Originally published at: IRONMAN Worlds Check-In: What Are the Pro Men Up To in Nice? - Slowtwitch News
With 59 men in the pro field in Nice for this weekend’s IRONMAN World Championship, there is a lot going on in town. It can be tough to know who to follow and where to find updates on athletes, but that’s where we come in. We have scoured the social media of these few dozen pros, looking for what they’re up to in their final few days before the race. Here are a few to get started, but don’t worry, we’ll keep you updated with follow-up articles in the days to come.
A Full Day for Marquardt
American Matthew Marquardt will be competing in Nice for the second time (he finished 11th in 2023), and he has already been in town for a few days, familiarizing himself with the course and terrain. Just as with his everyday life at home, Marquardt has been very busy in France. On Tuesday, he posted a mini day-in-the-life vlog from earlier in his stay in Nice.
He started with a 6 a.m. wakeup, followed by an hour swim at 7:15. After drying off and changing, he set off for the Centre Antoine Lacassagne, which is one of the premier cancer centers in the country. Marquardt is in medical school at Ohio State University, and he does a lot of fundraising for cancer research (particularly with the nonprofit Pelotonia), so he was eager to visit the hospital while in town. While there, he visited with patients (he brought them Ohio State beanies) and got a tour of the facilities.
Right after his visit to Centre Antoine Lacassagne, he went for a three-hour bike ride, which he followed up with an hour-long run. After that, he ate supper, then got to bed early. It was certainly a busy day, but compared to Marquardt’s regular schedule of balancing training, med school and philanthropy work, it was likely pretty chill for him.
Rudy von Berg’s Final Prep
Rudy von Berg has had tremendous showings at the past two IRONMAN World Championships. Last year, he finished in third place in Kona, crossing the line in 7:46:00 (the fastest-ever result by an American at the World Championship), and in 2023 in Nice, he finished just off the podium in fourth. He has had two other great results in Nice previously, winning the full-distance race in 2022 and finishing third at the 2019 70.3 worlds.
Von Berg has released a YouTube video outlining his expectations for Sunday’s race and what he’s doing in his final few days of prep. He gets right down to business at the start of this video, saying that, “After being fourth and third, it’s kind of hard to expect or to want much less than the podium.”
He continues, saying that he knows “the competition is quite fierce” and that he thinks a top-five result would be respectable, but even so, he knows he won’t be satisfied with anything off the podium.
The video features in-depth training info from von Berg, as well as from his coach, Mikal Iden. It’s a great look into what it takes to perform alongside the world’s best, and it will get you itching for more IRONMAN World Championship content.
Leon Chevalier Hits the Bike Course
If you want to see stunning shots of the Nice bike course, Frenchman Leon Chevalier’s Instagram is the place to go. He invited his partners at Precision Fuel & Hydration along for a bike ride recently, and the video (which is posted on his Instagram) showcases some of the course’s many tight turns, steep climbs and speedy descents.
Sam Long’s Countdown to Nice
Sam Long has been training in Europe for the summer in preparation for the IRONMAN World Championship, and with just a few days to go to the race, he is dropping a new mini series on YouTube called Countdown to Nice. So far, there are three episodes out.
The first episode features shots from a training ride that ended earlier than planned. Long was descending a hill when his tire popped. Thankfully, the incident didn’t get any worse, and he was able to brake without any further damage. The other half of the episode features some more familiar faces, as he hit the pool with Kristian Blummenfelt, Gustav Iden and Casper Stornes.
Episode 2 features more of the Norwegians, as well as Sam Laidlow, and the third episode includes a look into his bike setup, as well as a surprise visit from doping control. If you don’t already follow Long on social media and YouTube, this series is a great reason to start.
Casper Stornes and Destination Nice
When most people discuss the Norwegians in Nice, the first names that come to mind are the above-mentioned Blummenfelt and Iden, but Stornes is ready to do something special on Sunday. He has had a great season so far, finishing fifth at IRONMAN Texas in April and third in Frankfurt in June (recording a remarkable 7:29:48 result).
He has a YouTube series (produced by his nutrition sponsor, Omni-Power) called Destination Nice that is documenting his training and build to race day. Unlike some of the other athletes’ YouTube series, Stornes’s Destination Nice episodes are easily digestible, all coming in under 10 minutes.