Ironman France Nice

Aloura ! It’s in the capital of the South 🌞, in Nice, in the department of Alpes-Maritimes, in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur 🪻, that, as you know, hosts the most beautiful triathlon in the country 🥰 : theIronman France Nice. It’s in this little corner of paradise that you’ll have the opportunity to accomplish one of the most insane athletic feats : a 3.8 km swim 🏊‍♀️, a 180 km bike ride 🚲 and a marathon of 42.195 km 🏃. It’s in the month of June that you’ll get to swim in the Mediterranean Sea 🌊, cycle through olive-filled hills 🫒 and run on the famous Promenade des Anglais 🇬🇧. Pack your swimsuit and sunglasses and practice singing Nissa la Bella 🎶, you’ll need it! 😎

The Promenade des Anglais will once again be the stage for an unmissable event! 📍 It’s in the big city in the South, located 30 km from the Italian shore 🇮🇹, where the strongest Ironman 🇫🇷 France takes place. It’s under the scorching sun of June that you’ll start the triathlon 🚩. The city— the fifth most populated in France and 4th most sunny — comes alive each year to the rhythm of strides, breaths and pedal strokes from more than 2 500 participants. And since good news never comes alone 😌, this competition can carry you to another dream destination : to Kona, to Hawaii, to participate in the Ironman World Championship 🌎.

But to step foot on that paradise island, you’ll first have to prove yourself in this multisport race to qualify 🏆.

This part, the most challenging and spectacular 🎉, involves riding 180.2 km through the Niçois hinterland and the magnificent villages of the Parc Naturel des PréAlpes d'Azur 🌳. This extraordinary landscape 😍 is known for its heritage and its stretches of road with steep climbs 📈. In total, the cycling route features 2 400 mD+ 😅. Several towns lie along your path: Saint-Jeannet, La Gaude, Vence, Tourrettes-sur-Loup 🐺, Courmes, Gourdon, Caussols, Andon then Caille before easing back toward Nice via La Ferrière, Thorenc, Gréolières, Coursegoules, Bézaudun-les-Alpes, Bouyon, Le Broc, Carros, Gattières, then the seaside town of Saint-Laurent-du-Var. As a neighboring town, your arrival there will mark the end of this second stage and the start of the third 😉.

Why? Simply because the city of Nice begins at the airport ✈️, located by the sea, which is the third busiest in France 🇫🇷 in terms of traffic (lots of records in this city, right? 😏). Behind the runways, there’s the long Promenade des Anglais, which runs along the entire seafront up to the Port Lympia ⚓️. It’s this long road you’ll cover during 4 laps 🔁. You’ll see hotels 🏨, restaurants 🍽️, old buildings and private beaches before returning to Jardin Albert-Ier 🌿 and turning around. If you’re an ace, you might even beat the records ⏱️ set: 8 hours, 8 minutes and 59 seconds for the German 🇩🇪 Frederik Van Lierde and 9 hours, 11 minutes and 39 seconds for the Englishwoman Corinne Abraham 🙃. Relaxed vibes!

If you don’t make it, we’ve got a few ideas to comfort you 👉. First, you’ll need to fuel up 🥪, it’ll probably be a pretty big need! 😝 And good news, there are plenty of options, Nice being a real gastronomic hub 🤤. You can bake a pan bagnat (aka "bread that’s soaking") with great regional vegetables 🧅, tuna and (a lot) of olive oil 😋. Note that this is the ONLY accepted recipe, the chicken-mayo combo is just a huge hoax 🤢🚫. Otherwise, you can try a few local specialties : socca, pissaladière, stuffed dishes, Niçoise salad 🥗, chard pie… Once you’ve had your hearty meal and your restorative nap 😴then you’ll have all the time to explore the old town of Nice and wander its colorful streets, savor a ice cream 🍦 at Place Rossetti, sit on the blue chairs 🪑, climb for the view 👁️ from the Castle Hill 🏰, visit the Roman amphitheaters of Cimiez, the Matisse Museum 🎨, support the OGC Nice (yes, really) or enjoy the permanent exhibition on the Klein blue of MAMAC… 💙 We’re probably forgetting some! 😬 There are so many things to do in this blue jewel! 💎 And that’s not even counting all the other amazing seaside towns around 🛳️ and the splendid nature in the Niçoise hinterland 🤩. Lovers of the great outdoors will surely be thrilled to take the train des merveilles and stroll through the Mercantour Valley 🦅.

If all that description has your mouth watering, we suggest grabbing your swimming goggles and plunging into the sea! 😜 You’ll need a serious training plan to conquer Ironman France Nice.