This is a preview of the race – click here to read about a super-impressive victory for Sam Laidlow.
The IRONMAN Pro Series heads to new surroundings in Leeds this weekend as the Yorkshire city, which boasts a big triathlon heritage, becomes the UK’s newest host city.
Sam Laidlow headlines the field at the first edition of the event, which is a men-only pro race this year and almost the last chance to qualify for the World Championships which will be held in Nice this year.
Laidlow will be looking to validate his World Championship slot in Leeds, with the only other men’s full-distance race before the window shuts being IRONMAN Copenhagen on August 17th.
Leeds is the birthplace and training base of brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee. It also boasts state-of-the-art training facilities which include The Brownlee Centre, the UK’s first purpose-built triathlon training centre, and has been the UK representative on the World Triathlon calendar on six occasions, the latest in 2022.
And on the age-group front around 2,500 athletes will compete, of which a staggering 56% are IRONMAN first-timers.
In our preview below, you can find all the details you need, including start times, streaming information and who to watch out for.
Start times and how to watch live
The action gets started early on Sunday 27 July when the swim gets under way at Roundhay Park at 6am local time, which is 7am CEST and 1am ET.
To follow IRONMAN Leeds, it’s over to the IRONMAN Athlete Tracker app which allows you to follow athletes live, track their progress, and view results.
Pro men
Harry Palmer (GBR), Leon Chevalier (FRA) and Kieran Lindars (GBR), who finished 1, 2, 3 at IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea, will all be in Leeds to compete with Laidlow.
And Joe Skipper, another British favourite who finished 14th at Challenge Roth, will also race after taking time out to do a stint as an expert summariser on the live broadcast in Swansea.
Kiwi star Braden Currie is also on the entry list, fresh from his tenth-placed finish at IRONMAN Lake Placid – six places behind Chevalier – on Sunday.
Frenchman Laidlow remains the headline draw though. He has been through a horrible time since his epic meltdown at the IMWC in Kona last year, but won at Challenge Roth earlier this month in a remarkable comeback.
The course
Roundhay Park covers over 700 acres of rolling parkland with lakes and woodland, giving IRONMAN Leeds a picturesque backdrop.
Competitors take on a two-loop 3.8km swim in the calm waters of Waterloo Lake with an in-water lap (no Aussie exit). Then, they face a challenging but truly Yorkshire three-loop bike course.
This includes sections from former editions of the iconic Tour de Yorkshire including the Black Hill Road climb. The course consists of a 6km ride out to Shadwell and then three 55km loops going past some of North Leeds’ most iconic gems including Harewood House, Eccup Reservoir and Golden Acre Park, through the villages and suburbs of Thorner, Arthington, Adel and Alwoodley before heading back to Roundhay.
Then they finish up with a four-loop spectator-friendly run course which is expected to feature a party atmosphere to carry the athletes all the way to the red carpet in the centre of Roundhay.
