Pre-race

They advertise it as the « hardest triathlon in the world ». It probably isn’t. They claim the bike route has 5,000m of positive elevation. My Garmin recorded 3600. Still, the Embrunman has been running for 35 years and is one of the most famous long distance triathlons in France. It is an independently run race, managed like a small business but attracting every year 1,500 athletes from all around the world.

The atmosphere is very different from a typical Ironman branded race. No shaved legs. No aero helmets. No fancy TT bike. This race is for real, tougher than you can imagine and participants do not come here for bragging rights, but because they think they’re now up to the challenge. And I thought I was.

Embrun is a beautiful small town in the southern Alps in France by the pristine waters of Serre-Ponçon lake. It’s worth spending a couple of days in the area before or after the race.

There is very limited and unclear information on the race on the website, with different files uploaded in different years and providing different insights. Not the most convenient way to prepare for the race. The day before the race, you just basically need to register, rack your bike in transition by the lake and you bring all you need for transitions in a plastic case (provided by the organisation) on race morning. Don’t forget your head lamp for race morning as it is pitch black in transition. There is also the option to drop special needs that can be collected at the top of col d’izoard. I had prepared my regular tuna / tomato and Nutella sandwiches. The good thing as well is Embrunman tries to minimise the use of plastic containers. They do not give plastic water bottles at the aid stations, you have to fill your own bottles and same on the run where you are expected to run with a reusable cup. Kudos to the organisers, Ironman should try to learn from this.

Be aware that the race is held on August 15th (Christian public holiday and the culmination of the summer school holiday) so the night before can get quite hectic with fireworks, parties, etc. I slept in the center of Embrun which was the worst idea as there was a massive concert organised in the main square.

My only objective for the race was to be a finisher, ideally in less than 13 hours

Swim (1h03mn)

The swim is held in a basin separated from the lake and made of two identical loops. The gun goes off in the dark, at 6am. The water temperature was pleasant. The water is quite murky and the mass start somehow chaotic, but I managed to find my rhythm. Fortunately for us the morning wasn’t too cold. Sighting is very challenging so I was just following feet that seemed to swim straight. The goal was to stay relaxed and not pushed too hard. And I think I did well in this regard.

Bike (8h01mn)

Onto the bike we went. I had done a lot of climbing training in the Alps this summer and had already ridden the entire bike course a month before the race (which only left me with the stressful feeling that running off this bike course would be challenging even for 10km). I went with the lightest possible set up: road bike with low profile aluminium rims.

Weather conditions were expected to be challenging with a heat wave passing over the Alps, so I decided to race in my tri suit only. I heard that there can be snow at the top of col d’izoard some years and the descent can feel very cold, so be prepared for any weather conditions.

Right after T1, the climbing starts with a first 35km loop. There are a number of 8-10% sections and most competitors including myself were trying to reach take it easy. I was riding 50-34 at the front and 11-28 in the back, which enabled me to go through all of the climbing. Once this loop is completed, you ride across the lake onto a much longer second loop. The crowds around Embrun are amazing and on some shorter climbs you really feel like a Tour de France pro rider. I have never witnessed such support in a triathlon race.

The col d’Izoard climb only start at km80, but the course is relentless. you are constantly facing false flags or short 800m climbs that are very hard to ride through physically and mentally (the hardest one located at km140). I couldn’t help myself think that the organisers had chosen the hardest option around when it would be so convenient to use the flat main road down the valley. I was also trying to enjoy the scenery as much as I could going up the col d’izoard, thinking about my sandwiches waiting for me at the top. I took 2mns to stop and eat before going full gas in the descent. The road is open to cars, but most of them are following an athletes and paying close attention to riders. The descent is quite technical with some straight road sections as well.

The bike course feels like it’s never ending and the temperature were seriously rising. With already 7 hours on the saddle and 3,000m of positive elevation, 20km to go and still a steep climb (côte de Chauvet) to be conquered, I was starting to get anxious about the run. I was feeling too hot and already exhausted. I reached T2 with nothing left in the tank, wondering how I would be able to run a marathon

Run (DNF)

And I basically couldn’t run. I may have run the first 5 km of the run course around the lake before going up the first hill. It is a legitimate climb and everyone around me was walking. The run/ walk of shame soon replaced my attempts to jog. And my mind was already playing tricks on me. Trying to count how long it would take me to walk the marathon.

I was still making progress and finished the first of the three 14km run laps in 1h30mn. Each lap starts and finishes by the transition zone. Quite an appalling pace obviously, but if I could maintain it, it would mean a 4h30mn marathon. And who knows, things might improve.

They didn’t. I am not even sure how I managed to complete the second lap in another 1h30mn, but I know that when I did, I couldn’t go any further. I was done. My stomach had completely shut down. I had probably been exposed to way too much sun and heat. Two options were left in the table: stop and sit down for 20 minutes, try to recover, and walk the remainder of the course. This would probably mean another 2h30mn of suffering. Or just let it go, back to the hotel at a reasonable hour an in bed. With no support team or anyone around me, I made the wise decision to stop and protect my body. I did not finish.

Embrunman was too hard a race for me. Completing it is an incredible achievement, and I highly respect and congratulate all the athletes who went through the mental and physical pain.