The Beach2Battleship Triathlon, held this year on October 22nd, is an internationally recognized iron distance and half iron distance triathlon. Competitors from around the country and the world have traveled to the Wilmington, N.C. area to enjoy everything this world famous waterfront destination has to offer and to experience a competition Triathlete Magazine named as one of the top 5 iron distance triathlons in the world.
The swim starts at the southern tip of beautiful Wrightsville Beach and takes place in a channel connected to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Always on an incoming tide, the current makes for consistently fast swim times. The bike course then takes competitors from Wrightsville Beach through the outskirts of Wilmington and three surrounding counties before returning to Historic Downtown Wilmington to the second transition area. The two-loop run is an out-and-back, flat and fast run course starting in historic Wilmington and leads athletes around picturesque Greenfield Lake. The race finishes in downtown Wilmington on the Cape Fear River just across from the historic USS North Carolina Battleship.
Swim:
The PPD IM NC Full swim course will be staged at Wrightsville Beach and will be a unique point-to-point layout with a rolling start. The swim takes place in a channel that is connected to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway; so it’s a salt water swim but not in the ocean. An incoming tide with participants swimming with the current will make for some very fast times for the 2.4 mile course. The water temperature will be in the upper 60’s to low 70’s – perfect for wetsuit use.
Bike:
The 112 mile bike course takes competitors from Wrightsville Beach, through the northern section of Wilmington and then up towards White Lake. The bike course is totally flat with the only elevation change taking place when participants finish the bike course by crossing a bridge on the way into the second transition area located in downtown Wilmington. Vehicular traffic on the bike course will be extremely light throughout the course. Fully stocked aid stations will be located approximately every 10-15 miles along the entire course.
Run:
The two loop out and back run course will start and finish in downtown Wilmington. Competitors will wind their way through downtown and take a trip around picturesque Greenfield Lake. One of the featured aspects of PPD IRONMAN NC will be the run course aid stations. Located every mile along the 26.2 mile route, each aid station will serve a variety of food, drinks, and energy products to assist each athlete. Event organizers will be conducting a contest among the aid stations (so each group or company assigned to a particular aid station will be trying their best to “out do” the other aid stations. Aid station volunteers will be in costume and will be playing live or recorded music. On a more serious note, all aid stations will also be fully staffed with EMS personnel, HAM radio operators, and port-a-lets.
For more information about the event, registration, or course maps visit https://beach2battleship.com/
