The signs of high-flying ambitions turned heads right from the beginning: The 2015 Enea IRONMAN® 70.3® Gdynia triathlon in Poland started with a bang – not from the starter’s gun, but with an IRONMAN-branded airliner making a flyover of the swim course mere seconds before athletes set off for the race’s original edition.
Now, five years after its spectacular appearance on the international triathlon stage, Poland will host two more events by The IRONMAN Group in 2021: IRONMAN Gdynia on August 8, 2021 and IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw on June 6, 2021. They join the existing Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Gdynia and the 5150 Triathlon Series™ event in Warsaw for a total of four races in 2021
Participants of the inaugural IRONMAN Gdynia will face a 3,8km (2.4-mile) swim in the usually calm waters of Gdansk Bay, followed by a challenging 180km (112-mile) bike course that leads through green forests, summer fields and over the demanding rolling hills of Kashubia back to Gdynia.
The 42,2km (26-mile) run course uses the wide main streets of the city center and the seaside boulevards before finishing right on the sandy beach in the most popular part of the city.
New IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw
Warsaw will also make Polish IRONMAN history by adding the new IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw on June 6, 2021. It is the third European capital city to host an IRONMAN event in 2021, Copenhagen (Denmark) and Tallinn (Estonia) being the others.
Both IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw and 5150 Triathlon Series Warsaw will start at Lake Zegrzynski, a popular weekend leisure destination in the suburbs of Warsaw. A flat and fast bike course will take athletes to transition zone 2 in the city center, showcasing some of the Polish capital’s most famous landmarks, including the Warsaw Citadel, the Old Town, the Royal Castle and the National Stadium.
The run course in the heart of the city will enable participants to see the Old Town and other sightseeing spots like the Grand Theater, National Opera, Pilsudskiego Square, Krakowskie Przedmieście, Karowa Street and Arkady Kubickiego. The finish line will be located in the Multimedia Fountain Park.
General registration for IRONMAN Gdynia, Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Gdynia, IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw and 5150 Triathlon Series Warsaw will open on December 2.
The 2021 IRONMAN Gdynia will offer 30 age-group qualifying slots to the 2021 IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i. IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw will offer 40 age-group qualifying slots to the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission on September 17 & 18, 2021 in St. George, Utah, USA.