The 2023 European season of racing kicks off in Spain with the IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella European TriClub Championship taking place on Sunday, May 7th
2022 IRONMAN 70.3 European TriClub Champion, Nikki Bartlett (GBR), back to defend her title as she looks to open up her season of racing with a statement win in Marbella
The 6th edition of the IRONMAN® 70.3® Marbella European TriClub Championship is set to take place on May 07, 2023. This early season event offers men’s and women’s qualifying slots to the VinFast IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship in Lahti, Finland on August 26 – 27. The professional men and women’s field will also be racing for a piece of the 30 000 € total professional prize.
Once again, the Spanish event will set the tone for the rest of the European season with a deep professional lineup expected to take to the start line in Marbella. The professional field features defending champion, Nikki Bartlett, who had a great season last year, winning the 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella European Championship and placing second at IRONMAN Frankfurt, IRONMAN 70.3 Dresden and IRONMAN 70.3 Cascais. She then concluded her season with a strong display in St George, Utah by cracking a top-10 finish, crossing the finish line in 8th. Bartlett will have to be in fine form if she wants to defend her title, with Marta Bernardi (ITA), the women who beat her at IRONMAN 70.3 Cascais, looking to kick off her racing season with a win. Bernardi is no stranger to the top podium spot having also won last year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Olonne in France.
The professional women’s field will also feature Alexandra Tondeur (BEL), Daniela Kleiser (GER), Charlene Clavel (FRA), Justine Guerard (FRA), Jeanne Collonge (FRA) and Spanish duo, Laura Gómez Ramon & Kaidi Kivioja, who will fancy their chances of racing on home soil and banking on the home support as they swim-bike-run their way past their home spectators.
In the men’s field, the absence of defending champion Christophe De Keyser (BEL), means that a new champion will be crowned. Andreas Dreitz (GER) who has had a troubled season the last few years, will be looking for a statement win to kick off his 2023 season. Dreitz is no stranger to Marbella and will fancy his chances of winning having won this event in 2019 after coming third in 2018. Dreitz faces a deep field this time around, with 48 other professional athletes who will be looking to spoil his return and make a mark for themselves. It is a race filled with young athletes looking to announce themselves on the IRONMAN 70.3 stage, talented athletes who have not quite had things go their way the last few years and athletes who have a score to settle. The professional men’s field will feature Patrick Cometta (CHE), Domenico Passuello (ITA), Youri Keulen (NLD), Antony Costes (FRA), Nicolas Mann (GER) and Henrik Goesch (FIN) who will be looking for an IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship qualifying slot to race on home soil for the first time in Lahti, Finland.
As the European TriClub championship, Marbella will see 216 clubs battle it out and try to take the bragging rights away from last year’s overall winners, Tri Team Lutry, as Europe’s best TriClub.
A tough IRONMAN 70.3 course awaits these athletes as they navigate their way through an unpredictable 1.9km swim course which starts in the Mediterranean Sea and finishes on the amazing Levante beach of Puerto Banús. This coupled with the extensive climbing through the famous hills of Marbella, a bike course that makes Marbella a race that favors the experienced athlete. The 90.1km bike course starts at the famous “Gold Mile” before crossing through the city of Marbella. Athletes will race through Monda, Coín and Cartama before returning to transition in Puerto Banús. Lastly, athletes will take on a fast flat 21.1km run course that leads along the promenade of Marbella.
Across the sea, IRONMAN 70.3 Venice-Jesolo will also be taking place. As an age-group only race, an amateur triathlete will have the opportunity to be crowned winner and just maybe inspiring them to turn PRO. Last year the event featured a PRO category and saw Alessandro Fabian (ITA) cross the finish line in 3:41:06 and Lucy Byram (GBR) in 4:09:48. With it being an all age-group race, the times are expected to be a little slower.
