Moldovan sportsmen conquered the IRONMAN Copenhagen 2018
2018-08-22 11:21
On Sunday, August 19, the capital of Denmark hosted the international triathlon competition IRONMAN Copenhagen 2018. Moldova was represented by athletes Ruslan Dubik and Igor Nisenboim, who is also Triathlon Federation of the Republic of Moldova (FTRM) ambassador.
IRONMAN Copenhagen 2018 is a competition, combining three sport disciplines: swimming, cycling and running. The swim took place in the lagoon at Amager Beach Park. Participants had to swim 3.8 km in open water with a temperature of 18-20 degrees. After the swimming stage, participants proceeded to the 181-km bike race. The final stage of the competition was the marathon distance run (42.195 km). Ironman Ruslan Dubik told us about things to keep in mind when preparing for such a tough competition:
“If you’re going to prepare for your first “Ironman”, please note that it’s a two-year project. Sure you can get off the couch in February, put your beer can aside and toe the starting line in August. But in this case, the race will be an absolute torture. And you will definitely never want to do sports again. So take your time and start with the Olympic distance”. FTRM ambassador Igor Nisenboim also shared his impressions of IRONMAN Copenhagen 2018, where he competed:
“Organization was at its highest – solid, no hustle, typical Danish. The roads were completely blocked, feeding stations ran like clockwork. Despite the fact that participation in the official Ironman was 2-3 times more expensive than the rest of the contests, it was worth it. Local supporters surprised me. My experience allows me to put things to comparison, so I can safely say that the Danes are the coolest supporters. People would come to competitions with their kids in prams and picnic on the roadside to encourage participants. A senile lady kept clapping for 4 hours and actively shouted to each of two thousand participants. And each such shouting brought your power back”.
Igor Nisenboim has quite an impressive experience under his belt – over 30 successful contests in: road racing, open-water swimming, triathlon, trail running and cycling. In June this year, he took part in the Ironman 70.3 (Half Ironman) Triathlon competition in Pereyaslavl. Last weekend he managed to overcome the full triathlon distance and conquer the well-deserved IronMan status.
Ironman triathlon is considered one of the most difficult one-day competitions in the world. As for the IronMan status, it’s a real achievement for any athlete. Therefore, we congratulate the guys, wishing them to lead the charge and soar to new heights in sports, being a good motivation for the rest.