IRONMAN 70.3 Emilia-Romagna: A Guide to Racing, Eating and Surviving the World’s Longest Transition

If you’re a UAE-based triathlete looking for a European 70.3, IRONMAN 70.3 Emilia-Romagna deserves serious consideration.

You can fly directly from Dubai to Bologna, turn the race into a fantastic family holiday, eat exceptionally well, race through beautiful Italian countryside and experience a seaside town that seems to transform itself into one giant IRONMAN festival.

Dubai to Cervia: surprisingly easy

Once you fly into Bologna, you need to get to Cervia, the seaside town hosting the race. There are essentially two sensible options: rent a car or take the train. Italy's Intercity network runs from Bologna down the Adriatic coast, so rail is a realistic option if you're travelling relatively light. 

With a family and a bike, however, I'd choose the car - also because Emilia-Romagna is worth exploring.

Come for the IRONMAN. Stay for the food.

In Emilia-Romagna, carbohydrate consumption becomes tourism. This is the region of Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto, balsamic vinegar and some spectacular pasta. We spent our first few days around Parma where we visited a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy to watch the cheese being made.

Picture: Caseificio Sociale di Soragna Cheese Factory, Parma

Arriving in Cervia during race week is special. Around 5,000 athletes take on various events (Full Ironman, 70.3 and 5150) -effectively turning Cervia into a town of triathletes for a few days. IRONMAN doesn't feel like an event tucked away somewhere outside the city. It becomes part of the town. Bikes appear everywhere. Almost every restaurant has an athlete menu (carb loading or recovery). The expo and transition sit along the seafront, and you constantly bump into people sharing their stories, while the locals embrace it. That made a huge difference for my wife and daughter - they were in a lively Italian seaside town where the race itself was part of the atmosphere. It felt like a festival. Until race morning.

Photo: Entry to Cervia

First challenge: the jellyfish that occupied my brain

The day before the race, I went for a practice sea swim, and about 1 km offshore, I spotted a large jellyfish right under my belly. After speaking with some locals, I was reassured that these were mostly harmless creatures, with relatively mild stings, and that some Vaseline would help. On race day, officials were also advising athletes to use lubricants to help prevent jellyfish stings.

Race day

Like a typical lazy Italian morning, the race was scheduled to start at 11 AM - leaving plenty of time for breakfast, coffee and a chance to calm the nerves. I seeded myself in the 39-44-minute swim group, and with the number of participants, by the time I started the race, it was already 12 noon.

With temperatures at the start line hovering around 28-30°C, officials warned us not to put our wetsuits on too early unless we fancied cooking ourselves before the race even began. I finished the swim strong - no jellyfish attack, no maritime drama, just 1.9 Kms of swimming. Fantastic.

Swim time: 43 mins

Then came transition.

T1: I believe my bicycle was in another town

If you're racing Emilia and targeting a particular finish time, remember this:

Budget for transition. It is long. 1.5 Kms long.

Picture: Transition zone

Across my two transitions, I lost around 18 minutes.

The bike

The bikes had been sitting in the heat, which meant my carefully planned nutrition was now being served pleasantly warm - lesson learned: freeze those bottles the night before. I picked up my bike and headed out, knowing I could replace some of my nutrition at the aid stations. The 90 km course is predominantly flat, with one proper challenge waiting along the way: the climb to Bertinoro.

Leaving Cervia, the course is fast and flat, although there were a few potholes and rough sectionsthrough cobblestoned streets where it paid to keep your eyes on the road.  

Then comes Bertinoro hill town. The main climb into the town is roughly 3 km long, with gradients generally in the 5-7% and some steeper pitches to 10%. It isn't a huge mountain climb, but riding it feels significant. I deliberately conserved energy on the way there because I knew Bertinoro was coming. That paid off: I found my rhythm, kept turning the pedals and made it all the way to the top without stopping.

Photo: Road leading upto Bertinoro hill town

Photo: Climbing up Bertinoro hill

Once you're back down, the course becomes predominantly flat again for the return towards Cervia - although on my race day, a strong headwind made sure “flat” didn't necessarily mean “easy.”

Bike time: 03 Hrs:03 Mins

I had made it to T2, within 4 hours - a personal goal I had set and was happy with my pace. Now I only had a half-marathon to run.

The run: when a sensible decision went slightly wrong

I had brought my Stealth gels, the same nutrition I knew and trained with and had planned to use. Then I made a last-minute decision and decided to rely entirely on what was available on course - instead of carrying mine. I hadn't paid enough attention to the difference between the regular and caffeinated Maurten gels being handed out. I took one. Then another. And another. By the time I realised what I was doing, I had consumed five caffeinated gels.

Photo: Finish

The effects eventually caught up with me: nausea, an unhappy gut and cramps. My carefully planned half-marathon became considerably more about managing myself than holding a target pace. The run wasn't what I'd planned, but it was better than my run at 70.3 Colombo earlier in the year. The crowd support was phenomenal, with spectators holding up posters, cheering loudly and somehow finding enough enthusiasm to support every athlete who passed them.

Throughout all of this, my wife and daughter were following the race. One moment you're shuffling along, contemplating your life choices. Then you hear them and suddenly the chest comes up, running form improves, pace increases - at least until they are out of sight.

Run time: 2 Hrs: 42 Mins

Total time: 6 Hrs: 48 Mins

Was it the perfect race?

Absolutely not. But I had fun in Italy, climbed strong, ran better than I had at Colombo. And when the race became difficult, I didn't mentally check out. Months of training had produced progress. Cervia makes it possible for the race to become part of a holiday.  

Would I recommend Emilia-Romagna to a UAE triathlete?

Absolutely - because it's an experience to be made into a family holiday. Emilia-Romagna is far too good to visit solely for a race.

Photo: View from Bertinoro towards Cervia (Perfect post-race dinner spot)

By Naren Katara