The emotions at Ironman Switzerland 2023

Well - my first Ironman event… no, not as an athlete, not yet anyway - that’s for 2024!

But my first time joining to capture photos of the participants. And it definitely delivered, as Switzerland always does.

A 3.8km swim in the beautiful Thunersee.

180km cycling with 2200m elevation.

42.2km running through the town and next to the lake.

Today I was assigned 2 spots, starting with the swim, and then capturing the runners with a view of Lake Thun and the mountains in the background.

At the swim start I saw all the different emotions, nerves, fear, joy, madness - all the things I expect to feel when I eventually line up for the race myself.

Due to the nature of such a long race, I had quite a bit of time to get to my next spot - and took the opportunity to eat some snacks and have a nap with a beautiful view.

Then came the runners:

My spot for the run was fairly close to the beginning of the marathon. So when the last runners were done, and my photo duties finished, I couldn’t resist heading over to the finish line to soak in that famous finish line atmosphere.

A party, a celebration, a lot of tired people who got to hear the words “you are an Ironman” as they crossed the line.

If I didn’t know it already, that was the confirmation I needed. One day I want to hear those words.