Unveiling IRONMAN HAMBURG: Insider Tips and Course Teasers

In this video, I’m giving you my exclusive IRONMAN U certified coach’s preview of the IRONMAN HAMBURG Course. This is the course that I know will help you achieve your goals and have a great race day experience!

I’ll talk you through you exactly what to expect on the course, and share with you my tips and strategies for success.

Additional info video:
IRONMAN nutrition: https://youtu.be/DwQteW2NFao
Transition bags explained: https://youtu.be/Tjdllnsn5XY
Beginners guide to packing: https://youtu.be/0weCv9jQ_B0
What should I wear for my 1st 70.3: https://youtu.be/I1D1mUFJaV4
Last min tips to set yourself for IM race success: https://youtu.be/ntrHAGUVLDA
Transition hacks: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK0Fj046_efEA37dGUFeM5bgOyPfIR832

Equipment recommendations:
Here are the links to the referenced videos & products

Avoid wetsuit neck rash: https://youtu.be/5UtXC3Hv6sg with Neck protector on amazon:
US: https://amzn.to/3QSb9CB
EU/UK: https://amzn.to/3sPwQLp

Body glide (for faster wetsuit transition) on amazon:
US: https://amzn.to/3sVPpgY
EU/UK: https://amzn.to/3GdcwH7

Lock tite laces for faster transitions: https://youtu.be/S58Na4d6rd8
EU/UK: https://amzn.to/3YeCbr2​
US: https://amzn.to/3QN4HfU​

Link to airtags on amazon (to track valuable tri kit)
US: https://amzn.to/3sUonqm
EU/UK: https://amzn.to/3R30mFy

Please note as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you (AND I only recommend items I personally use and rate

are you racing Iron Man Hamburg this year if so this is the video for you because in it I’m going to cover a number of uh pins and tips that will help you smash your race day um so who am I my name is Stephen coach Steve from Smart inurance Solutions I’m also an Iron Man new certified coach and I’ve literally got thousands of athletes to Iron Man start lines and Finish Lines over the years via either my onet toone coaching or my training plans but and but in this video I’m going to take you through my um breakdown of the Hamburg course um in terms of from my own experience and also from my athletes who have interviewed to help put this video together so let’s get to it okay so we’re going to go through the swim course T1 bike course T2 Run course and um Finish Line and what you need to know at the end we’re also going to talk through some um other logistics you need to know we’re also going to talk through um some nutrition advice we’re going to talk through equipment advice and also the race Day schedule that you need to know in terms of how to maximize that and make sure that you’re 100% prepped and know what’s going to happen throughout your few days in Germany so first off know the know your enemy and we’re GNA as I said we’re going to go through the course by the way and this is key actually getting to Hamburg is very easy in terms of if you fly at the airport there’s a good train that gets you from the train to the race venue but it being a City Iron Man that has a limitation and you’re not going to be able to try out much of the bike course which most people like to do in the days beforehand because all those roads are open whether it be closed and race day so realistically you will be able to have a swim uh practice swim and they talk about what day that is and when to do that you but realistically in the bike you’re only going to get a chance to spin around the city itself and just make sure everything’s right you will be able to run at least a full loop of the Run course and get a feel for it but just bear that mind okay so this is what your where your day will start um on the race day the swim is in a lake but it’s going to split into two by the kind of the bridge as such and we’ll talk through what that means for you half six this is when the age group will start um and this is what you’re going to see as you can see this this the swim exit and we’ll talk a little bit about how the rolling swim start Works in an Iron Man race this is the swim course um as you can see it is a one Loop course and this is the Pontoon that you will start off this is where the pens or the Corrals are beforehand what do I mean by um Corrals and this is also one of my top tips you need to seed yourself um accordingly by the way it’s extremely likely it will be a wet suit swim it has been for the last few years the water temperature has been around 17 to 18 degrees but there have been instances where it hasn’t been okay um so seed yourself correctly and what do we mean by that um Iron Man has used a rolling swim start rather than a mass start because it it used to panic all the age groupers so it means that when you arrive on race day there will be pens that will be indicated by a sign saying sub 60 Minutes um sub 80 minutes sub 90 minutes Etc and you put yourself in the Corral or the pen that equates that your expected finish time so if you are a fish and you’re going in the sub 60 Minute um you get there and you put yourself in and they will let you guys in first how that works is there when you come to when the actual the gun goes off from 6:30 on the race day they they will have four volunteers and kind of four lanes where they will volunteers literally have their arms like this a beep will go and then guys will and then there four after will enter the water hands go down 10 seconds beep for water just means a very smooth controlled