In mid November, while Britain basked in 6 degrees, coupled with gale force winds and rain, beautiful Eilat enjoyed 30 degrees and glorious sunshine.
Set on the Red Sea at the very southern tip of Israel, Eilat borders both Jordan just 3km away and Egypt 9km away. Saudi Arabia can be seen from Eilat and is only 20km away.
Eilat has a very long history with triathlon – they grew up together. The first race was held here in 1986, and in its 24 year history it has had a pedigree of winners. Names from the past glories of triathlon have appeared in Eilat, including Richard Hobson, Simon Lessing, Spencer Smith, Scott Tinley and the Mouton twins, to name just a few. First winners back in 1986 were Ken Glah and Jan Wanklynn, with Brit Glenn Cook finishing in second in that first race. They all came and raced at the traditional end of season event.
Founder of the event Yom-Tove Samia, a Colonel in the Israeli army, organised the first 10 Eilat triathlons and he still comes every year to work on the race. The Eilat event is strongly supported by personnel from the Israeli Triathlon Association, (which was set up in 1981, making it one of the oldest triathlon federations in existence) to deliver a unique race. As the race evolved over the years, in 1994 it became the final of the European Cup circuit and it was the final race in the ITU World Cup series in 2007.
The swim takes place in the beautiful clear Red Sea with a guaranteed year round temperature of 25 degrees and with the dry desert heat, temperatures in November will always be between 26 and 31 degrees, making it a great winter destination for the pale and pasty Brits. What, no rain? Yes – what little they get (20mm per year) comes in Feb if they are lucky.
Getting there requires a bit of planning. El Al flies via Tel Aviv, which is either a short transfer by plane to Eilat, or you can drive from Tel Aviv which takes around 3.5 hours. El Al flies three times a day to Eilat Airport, which is located in the centre of the town, so it will be the quickest transfer you will ever experience.
In 2012 it will be the European Championships, El Al will be one of the major sponsors and they will be providing free bike carriage on the plane for all athletes.
Coming to Israel is an experience, a lot of patience is required. However, once you are in Israel then everyone speaks English and you are guaranteed a very warm and friendly welcome. They are very generous and helpful hosts, welcoming you into a major European event and the global triathlon family as well. The hotel chain, Isrotel, has been involved in the race since day one and remains involved to this day. Great accommodation and plenty of buffet style all-you-can-eat food is idea for hungry triathletes and there are plenty of hotels to choose from and suit all pockets.
Local custom dictates that due to the Israeli Sabbath being on the Saturday, most of the racing occurs on the Friday. The event has evolved to such an extent that this year saw some 2000 age groupers race over the Sprint and Olympic distances. There were also over 300 children aged 8-14 racing open water triathlon, with a youth race taking place early on Friday morning. Among the age groupers racing were quite a few very pale Brits who were going to suffer in the heat. Saturday was for the Junior men and women and the elite field of 32 men and 18 women.
The Elite Men’s Race, the Isrotel ITU Premium European Cup.
This year’s men’s race was a hotly contested affair. 10 nations were represented, including Russia, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, and of course Israel. First out the water was Russian Malyshev with the lead going into the bike of 20 seconds. Within the first lap a big pack had formed, by T2 it was a really big group going out together into the run. The blistering 32 degrees took its toll, however from nowhere Britain’s Todd Leckie managed to dig deep and pulled off a creditable third place. France’s Greg Rouault came first for the second year running, remarkable this year as he has been injured for the majority of the year. Jan Celustka from the Czech Republic rounded off the podium in second place.
The Elite Women’s Race, the Isrotel ITU Premium European Cup.
This year’s women’s start list had 18 entries but only 12 hit the 25 degree water on race morning. First out was Irina Abysova from Russia quickly followed by Danne Boterenbrood from the Netherlands. Onto the bike it was the Dutch girl Boterenbrood who pushed hard and went into T2 with a three minute lead in to the run. The strong pack of runners chased her down and she was hauled in with 1 km to go. Eventual winner was Katrien Verstuyft from Belgium followed by Russian Irina Abysova, with Boterenbrood hung onto third.
Race director Michael Katz commented: “The conditions out there today were very tough, however it was a great event and hopefully we will see more Brits racing next year.”
On his win, Greg commented: “It was a hard race; I’m really pleased to have come back into form after a long period of injury. Eilat is such a great race.”
The race in 2011 will be at the end of October and in 2012 it will be the European Championships and will be held on April 20-23.
For further information on the 2011 and 2012 European Championships please contact Michael Katz on:
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