Roth 2014

I have always wanted to do this race and my original plan of Almere has been scuppered by my training partners in favour of this for 2014 I know there was a pirate trip there so my questions are Whats the easiest most cost effective way to get there Recommended accomodation How quickly does the race fill

Comments

  • Also interested in this!

  • we drove to Roth in 2010 - you can get there easily in a day from Calais (even including being held up for 3hrs due to an accident on the autobahn).  we stayed on a campste with a bunch of other pirates about 10k from the start and not far off the bike route - http://www.camping-waldsee.de/index.php?id=909&L=1  good campsite - has a lake for swimming, bar, restaurant etc

    the only downside was that you need to leave very early on race day to drive to the start as they close the roads for the bike leg early.  and wiith a split start/finish you then have to queue to get a bus back to the start to collect the vehicle unless someone has already done it and driven to the finish area in Roth.

    many flew over (can't recall which is the closest airport) and then got a train/taxi to Roth for hotels there.  same applies if staying in Roth about getting to the start.

    great course but there are logistically easier races!!  and it does fill quickly as it's an iconic event - has the fastest IM distance times which draws the crowds

  • Thanks FB the logistics put me off a bit but luckily my buddy loves that stuff image
  • i was planning to take next year off... but some people are talking about roth, and ive always wanted to see heartbreak hill. not convinced  yet, the logistics always put me off; it sounds like theres not too much to do in the area before/after the race?

  • NS - the Roth area is very much rural, albeit very pretty, and Roth itself is OK as a town with the usual mix of small town bars and eateries.  we managed to get a good piss up going on the day after the event in 2010 OK....image 

    Heartbreak Hill is great 1st time around as it's absolutely crowded but the crowds are much thinner on your 2nd lap (unless you're at the pointy endof the bike!) and quite disappointing in comparison - it just becomes another hill then.

  • Nearest airport is Nuernberg.

  • also meant to say that there is a no-facility campsite next to the start - it's just a grassy field with (I think) a water supply and some temporary toilets but nothing else to speak of.  fine if you like roughing it but Camping Waldsee by comparison is luxury!

  • Logistically I hated this race on race day. The rest of the time (at the camp site, which was lovely) was great. Perhaps because there were quite a few of us there though? We had a little field all to ourselves, except for one man who decided to camp next to Pkim image

    For supporting I found it very stressful indeed. If I had my time again, I would make sure I was confident on a bike & cycle around but I wasn't. If you are taking support crew with you, it's worth considering. Also, when we desperately wanted to get to the finish area to see one of our DNF Pirates, it was about 6kms away but we had to drive 40kms just to try to get there and it was horrendous! In that part of the country very few people spoke English, which wasn't helpful in that situation.

    However, Funkin loved it as a race and would like to do it again one day he says image

  • I've raced there 4 times, as any Pirate will tell you I just love that race. We've supported there too, using mountain bikes to get around the course, it's quite easy to get to the Solarer Berg from the swim area and then retrace your way back past the canal and ride up the tow path to the Landing where the out and back runners are crossing. From there you just follow the run course to get over to the finish area.

  • Support crew not a problem as its ptobably just racers going this is starting to look like a goer

    Wolfie how quick does the race fill and when do entries open?
  • Entries for the next year usually open on the Monday following the race, so that will be 16 July 2013. Hard to say when it will fill up but it's filling faster every year. Some spots are already gone by the time the online entry opens up as they have a policy of allowing this year's competitors early registration for next year right after the awards ceremony.

    If you do enter, LJS and I will probably come and support.

  • So far got at least 5 deffos in our group if we decide to go for it so a nice little group to share accomodation etc Wolfie any tips for accom? Dont do camping if its Ironman image
  • We don't either, need a bit of comfort! In Roth itself there's hotels "Zur Goldenen Krone" and Hotel-Pension"Seerose", some have stayed above the Pizzeria but that is currently closed looking for new owners. There are several villages not far away, we've stayed in the "Landhotel Zum Boehm" which is about 10 mns drive from Roth, two hotels in Kuhedorf Buechenbach, "Landgasthof Kraft" and "Gasthaus Zum Heidenberg" they are opposite each other and always full of triathletes from everywhere, about 15mns drive. A little further away is Schwanstetten, Gasthaus "Zum Schwarzen Adler", we've stayed there too. If you look up Roth on the web and contact the Tourist Information they can send you a brochure listing all the accommodation in the area with maps etc. Accommodation fills up pretty quickly. Whatever you do, don't pick somewhere like Greding which is at the bottom of the bike loop, it's too far away frm the centre. Some of the Pirates also stayed in a Holiday Inn somewhere in the area but not sure of the town name.

    Should add, accommodation fills so quickly because there are supporters who go to see the race every year and book the same rooms for the next year when they leave this year.

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