entry into the water but as you can see from that picture it’s quite a narrow swim start and normally other races you can get into this five and six Lanes get there early you don’t want to get to um to the race and it’s actually no space to you to get to the front of the 90minut Corral because that’s where you think you’re going to be and there is zero benefit to any age group or put themselves in the wrong Corral because if you think okay I’m got to I’m worried about cut off times and you put yourself in like an under hour swim and you’re really only kind of a two-hour swimmer two things will happen one the stronger swimmers will will swim over you and number two you’ll lose the ability to draft off someone who’s a little who’s close to your level and I’ll talk about that in a second sighting um I advise CA it a Lake Swim there’s not an awful lot around to sight off as and you’ll see that the buildings are very uniform and very gr so it’s not as if like in another race you can site off a lighthouse or there’s a big tree Etc um so I advise sighting beside the actual boys the used the buildings can can this side the first siding Point you’ll have here is the bridge dead easy g go right I want to talk about sizing I mean every kind of 9 to 12 Strokes you could pop your head up and you make sure you’re aiming towards something that you’re that you that you know you’re going to pass if you if it’s still in front of you you’re go in a straight line if you’re missing it you’re veering off left or right um so sighting Point first off would be the bridge and then as I said I wouldn’t normally advise people sting off the boys because they can move around but um buildings there wasn’t anything overly um distinctive I could have aim for so I said so aim for this the Turning boys here again on the way back here and this and on the way back in you’ve got the bridge again so that’s actually a good solid sighting point and then when you’re in the second half of the lake you’ve got the the black Swim ech cards which we’re all looking at looking forward to um advice In The Swim Iron Man swimming is all about energy conservation because you a long bike and a long long run to come draft as much as possible drafting is illegal on the bike it’s 100% encouraged on the swim drafting is when you get on someone’s hip on their feet and actually use them to break the water uh the tension and just swim behind them think about how it is when you swim behind someone in the pool it’s much easier when they’re doing the work in front use that to your advantage the other item I would say is when you’re coming into the last couple of hundred meters make sure you kick your legs a little bit more aggressively because what will happen after you’ve been horizontal for like an hour two hours and people hop up all the blood brains down their legs they got that jelly leg you see them kind of wobbling over you can reduce that by kicking a little bit more helps the circulation I also have some tips in the comments below about how to transition more effectively from swim uh swim to bike make sure you check them out in the comments but okay so you’ve had the swim your life you’re actually bang on target it’s been a great start today what does the swim exit look like it looks exactly like this as you can see the there’s a pontoon here and there’s um helpers that will actually um will will help and helpers that will help pull you out of the Pontoon um onto that red carpet not the red carpet we’re thinking of that’s a little bit down the track but also if you notice you’re com up some steps here which will obviously got very wet and all the rest so don’t run up the the steps take your time you don’t want to slip and bang your knee that will make a mess of the entire day but use the time effectively this guy got going on he’s already taking off as wet suit as he’s moving cuz it is a long transition so the more you can get done before you get to the changing tent the better so he’s this guy’s pulling his wet suit zip up this guy’s getting his wets suit arms out smart and again I talk in these things you can do and how to get your wets suit off more effectively in the comments below the transition itself you will have come around and there’s the changing there’s the the blue bags which you pick it up um Iron Man Has a specific system of bags which I’ll talk about just in one moment but essentially it’s a long run down it is a very long transition between 500 to 600 M but it’s was it it’s a straight line it’s quite efficient if we’re going to be clich German about it but uh and there’s lots of sighting points where you can go right I am the fourth tree down I’m after the changing tent Etc and you should figure that out as part of your familiarization exercise the day before um it’s also a single transition You’ be coming back here 4 T2 means Logistics on the couple of days beforeand are much easier not like a challenge Roth where you have to go to two different places but again and that just makes things a little e easier and less stressful on the days lead up to the race as I said Iron Man Has Its specific transition rules in terms of they don’t it’s not like your local race where you just put everything by a bike you have to use their bag system blue is Bike to run bike uh swim to bike red is uh bike to run and it might sound a little bit daunting there’s also personal needs