Ironman lanzarote: Club La Santa IRONMAN Lanzarote
Why is the Lanzarote Ironman one of the Toughest in the World?
With an unusually high athlete dropout rate, the Lanzarote Ironman is considered one of the toughest sports events in the world. Do you dare to compete?
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The Lanzarote triathlon is a well known sporting event that has taken place during a weekend in May for the last 30 years. It is one of 37 meets which constitute the Ironman championships. Each meet consists of the same phases: there is a swimming section of 3.8 kilometres, a cycling stage of 180 kilometres, and a race on foot of 42.2 kilometres. These elements are carried out successively, with no interruption between one part and another. The Canary Islands Iron Man is considered one of the most difficult because it is undertaken in an extreme, highly variable landscape with unusual weather conditions. This is an ideal environment for ironman competitors who want to push themselves to the limit. Each year 2000 triathletes compete (half of whom are usually professionals). Overall, once the volunteers that help in the organisation and safety of the event are factored in, the ironman team involves more than 5000 people.
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What follows is a quick run down on the main parts of the Lanzarote Ironman. You might want to read this because you are thinking of taking part in the event yourself. Or you might just be intrigued to know what makes the Lanzarote Ironman such a gruelling physical challenge.
On your marks. Get set. Go!
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Race 1: swimming
One of the most challenging aspects of the Lanzarote Ironman is the swimming section which begins at 7 am. It is particularly arduous because it takes place in the Atlantic Ocean where they are strong, unpredictable currents. The most accomplished athletes complete the swimming test in about 45 minutes while the great majority clock in a time of between 75 and 90 minutes.
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Race 2: cycling
After the transition, the second race occurs on the back of a bicycle.
This stage in the Lanzarote Ironman is known as “the assassin” such is its difficulty. The bike ride leaves from Puerto del Carmen and passes through Tías and El Golfo before riders start on a wearying ascent of 2551 metres towards Mirador del Río, or, in English, the River Viewpoint. This climb takes place on uneven terrain with strong northerly winds. By the time most athletes have reached the vantage point and then returned to Puerto del Carmen, they will have been on their bikes for between 5 and half to eight hours. This is an extreme challenge.
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Race 3: running
The finale of the Lanzarote triathlon is a race on foot. The course consists of three laps around the Paseo Marítimo and Avenida de las Playas. The route is flat and has beautiful ocean views. The enemy for most athletes though is the heat. Running for 42.2 kilometres on a hot day with the sun overhead is exhausting, especially after having already completed the swimming and cycling sections of the ironman.
So, now you know what the Lanzarote Ironman is about, do you dare to compete?
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Ironman Lanzarote 2018 (Saturday, May 26th)
Iroman Lanzarote 2022
Lanzarote Ironman 2023 will be celebrated on may 20th.
Iroman Lanzarote
Ironman Lanzarote is, probably, the hardest triathlon in the world.
This is the category given to the Ironman Lanzarote whose first event was in 1992 with 148 participants.
This triathlon is a dramatic sporting event in its purest form.
More than 2000 ironmen and ironwomen begin at 7 am to swim 2.4 miles [3.8 km], ride 112 miles [180 km] on bicycle and end with a 26 mile [42 km] marathon on foot.
To get a better idea of the extent of the competition, the winner of the Ironman Lanzarote 2011 finished the brutal course in 8 hours and 59 minutes, but the average time is 12-13 hours.
Attending this show of human endurance can give you a real adrenalin rush.
The suffering that the sportsman goes through seems to be passed on to the audience who cheer him on, step by step, to reach the finishing line.
It is worth getting up early to go and watch the swimming contest on the Grande beach in Puerto del Carmen.
The 2000 athletes, wrapped up in their polyurethane coats that protect them from the cold ocean temperatures, warm up by hopping around while they wait for the gun shot to signal the start of the race. The first sprint to the shore and the way that they burst into the flat waters is a sight to see.
After the 2.4 mile swim [3.8 km], the athletes get on their bicycles.
They cycle around the island traveling from the South to the North and from the East to the West.
They pass by Salinas de Janubio, Timanfaya, La Geria, Teguise, Los Valles, Haría, Arrieta, Costa Teguise and then return back towards Puerto del Carmen.
It’s so nice to watch the cyclists’ silhouettes riding across the middle of these beautiful spots.
However, this can be the hardest part of the competition due to the constant wind in Lanzarote. The cheering from the people along the street helps give them extra motivation to persevere through the Ironman competition.
Those who finish the cycling part have to put their running shoes on and hit the road again.
The final marathon is kept for last with the little remaining strength that is left for endurance.
The volunteers provide constant hydration for these ironmen. The race takes place at the circuit between Costa Teguise and Puerto del Carmen, passing through Arrecife.
The 26 miles [42km] seem like an insurmountable obstacle, but the pain threshold seems to hold out.
