2010 Ironman France-Nice Preview

Kevin Mackinnon looks forward to some exciting racing in Nice

For years the famed Nice Triathlon was considered one of the world's premier long distance triathlon events. Won by six-time Ford Ironman world champion Mark Allen an astonishing 10 times, the Nice event captured the beauty of the famed Cote d'Azur and the spectacular mountains that surround this area. It attracted both the world's best professionals along with those who cherished a spectacular race experience. When Ironman came to Nice five years ago, it continued that tradition and has quickly become one of the world's most popular Ironman races.

Part of that popularity, of course, comes from the allure of this area. Just up the road is the exclusive Principality of Monaco. Head the opposite direction and you’ll get to Cannes, the site of the famous Film Festival. In between is Nice, renowned for its beaches and as a tourist’s paradise.

As nice as the swim will be in the spectacular blue waters of the Cote d’Azur, the bike course here at Ironman France is what sets this race apart.
The best words used to describe this course are: unforgettable, sensational and scenic. Then, of course, there’s also hilly and technical. There are impressive climbs along with some high-speed descents, all sandwiched between a flat stretch out and back along the coast.

The four-lap marathon course runs along the beaches. It can be extremely hot, but the heat is easily forgotten thanks to the crowds that line the route and the ever-present distractions of the busy waterfront. It all ends up at a spectacular finish line on the Promenade des Anglais (avenue de Verdun), opposite the Hotel Meridien.

The sold-out race will obviously feature over 2,000 age group athletes, but there will also be an exciting professional race this weekend, too.

Well, on paper there should be an exciting race, anyway. Every year we say that, but somehow for the last four years we’ve seen the same man take the title. Marcel Zamora (below) had to pass France’s Herve Faure and Switzerland's Olivier Marceau during the run here last year, but the defending champ was close enough off the bike that the win seemed almost inevitable.


This year Marceau is back and, the word is, determined to have an even bigger lead off the bike than he did last year. If he can do that, he might just have a chance at taking the title away from the Spaniard. Others to watch on Sunday include bike course record holder Mike Aigroz (SWI),  Belgium's Axel Zeebroek, last year's Ironman 70.3 Monaco champ and Frederik van Lierde.

In the women’s race, defending woman’s champion, Belgian Tine Deckers (below) is back to see if she can make it two in a row, but she’ll also face some stiff challenges along the way. Erika Csomor won Ford Ironman Arizona a few years ago and, if she’s in form, will be a pre-race favorite here in Nice. Former Ironman France champion Alexandra Louison will carry the French hopes on her tiny shoulders on Sunday, too.

Our coverage for this weekend’s race will begin on Friday afternoon and will include text updates and photos, along with live athlete tracking. Our race day coverage will also be translated into French.