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To reward athletes taking on what is considered one of Europe’s most challenging IRONMAN® 70.3® races, IRONMAN has announced that this year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh on July 1, 2018 will offer athletes a unique chance to qualify for both 2018 and 2019’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships at the same race.
A total of 50 qualifying slots to the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France, has been added to the event meaning the race will offer 50 slots each to both the 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, and the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France.
IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh will be the last opportunity for athletes in the UK to secure a ticket for South Africa and the very first opportunity in Europe to qualify for the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France.
Slots will be rewarded based on performance and athletes who earn their slots will have the option of accepting both, leaving athletes to decide whether to test themselves against the world’s best on the southern tip of Africa, in the south of France or both.
“To become the first race in Europe to offer athletes the chance to qualify for the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships is a great addition to the race and a huge reward for those who choose to take up the challenge in Edinburgh. IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh is a true test for athletes and to be rewarded with the opportunity to go to two World Championships is fitting,” said Richard Pearson, IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh Race Director.
IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh is widely touted as one of Europe’s most challenging races featuring a course that includes a swim in the Firth of Forth, a bike featuring technical ascents and descents through the Lothians and a run in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park under the gaze of the famous extinct volcano, Arthur’s Seat. While the course is challenging it is also abundant in beauty, taking in some of the very best elements of what makes it a true Scottish adventure.
Following his win in Edinburgh in 2017, German professional athlete, Andreas Raelert said: “It’s such a beautiful race course – really challenging, but this course should honestly be the venue for the next IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.”
The combination of the challenge, raw beauty along with being a capital city race, makes IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh one of the most unique races in Europe.
For athletes travelling from outside of Scotland, Edinburgh is a treasure trove of history, culture and entertainment, having been voted the second best city to visit in the UK in a recent traveller’s poll. The beautiful setting of Holyrood Park, provides the perfect stage for athletes and spectators alike, with the finish line within sight of the imposing Royal residence.
In another first for IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh, IRONKIDS Scotland has now been added to the event weekend. In a global first for IRONKIDS, Scotland will see three standalone events taking place across three separate locations along the IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh course. Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian will each host an IRONKIDS Scotland event on Friday.