Ironman Copenhagen 2015

I am looking at doing Ironman Copenhagen in 2015, is anyone doing it this year and if you have any feedback (good or bad) it would be really useful.  Also as I know you guys all like lists on this site, it might as well act as the 2015 Ironman Copenhagen list:

Zakalwe-Outlaw

Comments

  • I think Rosey (Ironrosey) is racing it this year. i'm sure he can give you the run down.

  • there's a few people around who've done Challenge Copehagen which is what it was before WTC took the event over to make it an IM event - essentially the same course I believe

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    I did it in 2011 when it was a Challenge race.  I think that was its second year.  It showed a bit, to be honest, as I felt it still had a few issues to iron out (pardon the pun) but I suspect those issues will have all been resolved now.

    Assuming nothing has changed (I've not checked).

    It's a split transition but T1 is well served by the underground.  We had no issues racking our bikes (biked out, underground return).  On race morning we got the underground to the swim start, very easy, lots of trains, no worries.

    The swim course is in a lagoon so its quite well protected.  It's one of the easiest swim courses to negotiate as your marker buoy is a boat!  You also swim under bridges, which are very useful to sight from.  It's not very salty.  Wave starts back then, but suspect not now.  When you exited the water your T1 bags were in (unmarked) lines on the floor, which means that if you were later out of the water, they were all soaking wet where people had run through, dripped over them plus kicked around all over the place.  There were no marshals to help you find your bag either.  I thought this was very poor.  Suspect this has been sorted out now.

    Bike course is like a lollipop, you bike up the stick, two loops of the lolly and back down the stick.  It's flat.  Very flat!  There's one longish drag which was also (sadly) into a headwind when I did it. Competent cyclists are potentially unlikely to need to come out of the big ring.  When I did it, I felt the could have done with another feedstation and more portaloos.  I bet there are more now.

    Split transition so T2 is in town.  They took your bike from you to rack it.  Your T2 bag was on a rack but you hadn't racked it (as you'd left it in T1 the day before).  The racking wasn't well marked, marshals seemed far too interested in their own conversations to help you.  Run course is flat around town.  It was very well supported (particularly as it was only in the second year of racing).  Feedstations weren't as well stocked as they could have been.  Suspect that's been resolved now.

    The year I did it the weather really deteriorated so there were very few spectators at the finish which made it feel a bit like a damp squib.  

    Marshalling at the end was awful, in as much as nobody was helping you find your bags, which were just in a big wet heap, in the rain, on the floor.  You had to find your own.  No clear security checking you out.  One of my bags was lost (though Challenge generously compensated me to replace all that was inside it).  Again, I suspect that WTC send their bag racks from venue to venue so that racking at swim exit and the finish will be a lot slicker now and security will be clearer.  Hopefully they've got more marshals on board to help too.  I didn't eat anything, so can't comment there. They had the big shower lorries, which I really rate at events.  I heard another athlete complain that the massage station had packed up and gone home already (I think there was still an hour of the event left to go.)

    All of those things are very minor in the delivery of the event.  As I say, I bet they are all long sorted now as it's been going several years.  In terms of the course, there are no parts of the bike or run course which strike me as being particularly difficult to overcome.  If anything, I'd say be prepared for it to be windy.  It's a lot like Outlaw really, in terms of the bike profile.

     

     

     

  • Mouse that is a brilliant race report thank you ever so much, aside from the split transition (what is it with Challenge events and that concept?) I am a little unimpressed with Challenge after my experience at Henley last year but most of the issues you highlighted are the sort of thing that WTC and the Ironman brand tend to be very very good at addressing.  The course sounds good though and I think it might be a really good European race for 2015. 

    Would you do it again?

    Cheers

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    No, I wouldn't but that's not necessarily a reflection of the race.  Another pirate did it the same year I did but I can't remember his forum name for the life of me, I can only remember his real name.  Argh!  If he logs on, he'll give you a view too.

    EDIT: I remember - Pit Stop Crew (PSC)

    I don't find split transitions a problem if they are well managed.  By contrast, Frankfurt couldn't do enough to help you.  They laid on free buses with huge bike trailers to take you out to the lake at T1 to rack.  There were also free buses to take you out there on race morning.  Then when you came into T2  on race day (in the city centre) the racks were very clearly laid out and labelled for you, not that you needed to know because they shouted your number up the line when you were coming in and your bag was ready for you as you walked into the tent.  It really wasn't a logistical problem though, so it wasn't the free buses that did it, it was the management.  You're coming into T2, which you've never seen before and you're a bit tired from cycling (!!) so you really need clear signage and supportive direction from marshals.  At Frankfurt (and to an extent Wales and Lanza) the marshals practically stripped you and got your ready for the next stage.  At Copenhagen, it just wasn't there.  The same at the finish.

  • Fair point, I felt the same way about Outlaw and UK 70.3 the marshalls were excellent and everything was very clear and done for maximum simplicity as they knew what they were working with.  I hope that now that it is part of the WTC piece those bits have improved, it sounds a little snobby but a really good course can be ruined by those little things which is why I would not go back to Henley. 

  • Just out of interest Mouse, where did you stay when you did the race?

     

  • It's on the maybe list for me Zakalwe.