bags Apple webik I actually have a video in the comments below that talks you through it and shows you what recommends what you should put in each bag and what should um and how it works but essentially when you’ve come through T1 you go through that change in tent youve taken your wet suit off your goggles and just you take all your stuff out of your blue bag put your helmet on put your bike shoes on and then you stuff your wet suit and your goggles into the blue bag add it to a volunteer on the way out they’ll hang it later on which you collect post race so we have got our we’ve got our blue bag got to change T we have got out of our wet suit we have got our bike and we’re running towards the mount line the mount line is the line that you have to pass your entire bike length before you actually hop on so you will actually avoid a penalty couple of mistakes here this guy is actually still behind the mountain line and so if the Marshall spots him he could get a 30 second hey whatever is going on these guys have tried to do just but go straight over and hop on the bikes and and there’s a lot of there will be a lot of traffic when you’re coming through here and there’s also as you can see there’s an awful lot of space take advantage po run past a little past you running a little bit more but it means you can get your leg over on the bike and you’re comfortable no one’s going to bang you your wheel take your time it’s all about thinking smart on the day um and then we’re off on the bike course which is a belter so but before we go there I have a polite request I hope you’re enjoying the video I hope you’re feeling a little bit more prepared and as a small request I’d love you to hit that subscribe button I I like to do these videos and like to grow the channel um so if you subscribe it would help me out and as I said there be other videos in there that you can see in terms of how to make you faster triathlete and be friends for life so that’s my small request and thank you very much and I hope I have earned your subscription but back on to the bik course this is all we care about Steve yeah fair enough and the by course is lightning fast why is it lightning fast the roads are silky smooth and also it’s flat as a pancake as you can see there’s zero kind of elevation gain in this really um it’s a two Loop course um but being flat and fast brings with it some caveats the first 30 km and then uh by extension when you’re going back in and do this your second Loop the again the 89 to um 120 oops I one thing swim cut off is 2 hours and 20 and I’ll talk about the cut off times at the rest of the different disciplin so you’re aware of this but we’re we’ve made the cut off we’re in good form and we’re looking forward to the bike so what we what we doing okay so next up we are on the bike course and I said the first 30 and the second 30 B Loop you’re still in the town so there’s some technical turns there’s some pot not not po ger no two pools there are some um manhole covers Etc so just be aware be little bit slower when you’re out here in the countryside it is and it is and it will feel fast so it actually can feel narrow Parts even though there’s lots of space as in because there’s SP G both weight and people are building by you also will be passed by some of the pros on their second lap um and they’re going like 45 km an hour 50 km an hour um so the key to maintaining safety on this course is 100% spatial awareness as of what’s going on around me and communication shout shout shout if you’re overtaking someone tell them you’re overtaking if you’re going into an aid station tell them you’re going to an aid station do not assume that people know what’s going on in your head because they don’t and the more you give them the advanced notice the best better people can work around one another there will be drafting there it’s because it’s flat and it’s fast it tends to pack Center form up it’s just the nature of the Beast and hilly courses tend to break up packs whereas not if people are in a flat paceline they’ll end up sticking together do not my advice to you keep your nose clean try to keep out the packs if you can don’t get pissed off with them if they’re go don’t give them verbals it’s just negative energy and you’re not going to make them many better people and you’re not going to actually was it make yourself feel better you’ll just waste energy let them go um there are some railway lines in some sort of areas a little bit of cobblestones on us so just be aware and again this is the danger of such a flat and fast course as you can toes off you go wow I’m just going to start turn at this 30 35 36 km an hour the are Tire time and you kind of you still need to be 100% aware um the aid stations I’ll talk about how the flow of Aid stations happen in the next slide and also what’s at them are at 21k 21 and 110 40 128 6655 82 and 171 and also there’s a the personal needs at 21 and 100 so top tip print this on a piece of paper write out and sell a tape on the stem and you’re go why it’s five five locations really I just need to you will be surprised how much you will forget on race race day with your race brain and as you want your whole phone number let alone where the next age station is and you’re a bit concerned because you dropped your bottle and you’re a bit thirsty make sure it’s there it just makes it easier for you to um kind remember