Race Preview - Tongyeong World Cup

Race Preview - Tongyeong World Cup

by Emma Carney (AUS) -
Number of replies: 0

Dear Athletes,

Today we continue the World Triathlon Development Team series of RACE PREVIEWS.

As athletes you all know that there is only so much training volume you can take on but what is unlimited is the skill and development an athlete can take into a race that allows them to race a course better and faster.  

Understanding how to race a course well, through analysis of previous races is a skill all world class athletes have developed. Pre-race analysis gives you a greater understanding of a race.  Today we look at the Tongyeong World Cup - a long established race on the World Triathlon calendar in South Korea.  This a deceptively tough race with laps of an undulating bike course, followed by a run with 4 times up and down a sharp hill.  

When analysing the course, it is obvious the most well prepared athlete will do well and all athletes will be tested by the race.  

A brief look at the details – 

Tongyeong World Cup is in South Korea 

  • Race Date – 15 October
  • Standard Distance Race 
  • 1500m, 2 lap Swim 
  • 40km, 6 lap Bike
  • 10km, 4 lap Run

Weather expected to be 13-21 degrees celsius.

The course is deceptively tough.

The swim is a dive start from a pontoon in a well-protected harbour.  The pontoon is wide with the best position being on the right as you face the water, although positioning next to the fastest swimmers would also be highly beneficial.  The course is extremely well marked and the water is calm.  Generally, a wetsuit swim, but prepare for non-wetsuit too.  The swim is two laps, both 750m with the first buoy at 333m.  The exit ramp is wide and is very simple – just remember to swim until your fingers touch the ramp and you will be at the point you can stand.  At the completion of the swim, the exit is brings you straight into T1. 

The bike begins to climb within 200m of the T1 exit. This section out is an area of several undulations that vary between 13-15%.  The turn is a nice sweeping U-Turn which, if the athlete has enough speed can be ridden fast off the descent and climb leading in.  The return back to T1 and town is fast.  Generally, packs form on this course which makes the bike back through town a spectacle of speed. The 180 degree turn at the other end of the course makes use of a traffic roundabout, so again can be taken at speed by a skill full athlete, although perhaps not if it is wet. The completion of the lap brings the athletes through the transition area to repeat 5 more times for a 6 lap total bike course.

T2 is simple, but you need to be efficient.

The run is deceptively tough.  The course takes the athletes out of T2 the same direction as T1, with the run course making its way right to the foreshore, rather than the hills behind Tongyeong.  The path is winding along the foreshore and the surface is a synthetic material, similar to a running track.  Once the athletes have passed the transition area they head up a sharp hill on 200m, with the steepest section at the last sweeping left. Those athletes who run the hill well make an impact on the race outcome.  What is also extremely important is running downhill well.  Once the hill has been negotiated, the run into transition is simple.  At 4 laps, and if there is a bunch, make sure you know the last 500m of the finish, because it could come to a sprint.

The final course details are published on triathlon.org here and will be presented at the Athlete briefing. 

View the video here.

If you are racing, have a great race!

Emma Carney (AUS)