It is not uncommon to watch one of these sportsmen lying on the ground suffering from a pulled muscle, doing some stretching exercises and then continuing on as if nothing had happened.
Nor is it strange to see them zigzagging along, to try and reach a provisions stand, then stop, drink some fluids, eat a few bananas and push on again.
What must go through their heads? How many times do they say to themselves “stop, you can’t go on any longer”? And what makes them continue as if nothing had happened and cross the finishing line?
Like everything else in life, the Ironman has an ending, and it’s always been a happy ending.
The last part is by foot and running around the noisy avenue in Puerto del Carmen turns into a unique tribute for each one of these giant men and women.
All those who have finished the 2.4 miles of swimming, the 112 miles of cycling and the 26 miles of running have agreed that, following a great many disasters, they get a new kind of adrenalin rush when they reach this point that gives their battered bodies one last push.
The smile painted on each chiseled face, the parents and children that accompany them on their last few steps, the open arms and kissing as they give themselves up at this momentous occasion…
If this isn’t pure happiness, what is? It must at least be something very similar to what these insanely dedicated people are feeling at that moment.
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.. Results of the team’s performance on October 9-10
The leitmotif of the past weekend was the grandiose triathlon celebration in Sochi, held by the Ironstar team. At the classic distance of 226 kilometers were:
Dmitry Krivonosov – 10:05:21
Dmitry Inkov – 10:20:23
Alexey Panchenko – 10:30:44
Ilya Dmitryuk – 10:37:08
Dmitry Pyshnyuk – 10:45:46 and debut
Andrey Smirnov – 10:51:06 and debut
Sergey Filatov – 10:52:30
Andrey Veselov – 10:56:13
Alexander Filatov – 10:58:17
Dmitry Yarmontovich – 11:34:21
Oleg Rybkin – 11:40:23
Denis Ivanov – 11:40:25 and debut
Sergey Eremin – 11:40:34 and debut
Kirill Ivanov – 11:56:05
Dmitry Shishkin – 12:07:34 and debut
Andrey Bakhturin – 12:12:28 and debut
Andrey Pavlov – 12:19:43
Oleg Sorokin – 12:20:55
Dmitry Gostev – 12:31:10
Irina Chistova – 12:44:55
Alexander Kruglov – 12:54:06 and debut
Tatyana Trapeznikova – 14:19:00 and 2nd place in the group, debut
here at 113:
Anton Permyakov – 4:33:20
Yuri Semyonov – 4:49:41
Ilya Pleshchinsky – 5:00:13
Maxim Kutepov – 5:06:18
Evgeny Rodnyansky – 5:09:03
Alexander Kotov – 5:14:50
Yulia Golyakina – 5:21:00 and 2nd place in group
Vadim Pavlov – 5:21:12
Andrey Edunov – 5:22:34
Daniil Chervontsev – 5:31:56
Roman Saranchev – 5:32:47
Hovhannes Hovhannisyan – 5:33:37
Natalya Kalashnikova – 5:36:32
Denis Salnikov – 5:39:57
Natalia Semenova – 5:40:22
Vladimir Kapranov – 5:41:56
Sergey Sokolov – 5:47:48 and debut
Maxim Romanov – 5:49:08
Anatoly Lebedev – 5:50:42
Sergei Balabin – 5:59:01
Vladimir Yakusevich – 6:02:46
Sergey Kuzmin – 6:20:48
Natalia Parfentieva – 6:22:58
Galina Strygina – 7:16:55 and 1st place in the group
here on the standard:
Dinar Khabibullin – 2:12:05
Yuri Bazilevsky – 2:13:59
Valentina Zelenkevich – 2:16:19 and 1st place in group
Eugene Dyuba – 2:16:39
Dmitry Kulikov – 2:26:10
Alexander Lebedev – 2:29:55
Sergey Novikov – 2:30:25 and 3rd place in group
Andrey Senyuk – 2:33:01
Denis Sapegin – 2:35:25
Stanislav Milykh – 2:41:15
Roman Olkhovsky – 2:47:25
Gadzhi Ibragimov – 3:19:59
and finally in the sprint:
Andrey Pokrovsky – 1:00:18 and 1st place in group
Dmitry Rostyagaev – 1:00:22 and 1st place in group
Artem Shestov – 1:02:38 and 3rd place in group
Volkov Konstantin – 1:03:14 and 1st place in the group
Andrey Osnov – 1:07:10
Natalia Simonova – 1:16:59 and 2nd place in group
Oleg Sorokin – 1:21:32
Sergey Balabin – 1:26:41
Irek Nuriev – 1:28:47
Julia Krasilova – 1:30:53
Grigory Krichmara – 1:30:54
In general, Yuliya Krasilova competed in Sochi every day, besides the sprint, she also did the Iron Lady race, a 1-mile swim and Oceanman Sochi.