had majority great road surface (for the UK). I would be interested to know why Bolton was chosen over Staffs for future 70.3?
Did you race? If so, I hope I never ride where you live! The first 8 miles are some of the worst roads I’ve raced on! It’s pretty good after that, but that section is terrible, especially as it’s on narrow roads and people overtake like maniacs
😂 Have to agree with this, having done the race twice but also lots of other 70.3’s its amazing how poor the surface is on this course. The first part out of T1 with the speed bumps is a joke, there is a climb through some woods which has a terrible surface and even the descents are rubbish as lots of them have really sharp turns in so you get nothing out of the climbs on the way up. I also think its this one where the first bike aid station was put at the bottom of a descent in a tiny village and there were a lot of crashes when I was last here
Weymouth is a much nicer bike course, the last 30km as you head back to the coast, on a good weather day is amazing.
There are 67 million people in the UK, and all they can muster is 1 full in IM Wales? That is very worring! Should easily be 2.
Denmark and Sweden have 2, 1 day apart and fill out reasonably.
you assume that all UK population do full ironman, and that they do it locally.
Ironman (in Europe) is a kind of sport event, where you use a reason to do a travel. Of course that there are many people that would prefer to race in a close location of their home, but UK people love to travel, and there are many location with reasonable good weather (you know how the weather in UK is): France, Spain, Europe… and it would be not more expensive (as England is quite expensive).
Sweden and Denmark are also a candidate to fall… or even to organize one of them in even years (as they do with pros). In the same area and date you have also Poland and Tallin. Maastricht has been discontinued.
In France they have also 2 full distance (plus WC), but Ironman Provence was discontinued (only 1-2 years). In Spain, Ironman Mallorca also discontinued.
Ironman 70.3 is more profitable by sure… but in the long term, Ironman owes to Full Distance… if most of the races are 70.3 the may loose the attraction of the brand.
Ironman Lanzarote is also in risk, less than 900 finishers…
…and Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 is cancelled too.
Unfortunate. This route had majority great road surface (for the UK). I would be interested to know why Bolton was chosen over Staffs for future 70.3?
Did you race? If so, I hope I never ride where you live! The first 8 miles are some of the worst roads I’ve raced on! It’s pretty good after that, but that section is terrible, especially as it’s on narrow roads and people overtake like maniacs
😂 Have to agree with this, having done the race twice but also lots of other 70.3’s its amazing how poor the surface is on this course. The first part out of T1 with the speed bumps is a joke, there is a climb through some woods which has a terrible surface and even the descents are rubbish as lots of them have really sharp turns in so you get nothing out of the climbs on the way up. I also think its this one where the first bike aid station was put at the bottom of a descent in a tiny village and there were a lot of crashes when I was last here
Weymouth is a much nicer bike course, the last 30km as you head back to the coast, on a good weather day is amazing.
Agreed - Weymouth is probably my favourite IM race I’ve done. Bike course is awesome, I love how the last third is so fast but also get a bit of rest before the run! The locals in Weymouth don’t seem too keen on the race though from what I’ve seen.
…and Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 is cancelled too.
Unfortunate. This route had majority great road surface (for the UK). I would be interested to know why Bolton was chosen over Staffs for future 70.3?
Did you race? If so, I hope I never ride where you live! The first 8 miles are some of the worst roads I’ve raced on! It’s pretty good after that, but that section is terrible, especially as it’s on narrow roads and people overtake like maniacs
I did! And now I want to race and ride where you ride, when a 10% section of bad road compared to majority smooth tarmac and a few technical descents are worth complaining about. I clearly need higher standards.
That’s a real shame. One I would have loved to have done in future. I was lucky enough to do the Wimbleball 70.3 amd it was a big loss when that one was discontinued. Weymouth 140.6 was a one off I think? Wales is a great race but it’s not good to see Bolton discontinued.