THE BIG PIC
The iconic 21 bends of Alpe d’Huez once again played host to a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears on 27 July as hundreds of athletes tackled the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon. With a 2.2km swim, 118km bike, 20km run and over 3,000m of elevation gain, it’s no easy feat. The French stole the show, with Jeanne Collonge (6:37:40) and Nathan Guebeur (5:48:32) taking the long-course win. Last year’s winner Leon Chevalier finished in 21st after a tough day at the office following illness in the days before the race.
The French also showed their firepower at WTCS Sunderland at the end of July, taking the top step of the podium in all three elite events. However, the big talking point post-race were the reports of dozens of triathletes suffering from sickness and diarrhoea, with water quality the chief suspect.
Eighty-two teams and 42 solo runners descended on Sweden’s Gothenburg Archipelago for Ötillö Gothenburg on 6 August. The race consisted of 28 sections of technical trail running totalling 26.4km and 27 swims totalling 6.9km.
The jump from the ferry is always a highlight of Norseman, but in the race’s 20th year there was another focus – the battle between record-holding Norwegian Jon Breivehold (who took the win) and retiring pro Sebastian Kienle. GB’s Flora Colledge won the women’s race.
Competitors make the most of a downstream swim at Ironman 70.3 Maine, which played host to the North American TriClub Championship – Northeast. USA’s Trevor Foley took the men’s win in 3:33:58, while Italy’s Giorgia Priarone took the women’s race in 4:11:24.
Two months after its rebrand fr
