Jan Frodeno may be the GOAT to many triathlon fans, but the 42-year-old German might need to transform into a mountain goat if he’s to make a successful bid for a fourth Ironman world title on Sunday.
While Frodeno’s three victories in 2015, 2016 and 2019 all came on Hawaii’s Big Island, this time it's the mountains in the south of France and a star-studded line-up he'll have to conquer if he’s to go out on a high.
After the initial non-wetsuit swim in the Mediterranean, the course is defined by a long climb after 25 miles on the bike leg before rolling terrain in the Maritime Alps and a sharper five-mile ascent around 75 miles before the fast section back into Nice.
“We’ve never seen a world-class field come together on a course like this,” Frodeno said. “That will change the dynamics and there are certain athletes who are going to be very aggressive.
"The first climb is going to be decisive in terms of how much energy you spend and how you arrive at the next climb.”
Sizing up the competition
While being many people’s top choice, Frodeno believes two-time Challenge Roth winner Magnus Ditlev (DEN) will take some stopping.
Frodeno has prospered over the 25-year-old twice this season at the PTO Opens in Ibiza and Milwaukee, but did watch on as Ditlev beat Frodeno’s course record in Roth by a startling 11mins to 7:24:40 in June.
“The one that stands out is of course Magnus,” Frodeno said. “With his performance and biking ability, and being able to run strong off a very hard bike, he has to be the favourite going into this race.
“There's talk about his technical skill, but that's to be seen. He's somebody who meticulously prepares.
"I definitely can’t match his pure outright power, but I can descend better than most. It will be who can show that on race day like always.”
Making peace with the end
Despite his initial disappointment that Ironman had chosen to split the venues for the men’s and women’s race, Frodeno isn't prepared to hold on in the sport for another 13 months and wait for the men’s contest to return to Hawaii.
“I’ve made peace with Kona. When I look at what it takes, my motivation and hunger and where I’m at in life. I made peace with the fact that I’ve had a beautiful ending there.
“I ended with what at the time I thought was the perfect race and created beautiful memories. Hawaii can be very rewarding, but it can be very brutal.
"And apart from the motivation, I’m not sure my body is up for it.”
When Frodeno won on the Big Island in 2019, he set a then course record of 7:51:13 in a show of complete domination. If he thought it was the perfect race four years ago, does he need to go beyond that on Sunday?
“Perfect is hard to define because you only race who's there on the day and I believe the overall level and depth of competition has gone up, so it will require stepping up the game. Whether it will be a more perfect race for me or not is to be seen.
“It’s a feel thing for me, I don’t necessarily look at the numbers, but I know that in terms of the numbers I’m capable of doing what I did there and more.”
Contrasting emotions
As with his previous races this year, Frodeno has stayed and trained at altitude until midway through race week. For Nice, he flew in from home in Andorra in the Pyrenees.
If the build-up has remained consistent – although this time with a “proper taper” – the emotions accompanying the final block of training ahead of the last race of his career are unfamiliar.
“There have been a lot of sentimental sessions. Realising it will be the last time I’m swimming 30 x 100m in the pool, running 15 x 1km on the track. They are moments that have shaped my character in a certain way.
“There is a certain degree of happiness, sadness, wishing it weren’t so, really looking forward to what is to come, so it’s a whole boiling pot of emotions.”
After a start to 2023 where Frodeno placed fourth in both the PTO European Open in Ibiza and Ironman European Championship in Hamburg before a comparatively low key victory in Ironman 70.3 Andorra, he was visibly euphoric following his win in the PTO US Open in Milwaukee.
“It did matter a lot, and the nerves show me it definitely does [still matter],” he said. “I’ve got butterflies, I wake up at night, I haven’t slept well in a week, so there is definitely something that matters.
“But there is an element of peace in me that I don’t recognise. It’s an unfamiliar thing and it brings a certain happiness.
"I’m not sure it’s the right thing for winning championships in general, but I think it’s the right kind of mindset that makes one big last performance inevitable.
“The work has been done. I need anger and frustration to get me into shape, but I’m here now and being here and being at peace is what’s new to me. I think and hope that is what brings me the right cocktail for Sunday.”
Top image credit: Eric Alonso / DPPI