    Getting to the point where its time to sit down with the wife and agree on next year's IM. She has given the Ok to go abroad but depends if she and the kids want to tag along. Copenhagen is in the school holidays so ticks that box

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    We stayed here:

    http://www.firsthotels.com/Our-hotels/Hotels-in-Denmark/Copenhagen/First-Hotel-Twentyseven/

    We got a really good deal.  Reading the website, I'm not sure they do it any more.  Breakfast was included but also something called a 'light dinner buffet' in the evening which we thought was going to be a few dried up old crackers and some cheese but turned out to be a full on buffet dinner.  So essentially we had bed, breakfast and evening meal in the price.  This was invaluable because Copenhagen is so expensive (as I'm sure you're well aware!)  The hotel is no more than 10 mins walk from the finish.  It is reported to be noisy at night but we didn't experience that and they supply ear plugs (!) If you can still get the inclusive evening buffet, I'd go for it.  If it's not included anymore, I guess you could find better options.

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    Regarding the noise factor, the hotel has a central quad which overlooks a bar.  I think they have outdoor facilities for the bar.  If those facilities were being used, it could be noisy.  It wasn't when we were there because it was quite rainy plus the hotel was full of athletes who weren't staying up particularly late.  Might be an issue if the weather was lovely.  I suppose it's something that could be discussed with reception to get a quiet room upon arrival.

    All that said, the key selling point was the inclusive breakfast and evening supper buffet, which I can't find detailed anymore so not sure it would be top of my list of potential venues now.

  • Mouse - That is an excellent steer cheers for that one, the noise should be ok to be honest I am a pretty heavy sleeper but will bear it in mind.  The 10 mins from finish line sounds very appealing and it looks good.

    Stanners - sounds like a plan is in the hatching there then. 

    I have a horrible feeling this event will be pretty quick to sell out (not quite Roth quick mind), just hope I can get a place now.  Am going to be away when it opens so have to hope the internet is still up and running.

  • Stanners from the Bridge wrote (see)

    It's on the maybe list for me Zakalwe.

    Getting to the point where its time to sit down with the wife and agree on next year's IM. She has given the Ok to go abroad but depends if she and the kids want to tag along. Copenhagen is in the school holidays so ticks that box

    That's a good point actually Stanners.  Given that a lot of events now sell out as soon as they are open for entry, I guess I should start earning brownie points and dropping large hints about next year's holiday plans.

    Lanzarote was allowed for me this year because we planned a family holiday around it.  Not sure she'd be so keen on somewhere like Copenhagen though.  Whether I'd be 'allowed out on my own' for a long weekend to an IM event is something I've only ever broached once before.  It was a very short conversation.

  • My secret wish list for next year is

    1st choice: Roth
    2nd choice: Frankfurt
    3rd choice: Austria

    All are during school time but if family want's to combine it with a holiday I'll happily compromise.

    If they don't then I have a real game of poker to play given Austria and Frankfurt will have sold out by the time Roth opens. In 2014 Roth sold out in a little over 3 minutes and their 2015 process means the first 1000 entires are going to racers at the 2014 event, so there is a good chance I won't get a place.

    Decisions decisions!

     

  • For 2015 the list is pretty good to be honest.

    Lanzarote IM

    Outlaw

    UK 70.3

    Copenhagen IM (I liked the sound of it now just need to enter the damn thing).  Roth would be excellent but sold out far too quickly this year.

  • Yup, I'm in for IM copenhagen 2015 image staying at park inn near the airport - this is my first time so hoping it will be a good one. Have you done any before and how's the training going? image

  • Right now that's done here is the race report:

    Firstly I finished and did it in 1330, not a PB but not bad.

    Organisation.

    the event has a split transition but it is well managed and everything is taken to the city centre on finishing so there is minimum fuss at the end.  The expo was good and the city is easy to navigate.  There are trams pretty much to the start line and they run from early in the morning so getting around is not an issue. We drove from the UK as my friend was unaware you could take bikes on a plane, we won't be doing that again.  We also used Air B&B and it was an awesome experience all round.

     

    Swim

    The rolling wave swim start was new and did mean everything was a bit calmer on the swim.  it is a sheltered swim and not too salty so a lot easier than a lot of the other sea swims.  I came through in just under 1.20 a PB for the swim in an event.

    Ride

    The Danes are excellent on the bike and it was solidly a 100 miles of being passed by 6ft leggy machines on carbon fibre TT bikes that cost more than my car.  The roads throughout would put Silverstone to shame and it's mostly flat with a small hilly section.  The feed stations were excellent, well located and longer than I remember for other events.  Also there was massive support on the bike course certainly as you came back into town.  I cracked the bike in 6.20 which I was happy with and more importantly ahead of my mate.

     

    Run

    It's four laps through town, aid stations feed both ways so there was plenty of food and fluid throughout.  Being critical its a bit of a boring course, but the topless models sun bathing on the veranda made for some moral boosting entertainment.  The crowd was fantastic with a real festival atmosphere.  They loved the pirate stuff, genuinely worked a treat.  I smashed about 22K before my mate got passed me and then to be honest the race took a turn.  I developed a splitting head ache and became seriously worried, fluid and food was good so I think it was the heat of the day getting to me. (I latter found that a friend on for 9.05 collapsed about 10 miles into the run with the same symptom).  Either way I abandoned the race plan and went into survival mode, walking the shade and tramping out the sunny parts.  Teamed up with another Brit and smashed out about 7K at a solid power walk both in good spirits.  I managed a run down the finishing tunnel and then piled in.

    Post Race

    A bit more direction would be helpful as a lot of people were milling around not sure where to go and that annoyed me to be honest.  Once you got to the athletes area it was well swept up, bit lacking in coffee or tea which is all I really wanted.  The T-shirt is a bit average but they all seem to be now.  The end of race stuff was ok, they brought the bike to a small collection area and all of the bags were centralised which made it easier.

     

    all in I enjoyed the event and would do it again but not next year.  If anyone is getting tattoos after the race Bell Air Tattoo was excellent.  Enjoy 

  • Well done Z

    Nice report image

     

Sign In or Register to comment.