Ironman Germany order to keep the athletes safe from ships and pollution. After the swimming portion is finished, athletes change into their cycling attire and begin the 180 kilometer ride, 8 kilometers south of Roth. The ride goes down to Greding, where they turn and finish back at Roth. After the cycling portion is finished, athletes change into their running attire and begin the 40 kilometer run to the finish. In 2001, the WTC ended its Ironman contract with Roth. The annual triathlon still goes on but it is no longer part of the Ironman series. Since 2005, the Ironman European Championship
Long-distance swimming Some of the better-known long-distance swims are crossings of the English Channel, Catalina Channel, Fehmarn Belt and Cook Strait. Ultra-long distance swimming is sometimes referred to as marathon swimming. The minimum distance that constitutes a marathon swim has dramatically shortened over time. Different organizations adopt various minimum distances. The swimming marathon events at the Olympic games have a distance of 10 km. Long-distance swims tend to fall into one of two categories: (1) swims in which the start date and start time are chosen by the individual swimmer (often called solo-swims), and (2) swims that involve a group-start. Long-distance swimming