and reduces stress on the day and that’s what it’s all about here where they are and a top tip by the way guys I don’t like what this agitation is cuz it’s in the mle it’s one of the faster parts of course it’s going to be dangerous a you don’t want to lose momentum go wow am I going to slow down to whatever 10K an hour to pick up my bottle and when at 35s no or and people pulling in at speed it’s a bit more danger I recommend going to these guys and it’s in the city limits a bit slower and it be easier to um to load up so how did the aid stations flow work you will see two parts as in so like at the start there’s a trash area this is the only place you can Chu litter on the course if not and if you’re caught by Marshall you’re dced we’re guest in some the this country respect it and actually respect the rules and um if you have to hold on to an empty um water bottle for like 20 30k do your ad um and then you’ll have volunteers who holding out water bottles um and shouting water water water ESO ESO ESO gels Etc the um ESO is precision hydration not um that weird mortal stuff that they’re trying out in the states or um Gatorade because Mar man seem are broken up with those guys and they tend to kind of they will have they will do a mirror so you’ll have water ESO gels bars bananas and then ESO again and water again so this is what I do um I will typically have a water and the water bottles are in uh 750 m bottles you can put them in a standard bottle cage but I will take um when I know an a is coming up I’ll start draining much water out of my bottle I’ll pour down my back put on my front to keep my core temperature down and I know then I’m just going to ditch that bottle so then I’ll Chuck it into the uh trash area there’s around 500 M that it’s easy to hit um I’ll get the water bottle and I’ll put it into my bottle cage I again when you’re coming into it I will start I’m coming into the acation guys I’m coming in and then when you see a volunteer make eye contact Point water water slow down there’s no point in you going in Fast and knocking that um water bottle in the air slow down feather your brakes grab in communicate I’m coming out coming come out again I will also at the second um aid station um as I said the isotronic drink if you’re using a front torpedo what I will tend to do is I will fill up my my my water bottle because I have a little um hole that I fit in and then I will Chuck that bottle in the second bin station again it’s all about being smooth it’s all about controlled and it’s all about communication the more you shout the less less surprises you’re going to cause the other people going on bikes I saw in a recent race people coming in stopping dead on the brakes and that’s slamming into them that’s so easily avoidable with a communication and just asn’t having a bit of aid station etiquette what’s in them as I said we’ve got the water bottles uh Precision hydration Morton gels Morton bars and bananas all good right so we have on the bike we’ve had a belter of bike and it will be a fast bike split do not panic If you’re sort of going wow I’m 10 15 minutes faster than I would have thought my legs have been fried if you’re staying within your number that’s the split you’re getting it’s a fast course you will come to the Dismount line again you need to mount completely before the bike um before you get to this line and then run with your bike holding it by a saddle again in the transition tips I show you how to do that Etc make sure you check it out and make sure you like friends forever um straight run down rack your bike straight run down pick up your red um your red bag you will again this is your bike to run B um and you only take your helmet off after you’ve actually racked the bike okay again could be a possible it’s simple stuff just make sure you know and also make sure you know where you’re running too as and this will be figured out from your familiarization the day before um guys I hope you’re enjoying the video I’m sure you are little NES let’s just hit a thumbs up when we’re out there help helps the channel thank you okay next up we have got our Run course um by the way another top tip which my friend was it lives by and he’s right int2 and by the way the bike cut off I I should have told us beforehand is N9 and a half hours that includes your swim split your T1 split um before you get there so but 9 and a half hours should not be a problem it is a fast course make sure you just keep an eye on your numbers um the other thing to note on the bike course is that there is an underpass where you go under a bridge and it messes up with GPS so if you think you’re going less than your bike course you’re not um it is 178 but it comes up normally 177 or 70 five it depend on how much your GPS gets messed up on the day all right okay Run course it is a belter of a Run course it in mean Hamburg it’s pancake flat as well the the I asked my athletes to describe the Run course in one word okay right they they describ the swim course as in lovely they come the bike course as fizzy one one guy said and the other uh the Run course he just said it’s insane with energy so this is what you have to look forward to it’s Loops um very flat there’s only a little bit of an underpass um it’s mainly on concrete and Tac there’s a little bit where you go off in kind of a park and it’s a little bit of a kind of that softer um kind of