Let me start off by saying that no, I haven’t raced in Kona. But I did race the 2021 IRONMAN World Championships in St. George last year. Nice was to be my 8th IM. I’ve also qualified and attended three IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, including the 2019 edition also in Nice.
Pre-Race
I got into town on Wednesday with a couple days to relax and sightsee after a couple days in Paris taking the TGV (high speed rail) into town. It’s a direct train with a travel time of about 6 hours. They are super comfortable and a great way to travel in Europe. Nice is a gorgeous town on the Mediterranean. You have a couple options to get there, there is a large airport with direct and connecting flights to the US or as I already mentioned, fly into Paris and take the TGV. Housing is plentiful (and most places I looked at had no minimum stays), terraces abound and are a nice perk given the amazing weather that’s typical in Nice.
There was a nice buzz in town coming into the weekend, the local people I talked to seemed happy to have us there and very friendly, and most everyone speaks at least some English. The town is large enough so as to not feel too triathlon-centric. Speaking of sightseeing, Nice is a great take-off point to visit other Cote d’Azur towns and Monaco, to either do before the event or to extend the trip afterward. I can’t speak to how kid-friendly things are, but there is the beach, but be aware the beach isn’t what you would think of. It’s small pebbles. Bring water shoes or sandals. However I can say the town is definitely great for couples, with lots of restaurants and bars, museums, and shopping.
The expo was nice, but not huge. I got to see my first Vinfast car in-person. The banquet was average at best. I found the food disappointing, especially for France. I understand it’s challenging to cook for 2000+ people at once, but still felt they could have done better. The program was ok, there was some odd choreography with luggage and chairs, a nice singer and an ok Cirque du Soleil-styled act. Then they went into the speeches and videos, which featured lots of history and – the elephant in the room – comparisons to Kona. Historically, Nice was the “other” major race of the year. I recommend reading Iron War by Matt Fitzgerald if you want a good history of the dynamic between the two races.
Race Logistics and Race Day
Bike and gear check-in on Saturday was super quick and efficient. Transition was very narrow and very long. Race day started with the pro athletes, and then age-group waves with an in-water start – not the time trial starts we had at the World Championships in St. George or the 70.3 Worlds I’ve done. The non-wetsuit swim didn’t surprise me with the practice swims earlier in the week and having been in Nice in 2019 for 70.3 WC. The swim course was unique with the “M” shape. (editor’s note: It’s not the first time – we had this shape at the re-located IRONMAN Florida event in Haines City, just had to do it twice). No showers coming out of water, which would have been nice given the (to me) high salinity of the water.
The bike course is beyond beautiful and its beauty is equally matched with its brutality. Biking through small towns perched on the side of the Maritime Alps is magical, the number of random people on the side of the road or in towns cheering us on with “allez, allez, allez” or “bravo” was nice and encouraging. My biggest beef with the course are the downhills. Even as someone that considers himself a good bike handler the narrow twisting roads were not super fun for me. Add in the speed bumps and humps, and there were lots of ejected gear and a number of crashes.
The run course is the complete opposite of the bike. It’s pancake flat with 4 out-and-back’s. The nice thing, though, was the amount of crowd support with the condensed course and the ability to see friends and supporters multiple times. It also brought about a different challenge for the pros and top-end age groupers as they could play mind games seeing each other multiple times per lap. And, as always, the volunteers were amazing.
Invariably the question everyone has is “did it feel like a world championship race and event?” I can’t speak to the Kona comparison, but the course is definitely worthy of the World Championship name. Combine a non-wetsuit ocean swim, a highly challenging and technical bike course, and a very exposed arguably slightly easier flat run course and it makes for a great combination. The overall experience felt world-class. It was definitely a notch up from a “regular” IRONMAN. And it felt to me more like a “world championship” than the experience St. George last year. Time will tell if people embrace it as on par with Kona.
I hope they do, change is good. It’s an amazing venue and course.
Photo 1: Donald Miralle for IRONMAN
Photo 2: Sylvain Thomas for IRONMAN