IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain carries plenty of interest in 2024 with short-course stars Georgia Taylor-Brown and Vincent Luis stepping up to middle distance.
As we approach the end of an epic 2024 season, what happens in the Middle East is likely to hold at least a few clues for 2025 as we look ahead to how things might shake out over the next 12 months.
We have all you need to know for the big showdown, including how to follow the action live.
Date, start time and how to follow live
The race takes place in Bahrain on Friday November 29, and while there is no live broadcast coverage, you’ll be able to follow the event very closely with the trusty IRONMAN tracker.
The Pro Men will start their race at 0620 local time on Friday, which corresponds to 0320 in the UK and 2220 Thursday on the East Coast of the United States. The women will start three minutes later at 0623 – 0323 in the UK and 2223 Thursday on the East Coast.
Pro Women racing at IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain
It’s a small but select field, with much of the wider interest focused on Taylor-Brown stepping up in distance after another successful season.
GTB had to recover from a serious calf injury ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, but was still able to claim a creditable 6th place in the French capital behind new champion Cassandre Beaugrand. A few days later she would clinch a bronze medal as part of the Great Britain Mixed Relay squad.
Although GTB finished only 21st in the WTCS Grand Final, she has been excellent in supertri combat in 2024, clinching the overall series title after a fabulous campaign which included a hat-trick of wins in Chicago, London and Toulouse.
The opposition to Taylor-Brown is headed by Germany’s Caroline Pohle, who comes here on the back of a trio of terrific wins at IRONMAN 70.3 Tallinn, IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See and Challenge Barcelona.
Also lining up on Friday to add lustre to the field are Sweden’s Sara Svensk and another trio of short-course stars in Italy’s Alice Betto, Australia’s Natalie Van Coevorden and Germany’s Tanja Neubert.
Pro Men racing at IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain
The brilliant Luis announced his retirement from short-course racing after a year in which he sadly missed out on a spot in the France team for his home Olympics. But there is much to look forward to as he steps up now to middle distances.
Vincent, now 35, has already shown his potential at longer distances after claiming victories at both Clash Daytona and here at IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain in 2022.
There is plenty of opposition lying in wait for the former World Champion, including another short-course star Henri Schoeman and Britain’s James Teagle. The main opposition though may come from T100 Singapore victor Youri Keulen and French star Mathis Margirier, who comes here on the back of five top-10 finishes in T100 in 2024.
The course at IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain
The one-loop 1.9 km (1.2 mile) swim starts at the water in front of the “Reef Island”. Athletes follow the rectangular “L” shaped swim layout that leads along a series of left turns and back to the lagoon’s bank before they head into the transition.
The one-loop 90 km (56.1 mile) bike course consists of a single lap starting from transition at The Reef Island. Athletes pass the iconic landmarks World Trade Centre and the Bahrain International Circuit and then are back to the Reef Island.
The four-loop 21.1 km (13.1 mile) run course starts at the “The Reef Island” and leads athletes towards the Financial Harbour and then back to the Reef Island in the heart of the city. Spectators can cheer on the athletes all the way back to the finish line at “The Reef Island.”
