But what will be lying in wait for those battling for the crown? With the help of race director Judy Stowers, we preview the full 2021 Ironman World Championship course.<\/p>\n
Before getting into the profile and conditions of the course, we wanted to find out just how similar the course would be to the one used in the 70.3 world champs, won by Gustav Iden in 2021<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cCertainly a fraction of it [is similar],\u201d explains Stowers. \u201cWe\u2019ve taken some pieces out of the 70.3 course and added to it so it\u2019s a better course from a standpoint of being able to navigate roadways, and so there\u2019s not as many out-and-back sections.\u201d<\/p>\n Some parts of the course are also similar to the full Ironman that was held in St George roughly a decade ago, which was won by USA\u2019s Ben Hoffman. As it happens, the 38-year-old will also be lining up at the start come race day.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> \u201cOur top priority is always the athlete\u2019s safety and athlete experience, so making use it\u2019s a safe course where we minimise the impact of having vehicles on the course [is key],\u201d says Stowers.<\/p>\n The course planners have also looked at how easy it is to get volunteers around the course, make sure the athletes have aid and ensuring assistance can get to athletes quickly if they need technical assistance.<\/p>\n Does much thought go into creating a course that\u2019ll put on a show for spectators and result in close racing? Stowers assures us the answer is a yes, with the how explained in her comments about the course.<\/p>\n Taking place in Sand Hollow Reservoir, the swim will be one loop of 3.86km with four major turns.\u00a0 What will conditions be like? \u201cIt\u2019ll depend on how things shake out with nature,\u201d admits Stowers. \u201cThis wind, it goes in every direction. We\u2019ve had perfectly calm waters in the reservoir and we\u2019ve had not calm waters.\u201d<\/p>\n Upon exiting the swim, athletes will go through transition and head out on the bike course with a gentle downhill, but as soon as they\u2019re out of the park, they\u2019ll start climbing.<\/p>\n \u201cIn that first 17 miles there\u2019s a lot that can happen. And then it climbs, and then it climbs, and then it climbs.\u201d<\/p>\n Upon exiting the swim, athletes will go through transition and head out on the bike course with a gentle downhill. As soon as they\u2019re out of the park, they\u2019ll start a gentle climb, followed by a steep downhill, which they\u2019ll have to come back up shortly after reaching the turnaround. \u201cIn that first 17 miles there\u2019s a lot that can happen. And then it climbs, and then it climbs, and then it climbs.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking about those climbs, Stowers said: \u201cOnce they get out past the halfway point it\u2019ll be a gradual climb until they get to the wall, as it\u2019s known as. It\u2019s a short switchback section that\u2019s maybe 7-8% gradient and last less than a mile. That\u2019ll be a kicker.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce they get back down and get onto that second smaller loop going up Snow Canyon, I think that that is where we\u2019ll see people be tested. You know, they\u2019ve made it through the biggest part of the climb and then at mile 98 they\u2019re going to hit Snow Canyon.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a gradual climb and just under four miles long, but it happens late enough in the race that if they haven\u2019t done proper nutrition and hydration \u2013 because it will be hot and likely a little bit windy in pockets \u2013 then they\u2019ll feel that when they get on the run.\u201d<\/p>\n From there, it\u2019s a fast downhill into T2. The first part of that descent is \u201cpretty significant\u201d, Stowers says, but then it\u2019s more gradual. \u201cWhen they make that turn on Main Street it\u2019s a very rapid downhill with a sharp right-hand turn into transition.\u201d<\/p>\n With a total elevation gain of 2,248m on the bike, the hills are understandably what people are speaking about, but that\u2019s not where Stowers thinks people will falter most. \u201cBecause it\u2019s hot and very dry here, if people don\u2019t stay on top of their hydration and their nutrition, that\u2019s going to be where they struggle.<\/p>\n \u201cLess so on the climbing, because I feel like people know there\u2019s climbing and have been training for that. But it\u2019s hard to train for dry heat.\u201d<\/p>\n After such a hilly bike, the organisers have tried to make the two-loop run course as flat as they can but, as Stowers admits, \u201cthere\u2019s not really anything flat in St George\u201d. That means a total elevation gain of 431m with four distinct inclines, the first of which comes at the very start.<\/p>\n \u201cThat slight downhill they came speeding down on the bike, they have to run back up,\u201d explains Stowers. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit deceiving. The first part is a pretty good little incline to get out to what we call Diagonal. Diagonal is an uphill portion of the race. It\u2019s gradual, but you\u2019ll feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n The course will take athletes on stretches in and out of the shade, with some more affected by wind than others, while the turnaround a turnaround at Mathis Park is said to be beautiful. Not that athletes will have much time to soak up the views.