The Austrian city of Klagenfurt will host the strongest people in the world, participants of the Ironman competition, on Sunday, June 26. Five representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina are among them this year.
Tomislav Cvitanušić, Dario Ružić, Emir Baralić, Erol Mujanović and Nermin Palić will hold the flag of BiH on the most demanding one-day competition in the world – the Ironman triathlon. Each one of them will have to cross 226 kilometers in less than 17 hours every day, or 1.130 kilometers as a team.
Ironman is a series of races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. Participants must swim 3.8 kilometers without rest, ride a bicycle for 180 kilometers, and in the end run a marathon in the length of 42.2 kilometers. The race starts at 7 am, swimming must be completed in two hours and 20 minutes, bike rife must be completed by 5:30 pm, and the entire race must be finished by midnight. This is why the Ironman triathlon represents the most demanding one-day race in the world, where participants must cross 226 kilometers in three different disciplines.
For Nermin, this race is a special challenge in both physical and mental sense. After months of preparations that included trainings in the gym, hours-long trainings of swimming and running, and thousands of kilometers crossed on a bike, he cannot wait to find himself on the start line. Other competitors from BiH had the similar structure of training.
Tomislav stated that he hopes that this time the weather conditions for the race in Klagenfurt will be better than in 2012 when, as the only representative from BiH, he also had to overcome the additional climate challenge because the temperature of 37 degrees resulted in numerous contestants giving up.
Dario and Erol already had the final test at one shorter triathlon in Podgorica, while their colleague Emir just returned from Africa where he spent several months where he trained well and committedly. All three of them also invested hours in trainings and preparations and are happy to have the opportunity to promote active and healthy lifestyle in BiH and inspire others.
Every year, the Ironman Austria competition attracts about 3.000 athletes from 60 countries who compete on the Wörthersee lake with the average temperature of 22 degrees. After the swimming section, there comes the bike ride through picturesque areas in the atmosphere resembling the one in Tour de France. The race route goes along the lake and through the city.
For the first time, BiH will have its female representatives on Ironman races this year. Selma Miličić and Neira Odobašić from the organization “Marathon” Sarajevo will participate in the half-Ironman race in Austria in two months, thus becoming the first ladies to complete this prestigious race competing under the flag of BiH.
(Source: klix.ba/photo: ironman.com)
