Ironman triathlon to disrupt Tallinn traffic over weekend

Triathlon event Ironman Tallinn will bring many disruptions to Tallinn and Harju County traffic over the weekend. The organizers are hoping on patience and have promised that everyone can move around, but there might be waiting times.
Nearly 2,600 triathletes are set to turn Tallinn's and Harju County's traffic on its head over the weekend. "It is certainly not possible to conduct such an event without some traffic restrictions. But yes, we have tried to find places when designing the route that would disrupt traffic as little as possible, while still offering participants good emotions," event organizer Ain-Alar Juhanson told ETV's daily affairs show "Aktuaalne kaamera" on Tuesday.
The competition will begin with a 3.8-kilometer swimming route in Harku Lake, followed by a 180-kilometer bicycle route around Keila-Joa, Vääna-Jõesuu and Laagri. The triathlon ends with a 42.2-kilometer marathon on the streets of Tallinn. On Sunday, the distances are halved. The triathlon finishes at Port Noblessner.
Residents of Kalamaja, Haabersti and Kesklinn districts are most affected by the traffic restrictions.
The full route is available here along with closing times.
The triathlon organizer's site is here (scroll down for English) and contains detailed information, while Tallinn Transport's site (in Estonian) covers all bus, trolleybus and tram routes and any changes this weekend, here.
The organizers promise that traffic can still take place, but there could be waiting times. "If there are specific regions where it is not possible to go to during the competition, there are special traffic organization numbers that will send an escort if you call. It will take people across the route or through the competition route," said Tallinn's culture and sports department deputy chief Aivo Normak.
Traffic restrictions within the city will also bring changes to the public transportation schedule, tram traffic in Põhja-Tallinn will be suspended.
Changes to traffic in regards to Ironman Tallinn:




This piece was updated to include links to the Ironman organizer's site and Tallinn Transport.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste