The second Ironman Maastricht—Limburg, which will start and finish in Maastricht on 31 July 2016, will be every bit as gruelling as the first one last year. “That goes for both the bike course and the run course,” says the reigning men’s winner after his first course inspection today. “The organisers may have scrapped the steep climb up Cauberg Hill, but tackling Côte de Hallembaye twice is quite a challenge, not to mention running up St Pietersberg four times.”
Ironman Maastricht—Limburg 2016 is clearly attracting more attention than last year. More than 1800 athletes are expected to take up the challenge of swimming 3.8 kilometres, cycling 180 kilometres, and running 42.2 kilometres on Sunday 31 July. The number of competitors in 2015 was 900. This year’s event is also likely to draw more spectators than last year’s.
Bilzen
In this year’s Ironman Maastricht—Limburg, part of the bike course has been altered to take in the Belgian municipality of Bilzen, which has signed on as a partner. Another new partner is the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten, adding a steep climb up Bemelerberg to the route. The 180-kilometre course, consisting of two 90-kilometre loops, no longer includes Cauberg Hill in Valkenburg or the Sportzone in Sittard-Geleen. Instead, competitors will cycle through the undulating Belgian border region. The deciding factors in the bike course are Geulhemmerberg in Valkenburg, Bemelerberg in Eijsden-Margraten, and Côte de Hallembaye in the Belgian municipality of Bassenge. The marathon is a four-loop course of just over 10.5 kilometres. It goes past André Rieu’s home, up over St Pietersberg and along Vrijthof Square in Maastricht, finishing like last year’s race in the Market Square. The river Meuse will once again be the setting for the 3.8-kilometre swim, starting at Griend Park and ending at the Provincial Government Buildings.
Bas Diederen spent this morning inspecting a section of the course with a few other pro athletes, including Martijn Dekker and Sarissa de Vries (second place women's in 2015). “The Belgian part of the bike course is hillier, more uneven. But I know those roads. I trained there a lot when I lived in Maastricht. The run course is also harder this year, with four loops over St Pietersberg. The amateurs will certainly find this tough, but it definitely appeals to me.”
The starting shot for Ironman Maastricht—Limburg 2016 will go off in Griend Park at 7 a.m. on 31 July. The male pro athletes will enter the water first, followed by the female pros ten minutes later. Next up will be the age groups and then the relay racers. The first finishers should reach the finish line in Maastricht’s Market Square at around 3 p.m.
Professionals compete for P-2000 KPR points and $25,000 prize purse
MALE PRO:
1 Diederen Bas (NETHERLANDS)
4 Brons Milan (NETHERLANDS)
5 Berlage Lucky (BELGIUM)
6 Bobbaers Rob (BELGIUM)
7 Le Guellec Ludovic (FRANCE)
8 Schifferle Mike (SWITZERLAND)
9 Brons Omar (NETHERLANDS)
10 Jenkins Darren (AUSTRALIA)
11 Strijk Erik- Simon (NETHERLANDS)
12 Louys Michael (BELGIUM)
13 Monchy Wouter (BELGIUM)
14 Leboucher Thomas (FRANCE)
15 Van Looy Diego (BELGIUM)
16 Krupicka David (CZECH REPUBLIC)
18 Jilek David (CZECH REPUBLIC)
19 Van Cleven Michael (BELGIUM)
20 Oude Bennink Mark (NETHERLANDS)
21 Nemcik Marek (SLOVAKIA)
22 Esser Olivier (BELGIUM)
23 Clark Sam (NEW ZEALAND)
26 Wielinga Remmert (NETHERLANDS)
27 Polan Lukas (CZECH REPUBLIC)
28 Fachbach Markus (GERMANY)
30 Amorelli Igor (BRAZIL)
FEMALE PRO:
51 Tondeur Alexandra (BELGIUM)
52 De Vries Sarissa (NETHERLANDS)
53 Stevens Alena (SLOVAKIA)
54 Boterenbrood Danne (NETHERLANDS)
55 van den Berg Tineke (NETHERLANDS)
56 Deckers Tine (BELGIUM)
57 Ellis Mary Beth (UNITED STATES)
58 Castro Noqueria Saleta (SPAIN)
60 Konschak Katja F(GERMANY)
61 Comber Kate (UNITED KINGDOM)