Tallinn put on a great race despite ongoing covid restrictions. All of the important pre-race info was delivered via email and social media, timely and accurate. Travel was easy and race specific. the Race Hotel was excellent and the hub of everything, staff were super helpful and breakfast was excellent, and early on race morning. everything was in walking distance or a short ride or cabs are cheap and they have e-scooters for rent (like boris bikes). Registration was easy, a nice bag, tshirt and some IM branded food. A split transition meant T1 and swim at a different location to the T2 and race finish, this was well managed with free shuttle buses and set times for athletes. The swim is a lake swim, rolling start according to your predicted time, 1 big lap and easy navigated, T1 was grassed and simple/standard layout (plenty of portaloos) the bike course is fast and flat and despite awful weather (wind and rain) it was a pleasant 2 loops before rolling back to T2 at the coast. the run from the dismount line to racking was long and on a cobbled area, not the best and a carpet here would have been good here, sore feet or damaged slippy shoes? otherwise T2 was another standard transition area, the run was 4 laps and undulating not the most scenic but practical. the whole event was well marshalled and the volunteers were great even in the awful weather. feedstations were good and with covid restrictions still well managed and stocked. after race a good feed and drink was available in the athletes tent. A saturday race meant Sunday you could watch the 70.3 race and explore Tallinn. i really enjoyed my 1st visit to Estonia, very friendly a great race and i am sure to return.

Really well organised and easy to get to race. Airport is about 15 mins from the centre of town with trams and good public transport system to get you to your hotel if you pick sensibly. 

Communication before the race was fantastic. Issue with water temp in the Baltic and within 24hrs they made the decision to move the swim to a lake so we got to do a full Ironman. AWESOME DECISION and the organisers should be commended. 

Split transition now due to the new swim location but free buses to get you around though only a short ride to drop your bike in T1 and they will transport your kit to T2. 

Great marshalls all weekend and the local support was great.

Lake had a lot of sediment but who really cares, we got the full 3800m

Completely closed road bike course and due to the smaller nature of the field it felt like it was closed for just me  Its flat and fast unless you get an easterly wind which give s headwinds and crosswinds all day but still a good course with plenty aid stations and enthusiastic helpers. Even the RAF manned one of them. 

Run course is honest. Lots of small up & downs with three decent short hills to get up. a cobbled section near the finish of about 1.8km which takes it out the legs but that is through the old town which is lined with reseraunts and bars so good banter and cheering. A good well supported run course. 

This is a great race, really well organised and still has that intimate feel. Everyone in our Tri Club (15) enjoyed the event. If you get the chance go 

Overall, this is a well-organized and fast race. The run is even more challenging than IM Wales due to 3 big hills. If you've never been to estonia, this is a great reason to go. 

2018 was the first year of IM Tallin, but even so, organizers did a great job and the minor complaints will surely be fixed. 

The good parts: 

• temperature in Estonia is cool relative to EU and US summer
• super convenient due to central location
• bike is fast and flat

The bad parts

• very limited ice at the run aid stations
• race briefing was not informative (particularly about the run)
• swim buoys were very small and red which is tough to spot

The unique part about this race is that its in the middle of the capital city. This is super convenient for people racing. Its 15 minutes from the airport! And unlike similar races in the US (ie Miami 70.3), the locals were pretty excited about it. 

Some general things: There wasn't too much detail released before the race, likely because its the first time. More information about the run course profile would have greatly changed my training. Every (non-estonian) athlete I spoke to after the run was surprised by the hills. They were tough, and the race briefing made no mention of anything except for the one out of transition. The expo is very small, but had the essentials. 

The swim: cold and almost fresh water. The water was 15 degrees, which is no joke! Everyone came out with numb hands and feet. The race organizers allowed booties, which I've never seen in an IM before. The course is in a protected area, so there's no current or big waves. Baltic isn't fresh water, but there was very little salt, so when you got a facefull of water it was no problem. Had the new rolling start. Only complaint was that the red buoys are very difficult to see and quite small. 

Transitions: no complaints. Its just a tent with benches. No volunteers. 

The bike: very fast course. Rolling hills, and no excuse to get out of your aerobars. There was a big storm, which made it very cold. Its 2 big loops. My only complaint here was that the sign about starting the second loop or turning back to transition was very small. In fact I missed it the first time and I was so nervous during my second loop because I couldn't figure out where to turn back.

Aid stations: On both the bike and run were excellent. Plenty of volunteers and well-organized. On the run they had sponges, but no ice until the end. Even though it wasn't hot, air temperature water isn't refreshing. In my last 2 loops there was increasingly ice at aid stations. It was the shaved kind so you couldn't really put it in your hat or sports bra. 

The run: 4 loops of 10k. As mentioned, 3 hills. First one is out of transition, about 500m gradually up. Coming back, its very steep. Second one is gradual and not terrible, Third is steep and short around a bend. Locals definitely had the advantage since no one else was expecting anything more than the first one. The course is mainly through parks and on some side streets, so a lot of the course is narrow. There's several up and backs so you always know where your competitors are. There's a 200m portion on cobblestones. 

The finish: Finish line was maybe 30 meters long. Not enough for any dramatic sprints. In the tent there were cheeseburgers and beer. Not much selection for those of us with weak post-race stomachs, but delicious. Bike and bag pick up was a cinch because T2 is right next to the finish line.

I enjoyed this race a lot, mainly because its a good reason to visit estonia. If you like freezing cold water and are a strong hill runner, this is a great race for you.