IRONMAN Copenhagen marked my 22nd successful long-distance triathlon finish – and what a race it was! Once again, I tackled the classic IRONMAN distance: 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, and a full marathon of 42.2 km. But this time, everything came together better than expected.
The day started with a swim in the calm waters of the Baltic Sea. I was genuinely surprised by how well it went – I found my rhythm early and exited the water after 1 hour and 21 minutes, which was faster than I had anticipated. That gave me a real boost heading into the bike leg.
The cycling course took us through the city and out into the Danish countryside, with over 1,200 meters of elevation, strong winds, and plenty of technical sections. Despite the challenges, I had great legs and felt strong throughout. I was positively surprised by my bike split of 5 hours and 33 minutes, averaging over 32 km/h.
The marathon led us past some of Copenhagen’s most iconic landmarks. I started off well, but the lack of long training runs caught up with me, and I had to dig deep to keep moving. Still, I pushed through and finished the run in 4 hours and 35 minutes, crossing the line in the courtyard of Christiansborg Palace – relieved, proud, and happy.
My total time was 11 hours and 44 minutes – about half an hour faster than my race in Frankfurt last year. I placed 20th in my age group, having been 16th after the bike leg. The atmosphere in Copenhagen was absolutely electric. Thousands of spectators lined the course and gave us incredible support. I’ve experienced many finish lines, but this one truly stood out.
IRONMAN number 22 is in the books – and it reminded me once again why I love this sport. You learn more about yourself in a single IRONMAN than you do in five years of everyday life – and this race was no exception.
Wolfgang Epting 