uh pathway so that’s to look forward to but what I say to newbies as well who’s a bit nervous in a while I’ve done I’m already out here eight nine 10 hours I’m I have a marathon to look forward to don’t do that don’t say Marathon to yourself as and make it break it into kind of four blocks of four 10ks right 10K is manageable absolutely you’ve done loads of them in training even the midweek stuff first one conser be conservative H back make sure you don’t go too fast and end up finishing like a burst balloon second and third settle into your kind of race day um Pace that you’ve done in your long runs on your long bricks on bike fourth it sucks it always does there’s no way about it if um but you just have to dig in that’s where the mental game comes key when we talk about using visualization m dedications again I I have give mental tips on the day um in the videos in the videos below make sure you check them out it should help you race dat fuel Aid stations are around every two two and a half kilometers and I a lot of people will try to run I’m in the transition they’ll run with gels and I’m of the opinion I paid arm man that much amount of money to come to their wonderful course I am going to fill my boots and get some money back those Morton gels R 56 each I tend to eat as many of them on the course as possible so I run out with just my just my Runners my visor and my shades and I fill my boots at um every single aid station the and I talk about the flow is there and what’s available Pace we’ve talked about already um the feed off the crowd energy as I said it’s it’s a really well supported course the Germans love their Iron Man and they come out in their thousands so high five talk to people um budy up and all the rest and just enjoy the day and the other thing to note as I said there’s a little bit of an underpass here we go under the bridge this is and then you come back up so that’s your little pimple here um that can also mess up with your garment so when you look down you go like wow I’ve only done 41k and I’m running up to the Finish Line rubbish trusted sorry trust your trust the German course markings and ignore your garment they’ve tend to lose around 200 300 meters CU you’re under the underpass don’t freak yourself out um The Run cut off and the right total cut off for race is 15 and 1 half hours which includes swim T1 bike T2 it’s it’s it’s it’s shorter than most courses as a most around the 16 or 17 depending on the course but it reflects how fast the course is so don’t get freaked out by that as I said you will get a PB bike split you will uh the Run um the swim is nice and you should have a good run as well it’s nice and flat so that’s what you’re doing have your finish line moves ready do not do that plastic thing where people get over the fish line look down the garments all that that’s the picture you’re going to go on your wall when you replace your pictures of your wedding your communion your kids whatever what’s up there make sure you look straight up you’ve got your um your your say Bol move or your airling down the Finish Line and you got a good picture the time is spits will come later so eight S as I said there’s your bananas as you can see they’re regly spaced out very handy this is what you get at the eight stations water uh isotonic pH uh Precision hydration as confirmed Cola gels bars fruit and crackers take on board salt as much as possible because you will be sweating a lot it can get very hot out there on the day and you’ll feel it on the run more so on the bike um your trash stationing again rule stand do not dump on other people’s country as then use the trash stations as a it’s a race is important to you but it’s also important that we’re good ambassadors to the country what’s at them salty snacks oranges and stuff like that um I tend to try and get solids as well um rather because I’ve been eating gels and other stuff all day and my stomach BS up I use Cola on the second and third laps because you get that Sugar boost and gives you that Rocket Fuel which you will need on the marathon so what’s it all about this is your Finish Line and this is something you should see beforehand and visualize when things get tough you go wow I need to get there and all the rest go this is what I worked for but also add in a couple of hundreds of Germans family friends everyone cheering you then to finish and everyone wanting you over that if you’re a newbie there’s a Bell there at your ring that they will make sure that they will take care and sort of um shout out your name that Steven Moody you are an Iron Man they try to do it as many possible but if it gets full and there’s a lot of people coming down which can’t happen um they will prioritize people who have rang the bell um and and by the way don’t unless you’re going for under 10 hours and you’ve got like three seconds to go do not Sprint down this You’ worked too hard to get there enjoy it was it high five people airplane whatever you got want to do um milk this this moment you You’ worked hard you deserved it um and you want those perfect Finish Line pictures speaking of a super Finish Line This Is My Friend Lewis who actually is coming over in under 10 hours in Hamburg and qualifying for the World Championships um he’s one to call the bike course fizzy I really hope you have as good a day and a satisfying H moment as Lewis has on the bike course sorry