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Stowers admits the hardest part is on the way in and out of transition, where they have a short steep climb and then it\u2019s downhill back into town. But they have to do that a second time and the challenge, she says, will be getting back up that hill.<\/p>\n And the course looks set to add extra spice to the racing as the pros approach the both the start of that second loop and the end of the race. \u201cThe nice thing about the way the run course is designed is, with the little out and back in town, it\u2019ll create an environment in which the pros will know where the other pros are at,\u201d Stowers says.<\/p>\n \u201cThat happens right before they either go out for the second lap or make a left turn to the finish line. So anything that\u2019s been happening out on the course, in terms of battles, will really manifest itself on that last stretch right here in town.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s an exciting prospect, and with 150m from that left turn to the finish line, Stowers admits \u201cit\u2019ll be pretty fast and furious\u201d.<\/p>\n Speaking about the conditions, she had this to say: \u201cIt\u2019s always unpredictable. It\u2019s guaranteed to be hot. We\u2019re already seeing that upward trend of temperatures. We can expect nice cool temperatures in the morning \u2013 usually in the 60s (15-20\u00b0C). And then warming up to the hottest part of the day to the low to mid 90s (32-35\u00b0C).<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019ll probably be some wind in the afternoon. It\u2019ll depend on how things shake out with nature. This wind, it goes in every direction.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis course is stunning,\u201d says Stowers. \u201cThere is nothing that is going to compare to the scenery that they experience on this course. There\u2019s no part of this course that you don\u2019t just look up and see something magical.\u201d<\/p>\n Top image credit:<\/strong> Donald Miralle\/Getty Images<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section><\/body><\/html>\n By Rob Slade Published: Wednesday, 27 April 2022 at 12:00 am The Ironman World Championship will be taking place outside of Hawaii for the first time when it rolls into St George, Utah, on 7 May, which means seasoned Kona competitors have a new challenge to go at. But what will be lying in wait […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":13786,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"7"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/04\/ironman-world-championship-2021-course-preview.jpg",1800,1259,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/04\/ironman-world-championship-2021-course-preview-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/04\/ironman-world-championship-2021-course-preview-300x210.jpg",300,210,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/04\/ironman-world-championship-2021-course-preview-768x537.jpg",768,537,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/04\/ironman-world-championship-2021-course-preview-1024x716.jpg",800,559,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/04\/ironman-world-championship-2021-course-preview-1536x1074.jpg",1536,1074,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/04\/ironman-world-championship-2021-course-preview.jpg",1800,1259,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Rob Slade Published: Wednesday, 27 April 2022 at 12:00 am The Ironman World Championship will be taking place outside of Hawaii for the first time when it rolls into St George, Utah, on 7 May, which means seasoned Kona competitors have a new challenge to go at. But what will be lying in wait…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/13785"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How was the Ironman World Championship course route decided?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Ironman World Championship swim course<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2022\/04\/ironman-world-championship-swim-course-f29d63f-1.png?quality=90&resize=620%2C472"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Ironman World Championship bike course<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2022\/04\/ironman-world-championship-bike-course-ea870fd.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C479"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Ironman World Championship run course<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2022\/04\/ironman-world-championship-run-course-c4b0ae2.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C802"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>What will conditions be like at the 2021 Ironman World Championship?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2022\/03\/triathletes-cycling-at-ironman-st-george-5839eb5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>A final word on the course<\/strong><\/h2>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"