Race Reviews: Ironman 70.3 Calella-Barcelona

oliverbridge7
Nov 2
4 min read

Updated: Nov 5

Ironman 70.3 Calella-Barcelona course review - what is it like?

General

Ironman 70.3 Calella-Barcelona is a very well-known race that has been on the circuit a while. It used to just be called Barcelona but I think it was realised that was being a bit cheeky as it's definitely just in Calella that is quite far down the coast after flying into Barcelona.

T1 + T2 are in the same location, always a bonus!
Fast, fast course - really very little elevation on the bike and none on the run
Not scenic, it is quite boring on both bike and run, one for head down effort
Swim is in the ocean and can be prone to high tides, wind and waves

Climate

The race happens at the end of the year, climate is likely to be warm but with that dry feel that being besides the beach and sand can bring.

What is the Ironman 70.3 Calella-Barcelona SWIM course like?

You start off on the beach and dive into the ocean. The swim is a simple out, turn to a long stretch and back. It's difficult to give much advice because this is a swim that is so dependent on the weather conditions.

However one thing to prepare for given this is that you should learn before which way the currents are going and prepare for this because you can use it to your advantage if you understand it properly.

One thing you will have is a hard entry, going against the waves to the first buoy and then the stretch before the exit you can surf the waves in and gain valuable time.

The temperature is likely to be in the late teens celsius.

The swim exit is easy, flat and not too long as far as beach swims go.

T1 is straight forward, literally. You continue out from the ocean across the beach, watch out for the stones on your immediate exit. As you pick up your bag and sort yourself out, you then face right to a long straight of bike racks. They are LONG so you get your bike and keep running in the same direction.

As they are long, running with your bike could therefore be potentially quite long depending on where you are racked.

The ground underfoot is road tarmac but carpeted.

What is the Ironman 70.3 Barcelona-Calella BIKE course like?

375m Elevation

The bike is a 1 lap course that takes you from the Calella along the motorway towards Barcelona and comes back on the other side of the same road. It only has a couple of small out and back turns that deviate from this straight line main road.

As it hugs the coast you might think that there is a constant appealing view of the sea. Alas it is not really the case and the bike course does not offer much scenery both out and back. The one climb of note when you look at the course profile is really not very tough, the gradient is gentle and it doesn't feel too long so you can keep your pace, effort and momentum.

The two turns on the detours away from the main road are in the first half of the ride as you are going towards Barcelona. They end with 180 degrees so you slow completely to swing back around to join back to the main road. Once you reach the end of the straight you turn around and then will only be on that same straight main road you came down, which means about 40km back to T2.

The second half is also slightly more downhill than the first half so coming back you should really by able to pick up your average speed.

As it is so straight and by the coast, the biggest thing to prepare for is the wind. It can be windy here and so understanding the direction it will be blowing and preparing your effort is key. You really want to be able to hold your aero position well and for long stints.3

There is a roundabout that signals you're coming into Calella and nearly finished.

This is also the turnaround for the full distance and can give you a relieving thankful thought that you're not doing it all again.

You've travelled this route in reverse after T1 so you'll be familiar going back to T2 but it is easy to unclip too early because you feel like you're home. So from the roundabout you turn right then left along the buildings and then turn right towards the beach and a final right in parallel to the beach towards T2. That final right is when I recommend getting your feet out of your shoes before a small wiggle and then a dismount line that appears suddenly.

What is the Ironman 70.3 Barcelona-Calella RUN course like?

The run is flat but takes some mental preparation as a lot of the surface underfoot is solid but can be covered in thin layers of sand that give that annoying uncertainty to some foot placements and will sap your pace slightly.

The run is 2 laps and is like the bike - straight, flat but monotonous.

You run out right firstly and down the most picturesque part of the course which is like a straight parade of trees. Here there is great support as it's the easiest and liveliest place to get to and watch. Shortly after this is where the final turn will be to finish, which is quite difficult if you're not feeling good because you realise you have 2 more laps till you finish there.

Turning 180 degrees you run back and past T2, actually on the side of it for a small distance. Then you are out onto the beach path. There is not too much to say here but perhaps prepare for it to feel a little longer than expected and also quite narrow in parts as well with just small cones separating athletes on either side. As I said the surface varies, it is solid but can be covered in sand or compacted mud in parts.