The European Championship Ironman in Frankfurt will go ahead “as planned” this coming Sunday, but organizers have made the tough call to shorten the race distances. Rumors had been swirling for hours, but it is now official: while athletes will still tackle the full 3.8-kilometer swim, the bike course will be cut from 180 kilometers down to 125 kilometers, and the marathon will be slashed to a half-marathon.
“We know many of you came to Frankfurt with the goal of completing the full distance, and for some this will be a different race day than expected. Your health comes first, and we want to create the best possible conditions for you under these circumstances.”
Frankfurt serves as the Men’s European Championship this year. With the sudden shift in distances, the race dynamics are guaranteed to be completely turned on their head, paving the way for a much faster, highly unpredictable battle for the European title.
