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The Ironman Germany is a
triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...
race, part of the
Ironman Iron Man, Ironman or Ironmen may refer to: *Nathaniel "Iron Man" Avery (1939–1985), American caddie for Arnold Palmer *Travis Fulton (1977–2021), American mixed martial arts fighter *Gunnar Graps (1951–2004), Estonian musician *Mick Murphy ...
series. It is owned and organized by the
World Triathlon Corporation The World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) is a sports event promotion company owned by conglomerate Advance Publications, that produces the Ironman Triathlon, Ironman 70.3, the 5150 series of triathlon races, and other sports events. History In De ...
(WTC). In 2005, Frankfurt became the new site of the Ironman European Championship. __TOC__


History

The first Ironman race in Germany was held in Roth in 1988. The race began with the swimming portion (3.8 kilometers) in the Main-Danube Canal, part of the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
river. Before the race, samples of the water are collected and tested to make sure it is safe to compete in. On race day, the Shipping Authority closes off the river for the day in order to keep the athletes safe from ships and pollution. After the swimming portion is finished, athletes change into their cycling attire and begin the 180 kilometer ride, 8 kilometers south of Roth. The ride goes down to Greding, where they turn and finish back at Roth. After the cycling portion is finished, athletes change into their running attire and begin the 40 kilometer run to the finish. In 2001, the WTC ended its Ironman contract with Roth. The annual triathlon still goes on but it is no longer part of the Ironman series.


European Championship

Since 2005, the Ironman European Championship is held annually in Frankfurt and more than half a million spectators gather to watch the race every year. The race starts in two different waves, the first wave consists of 100 elite level athletes and the second start consists of the remaining athletes. An average of 2500 people compete per year. The first part of the race, the 3.86 km swim event, takes place in the lake Langener Waldsee about 15 km south of Frankfurt. The subsequent 180 km bike course first goes to central Frankfurt, then through two laps through Frankfurt and the surrounding region Wetterau. Northernmost point of the route is in
Bad Nauheim Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. As of 2020, Bad Nauheim has a population of 32,493. The town is approximately north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a worl ...
. The final
marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
running goes four laps on a course on both sides on the River
Main Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries ...
in Frankfurt. The finish is at the Römerberg square in the historic center of Frankfurt. In 2010 the maximum time was reduced from 16 to 15 hours, in spite of a 5 km extended cycling course.


Present Day

In 2003, the WTC decided to hold their annual race in Frankfurt creating the Opel Ironman Germany Triathlon. Stefan Holzner, from Germany, won with a time of 8:12:29.1 and
Nina Kraft Nina Kraft (31 December 1968 – 17 August 2020) was a German professional triathlete from Braunschweig. Career Kraft worked as a drafter until 1998, when she became a full-time professional athlete. In addition to being a pro triathlete Kraft ...
, also from Germany, won for the women with a time of 9:03:11.5. In its ten-year span, the record has been broken numerous times. In 2008,
Chrissie Wellington Christine Ann Wellington (born 18 February 1977) is an English former professional triathlete and four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion. She holds, or held, all three world and championship records relating to ironman-distance triathlon ...
, from England broke the record for the women with a time of 8:51:24.7 and in 2009
Timo Bracht Timo is a masculine given name. It is primarily used in Finnish, Estonian, Dutch and German societies. It may be used as an abbreviation of Timothy. Arts and entertainment *Timo Alakotila (born 1959), Finnish musician *Timo Andres (born 1985), ...
, from Germany, with a time of 7:59:15. In 2005, the Ironman European Championship was brought to Frankfurt. As of 2018, the course record for men is 7:41:42, set by the
Sebastian Kienle Sebastian Kienle (born 6 July 1984) is a German long-distance triathlete. He is the winner of the 2014 Ironman World Championship, as well as the 2012 and 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Athletic career Kienle was exposed to the sport o ...
from Germany in 2017, and for women is 8:38:44, set by
Daniela Ryf Daniela Ryf (born 29 May 1987) is a Swiss triathlete. She is the titles holder of the Ironman World Championship of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021; and of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship of the 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Ryf co ...
from Switzerland in 2018. The championship is an annual accumulation of the best athletes from all around Europe. In order to race in the championship, one of four qualifications must be met.


Lottery

The Ironman lottery system was designed in 1983 by Ironman Cofounder John Collins. His idea was to give all athletes the chance to compete in this monumental race. The lottery system now accepts 100 athletes from all different age groups and 5 physically challenged athletes. If selected, completion of an Ironman series race is required one year prior to the championship race.


Ironman Ebay Auction

In 2002, the Ironman Auction allowed people to bid on six spots in the championship race. Each week one slot is posted with a starting bid of $10,000. Over the past 11 years, the auction has raised over $2 million. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to different charities and organizations supported by the Ironman Foundation. The charities supported by the Ironman Foundation are both national and international. Some of the charities include:
American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
,
American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and death ...
, Big Brothers and Big Sisters,
Boys and Girls Club Boys & Girls Club may refer to: * Boys & Girls Clubs of America * Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada * Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Clubs, Bronx, United States * Essex Boys and Girls Clubs, in Essex and East London, England * The Boys' and Girls' Clubs A ...
,
World Bicycle Relief World Bicycle Relief is an international, non-profit organization based in Chicago, IL that specializes in large-scale, comprehensive bicycle distribution programs to aid poverty relief in developing countries around the world. Their programs fo ...
, Peoples Advocacy for Trails in Hawaii and The County of Hawaii Parks & Recreation Department.


Finishing position

The top finishing males and females are given a spot in the championship race. In order to accept the championship invitation the athlete must be present at the awards ceremony. Many of the top finishers believe that they already qualified or someone else is handling their invitation but that is not always the case. WTC managing director of global race operations Steve Meckfessel says "just cracking the top 10 can sometimes punch the ticket". When people are absent, the next available spot is given to the next finisher in the age group. This is known as rolldown.


The Ironman Legacy Program

The Ironman Legacy Program is another lottery system that accepts 100 athletes. A number of criteria must be met to qualify for this program. First, completion of at least twelve Ironman series races before the actual championship race is required. Second, have never participated in the Championship race. Third, must have completed an Ironman race in each of the two years prior to the Championship. And finally, be registered to compete in an Ironman race later in that year.


Controversy

The World Anti-Doping Agency conducted a study to see if athletes were doping. They surveyed 2997 athletes that have participated in triathlons in Germany, including the Ironman European Championship. The survey consisted of both physical and cognitive doping. Physical doping is taking any illegal substance to improve your race performance and cognitive doping is taking any illegal or legal substance to improve your mental health. The survey found that 13% physically doped, 15% cognitively doped, and 20% used both.


Notes

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External links


Official Website of the Ironman European Championship Race

Ironman.com

Triathlete.com
Triathlon competitions Sports competitions in Germany
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...