The full professional start list for the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella European TriClub Championship is below:
| Bib | Last Name | First Name | Country |
| 1 | Bartlett | Nikki | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 2 | Bernardi | Marta | ITA (Italy) |
| 3 | Tondeur | Alexandra | BEL (Belgium) |
| 4 | Kleiser | Daniela | DEU (Germany) |
| 5 | Clavel | Charlene | FRA (France) |
| 6 | Guerard | Justine | FRA (France) |
| 7 | Collonge | Jeanne | FRA (France) |
| 8 | Gerß | Lisa | DEU (Germany) |
| 9 | Gómez Ramon | Laura | ESP (Spain) |
| 10 | Kivioja | Kaidi | EST (Estonia) |
| 11 | Svensk | Sara | SWE (Sweden) |
| 12 | Rayner | Lizzie | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 13 | Addie | Laura | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 14 | Rocha | Raquel | PRT (Portugal) |
| 15 | De Boer | Marlene Helen | NLD (Netherlands) |
| 16 | Mitchell | Simone | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 17 | Strehlow | Annamarie | USA (United States of America) |
| 18 | Lehrieder | Caroline | DEU (Germany) |
| 19 | Hoaas | Martine | NOR (Norway) |
| 20 | McDonald | Megan | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 21 | Verbiest | Liesbeth | BEL (Belgium) |
| 22 | Indermühle | Maja | CHE (Switzerland) |
| 23 | Laurentiu | Carolina | ESP (Spain) |
| 24 | Hukka | Minttu | FIN (Finland) |
| 25 | Morier | Emilie | FRA (France) |
| Bib | Last Name | First Name | Country |
| 30 | Dreitz | Andreas | DEU (Germany) |
| 31 | Cometta | Patrick | CHE (Switzerland) |
| 32 | Passuello | Domenico | ITA (Italy) |
| 34 | Costes | Antony | FRA (France) |
| 35 | Mann | Nicolas | DEU (Germany) |
| 36 | Heldoorn | Niek | NLD (Netherlands) |
| 37 | Goesch | Henrik | FIN (Finland) |
| 38 | Sowieja | Dominik | DEU (Germany) |
| 39 | Grue | Kristian | NOR (Norway) |
| 40 | Montraveta Moya | Jordi | ESP (Spain) |
| 41 | Navarro | Thomas | FRA (France) |
| 42 | Lewis | Josh | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 43 | Palmer | Harry | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 44 | Szala | Tom | POL (Poland) |
| 45 | Thomschke | Markus | DEU (Germany) |
| 46 | Bolbat | Marcel | DEU (Germany) |
| 47 | Szuch | Colin | USA (United States of America) |
| 48 | Van Hemel | Tim | BEL (Belgium) |
| 49 | Munday | Will | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 50 | Vanhalst | Thomas | BEL (Belgium) |
| 51 | Naeyaert | Louis | BEL (Belgium) |
| 52 | Goodwin | George | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 53 | Clavel | Vincent | FRA (France) |
| 54 | Mintern | Chris | IRL (Ireland) |
| 55 | Askengren | Albert | SWE (Sweden) |
| 56 | Brembor | Tomasz | POL (Poland) |
| 57 | Halliwell | Brett | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 58 | Dehez | Amaury | FRA (France) |
| 59 | Christian | Ryan | AUS (Australia) |
| 60 | Gartmark | Joakim | SWE (Sweden) |
| 61 | Steinwandter | Matthias | ITA (Italy) |
| 62 | Pollard | Luke | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 63 | Garcia Sanchez | Alejandro | ESP (Spain) |
| 64 | Andersen | Benjamin Mark | DNK (Denmark) |
| 65 | Jais | Christian | DEU (Germany) |
| 66 | Crudgington | Will | GBR (United Kingdom) |
| 67 | Garcia Ochoa | Juampe | ESP (Spain) |
| 68 | Breuer | David | DEU (Germany) |
| 69 | Reddy | Mateo | CHE (Switzerland) |
| 70 | De la paz Fernandez | Francisco | ESP (Spain) |
| 71 | Leiss | Arne | DEU (Germany) |
| 72 | Oliver Vives | Carlos | ESP (Spain) |
| 73 | Pollizzi | Dominic | USA (United States of America) |
| 74 | Kjærgård | Henrik | DNK (Denmark) |
| 75 | Rivron | Maxime | FRA (France) |
| 76 | Rohde | Maximilian | DEU (Germany) |
| 77 | Piccinin | Nicola | ITA (Italy) |
| 78 | Elischer | Renning | DEU (Germany) |
| 79 | Hounjet | Thomas | NLD (Netherlands) |