The 3.8 kilometer (2.4 mile) swim at the Frankfurter Sparkasse Ironman European Championship is a two loop affair in the Langenaar Waldsee, a lake about 12 kilometers from the race centre in Frankfurt. The bike course is both fast, and technical. After riding out of T1 at Langener Waldsee, the athletes do about a 12km ride into Frankfurt where the start the rest of the course, which is made up of two loops. The run course in Frankfurt consists of three 14km laps. The course is made up of a series of out-and-back sections on either side of the River Main. The course looks like it should be fast -- it's very flat. It's tough to post a fast time here, though, because there are a number of turns -- both 180 degree turns at each of the four turnaround points, and the tricky roundabouts to negotiate over the bridge that the runners negotiate a couple of times each lap.