I had the opportunity to witness the Ironman Tallinn earlier this year, held in Estonia's capital city. The event was a pretty cool experience, with its course that crisscrossed the city, including the picturesque old town, drawing huge crowds of participants and volunteers alike. Having completed the UK's Ironman in Bolton a few times, I couldn't help but think how cool it would be to participate in this one someday in the future!

 

If you didn’t already know, an Ironman Triathlon is widely considered a very challenging one-day sporting events in the race world. The race consists of a 2.4-mile (3.9 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.2 km) bicycle ride, and a marathon 26.22-mile (42.2 km) run, completed in that order, covering a total of 140.6 miles (226.3 km).

As someone who has competed in the UK Ironman twice, I can attest that the Tallinn race was truly unique. The cycling and running routes weaved through the city, even taking in Tallinn's beautiful old town, which made for a challenging and exhilarating experience. However, I have to admit that seeing the competitors running on cobbles really made me feel for them!

 

The race ended at the fantastic Seaplanes maritime museum, with the finish line placed next to the gigantic Lembit submarine. The museum was an ideal location for the finish line, and it was the coolest race ending I've ever seen. Definitely one an Ironman to consider if you want some great photos, in somewhere unique, that’ll show you this beautiful Baltic country!


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Chris Shirley MA FRGS

About the Author: A former Royal Marines officer and advisor to the BBC, Chris has travelled in over 60 countries, is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Guinness World Record holder for rowing over 3500 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, a Marathon des Sables finisher, and is the founder of ‘Haus of Hiatus’, a website design and branding studio that designs and amplifies start-ups, scale-ups and special projects around the world.

He has worked with Hollywood actors, world–renowned musical artists and TV personalities, and is delighted to have had his work featured by the United Nations, Red Bull, BBC, and even seen at the South Pole!

https://www.hausofhiatus.com/team
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