IRONMAN Kärnten, Klagenfurt - Austria

A cannon shot sends swimmers from the Klagenfurt lido into the Wörthersee at IRONMAN Kärnten-Klagenfurt, Austria. The race is an annual full-distance Ironman in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, running since 1998, with 3.8 km of swimming, 180.2 km of cycling, and a marathon of 42.195 km to finish. It draws thousands of athletes and spectators to the Carinthian capital, including age-group athletes chasing 50 qualifying slots for the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona and professionals racing for prize money and Kona ranking points. The swim ends after a final push through the Lendkanal, giving the opening leg a very local Klagenfurt detail instead of a simple lake out-and-back. The event is large by Ironman standards, with nearly 3,000 starters in one edition, and it needs a big local operation: thousands of volunteers have supported athletes along the route, while crowds have passed 100,000 spectators. Austrian television first gave it several hours of coverage as participation grew, and the whole race was later broadcast live nationally. For Klagenfurt, race week also fills hotels and restaurants, with tens of thousands of overnight stays linked to the event.