Every May, the Da Nang coastline becomes a triathlon racecourse

One May morning, the beach in front of Bien Dong Park was packed with people wearing swim caps. When the signal sounded, group after group waded out into the sea. They will swim, then get out of the water to cycle, then run, all in one go without a break. That is IRONMAN, the triathlon that Da Nang has been hosting for ten years now.

The first edition was in 2015. More than a thousand people came to compete, starting with the sea swim right in front of the Hyatt Regency resort on the Ngu Hanh Son side. Since then, the race has returned almost every year in May.

Half route and full route

For the first ten years, Da Nang only offered the 70.3 distance, meaning 70.3 miles: a 1.9 km swim, a 90 km bike ride, and a 21 km run. That is half of the full IRONMAN distance.

On May 10 this year, Vietnam will have a full-distance race for the first time: a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike ride, and a 42.2 km run, totaling 226 km in a single day, with a 17-hour time limit. Two race distances running at the same time, with nearly 4,700 athletes from 91 countries and territories, the largest turnout ever.

The winner of the full distance was Andrey Sharipov from Uzbekistan, with a time of 8 hours 45 minutes. In the 70.3 distance, Lam Quang Nhat finished second in the men's category, the best result by a Vietnamese athlete this year.

The racetrack is the city itself

What makes IRONMAN Da Nang unique is that the entire race course lies right in the heart of the city. The swim takes place right on the beach in front of East Sea Park. The cycling leg starts from the Vo Nguyen Giap coastal road, crosses Thuan Phuoc Bridge and then heads out to the suburbs. The running leg returns along the coastline and also finishes at Bien Dong Park.

Therefore, the competition day is also a day when many coastal roads are closed or have traffic restrictions, with some sections affected from dawn until nearly midnight. This year, many residents and tourists reported being stuck in traffic for hours, and the city has acknowledged this and promised to adjust traffic routing for future seasons. Anyone who lives on or near the coast should check the traffic diversion notice a few days in advance.

The big challenge isn't just the distance. May in Da Nang is already hot and sunny, so every year the organizers have to add more water stations and cooling points along the race course.

Not everyone has to go the full 226 km

IRONMAN always comes with shorter events alongside it. Sunrise Sprint is for beginners who want to try all three disciplines but aren't yet ready for the half distance. IRONKIDS is for children. And if you're not competing, just head out to the coastal road early in the morning and you can stand right at the edge of the race course.

Right now, Da Nang's sea is entering the big wave season, so it's not the time to swim far out yet. But if next season falls in May as it does every year, then there are still about six months between now and then. For anyone who has been nurturing the idea of giving it a try, that is the time to start training.

Photo: Van Hoa Newspaper, Tuoi Tre.