RACE REPORT – Andorra 70.3 IRONMAN – July 2021

Pre-race

Unsurprisingly, my 2021 race calendar was shaken up by covid. The initial goal was to race the “Alpsman” before going to Frankfurt for the Ironman European Championships at the end of June. Both races were postponed. I realised that the best option to actually race in 2021 was to register last minute to any race that I could drive to.

Andorra 70.3 Ironman it would be. I usually have the opportunity to train in the Alps and love the challenge of a tough course, it is within driving distance from Marseille. And it will actually happen.

Andorra is quite secluded, forming a small enclave in the Pyrenees at the French/Spanish border. It is quite hard to access. I believe you can only drive there (Barcelona is the closest main airport), and the twisty mountain roads make for a slow journey, wherever you drive from.  

At 1 000m, the capital city of Andorra (Andorra la Vella) is a surprising mix between tall city buildings and a wild Pyrenean background. You would not expect to find a city full of shops selling tax-free alcohol, cigarettes and petrol in the middle of the mountains. Worth a visit though, I enjoyed it. And quite a paradise for outdoor activities.

The race check-in process is not the easiest, as T1 and T2 are a 20mn drive far from each other. T1 is at the end of a small road, at the top of a climb, with traffic jams quite likely on check-in day. The views make up for it though. T2 is located in the city centre.

We stayed at one of the many hotels close to the finish line, in the city centre, which was a convenient and affordable option.

On race morning, buses take competitors from the city centre to the Engolasters lake, at 1600m in altitude. It was a smooth process, but the buses leave quite early at 5.30am and the wait in T1 was a bit too long. There was no option to drive to the swim start as the road was closed to cars for the race.

Swim (31mn)

On race day (and the two days before the race when we stayed in Andorra), the air temperature was surprisingly warm. I was really anxious about the water temperature, expected to be 14 degrees. It was actually really fine, 16-17 degrees on race day. The organisers apparently manage to increase the water temperature in the artificial Engolasters lake by blocking the dam for a couple of days.

Still, the water is not the clearest, and despite a beautiful scenery, not very inviting. The 2-loop course includes 2 Australian exits and is quite busy despite the rolling start.

I swam calm and collected, trying to catch feet and avoiding competitors breast stroking. The main goal was to keep energy for the rest of the day. Swimming at this altitude makes breathing quite hard.

Bike (3h40mn): https://www.strava.com/activities/5577404064

The vast majority (>80%) of the age groupers were on road bikes, and probably 60%+ of the pros (incl. Cam Wurf, Ineos pro rider, but not Clement Mignon, winner of the day on a TT bike).

T1 is quite long and goes on trails around the lake and up a short hill, so it takes at least 4mn to complete. The bike course starts from the lake with a 6km technical downhill. This first descent through the forest has the potential to be slippery, but the pavement is in good condition all the way, and the road is closed to cars. Thunderstorms were expected all morning, but we were fortunate enough to ride on dry roads.

Then starts a two-loop bike course, climbing and descending the col d’Ordino twice: 15km at 5% average gradient, with a number of steep pitches along the climb. I decided to take it easy, with a goal of keeping a HR below 150bpm. Dozens of age groupers were passing me, breathing heavily and climbing fast, standing on the pedals, Pogacar mode on. I could barely believe their paces given the challenging 2000m positive elevation bike course. I sticked to my plan, and rode my own race. The first part of the descent is fairly fast. The road is closed to cars so quite wide. But the last part is more technical, with a small single lane for bikes.

Run (1h31mn) : https://www.strava.com/activities/5577404007

The course consists of 3 loops around the river running through the city. It is spectator friendly and enjoyable. The course is pretty much flat. The temperature kept on rising (29 degrees average) and the air was humid, but there is some shade on the course and running by the river felt refreshing.

I was pushing hard from lap 1, deciding to go all in, and passing a lot of people. I was still amazed at the quality of the field, with many guys running what looked like sub 4mn/km pace. I felt like there were not enough aid stations, some of them were out of water when I went through, only one offering electrolytes and very limited nutrition options.

I managed to keep a fast and steady pace all the way to the finish line. I was really happy with this fast run in challenging conditions (1000m in altitude, close to 30 degrees) and my controlled and smart race overall. Despite what felt like a very good performance, I barely made the top 100 overall. The quality of the field was impressive in a challenging race. The mens’ winner crossed the finish line in ~4h30mn and the womens’ winner went 5h10mn. Also worth noting, only 43 female age groupers completed the race (including my wife😉).