on on the overall course other things to take and to bear in mind that are not training course related but are key all the same raise day nutrition um I could go on that that for a good half an hour an hour but I got there’s a video in the comments below you should be dialing this in now in the AL it should be ideally dialed in if not you just tweaking what you’re going to do what you going to eat how you going to eat how you going to keep on track cover that in the video below um equipment recommendations uh come other items it hopefully should be a w to swim tinted goggles Tri suit or qu a change into dry cycling gear and dry run gear I have discussed the merits and pro pro pros and cons of all three options down below um neck guard and body Glide I’m a big fan of this bad boy um stops me get my neck wrecked from the wet suit which you don’t want a sore neck and um for the entire bike and run I also use body glide on my arms to get the wet to go quicker again I cover that in transition tips in the videos below um I’m my head is getting in the way here but there’s a bike question here about whether TT or road bike 100% TT if only a road bike get some Arrow bars in and practice on it make sure you’re good and comfortable um socks definitely use socks um for both T1 and T2 as and very comfortable and also very psychological and dry your feet take a couple of seconds in transition one and transition two it’s not like a sprinter and Olympic it’s you could by Saving 30 seconds and then up blisters because of wet feet and you could have much slower run lock out laces if you’ve not used them before entally turn your Runners into slipons and we’ll save you up to a minute in transition um but would and also useful for other races um B test below and also the link to actually buying them on Amazon um so those are the equipment recommendations wat suit Tri suit TT bike lck lases sucks big fan all right um final things you need to do when the kind of your taper make sure you tie down make sure your Logistics are right your hotel booking right transfer details you know what’s going on um plan out your arrival in key events I’m going to talk about the actual events schedule at the end and you can sort of map that in um book your bike service prior to travel um a lot of people forget this as in you’ve done a lot of miles on that bad boy H you don’t want to turn up on the race day and find out that something’s wrong with the crank or the ball bearing are going just get it in give it some love beforehand it’ll it’ll serve you well on the day and if a lot of your teammates are coming your local bike shop will be booked up so do it early um how you getting your bike there we’re a big fan of team truck. I have a discount code if you want to use them uh that’s down in the uh comments below or using a bike box I cover that how to use a bike box in my packing videos packing checklist speaking of you will need one for Swim Bike Run and the stuff you tend to forget which is key and your ID your uh your chargers and other training gear Etc a lot to worry about don’t worry got you covered there’s a video below and with an easy handy downloadable checklist um also one of my top tips for when you’re traveling if you are using a bike box is Apple Air tag I put one of these Lads in my bike box when I went to Florida and it stopped me losing my bike when the airling this guy is going no no your bike didn’t make the flight and I just have to wait for the next flight and said oh yes it did if you see my my iPhone it’s just over there behind that door and though behold it came so again link to how to buy them on Amazon just get them to P them with your iPhone Great Piece of Kit okay race venue key timetable um registration happen opens up on third the Thursday around 10: a.m. make sure you get that out the way early because a you don’t want to be on your feet if there’s big long cues developed and B all the good stuff in the Expo goes um the race briefings are 300 p.m. on Friday and 4:30 for Germans the other key things that I would highly recommend is the practice swim happens on the Saturday between 10: and 1 just gives you an idea for the kind of the water the the lake water is surprisingly good for a city um uh venue and what attempt you get a feel for that then you’ll also need to check in your bike and your transition bags between 1 and 6 on the Saturday then race morning transition opens at 5: you will get access ACC to your bags you will get access to your bike put on your kind of your bike computers your shoes and your food then because leaving it overnight you and things can go wrong CR Little Critters start eating your energy gels Etc and all that be covered and ants don’t want it so only do that in the morning you will start kicking off having the day of your life on the 6:30 on race in morning okay guys I hope that was useful best of luck and Hamburg and if you want and you have some queries feel free to email me info at smartour solutions.com I really started doing these videos to help people um have as good race experience initially they were from my athletes they love them and now they a lot of other people I can help out um as I said all I ask is you hit like hit subscribe and then we can help each other out more in the future so go smash it in Hamburg and um even let us know how you got on it is a superb venue and I wish you the very very best