Entering the XTRI circuit and the road toward Norseman
The conversation with Dragoș Georgescu for the second issue of #beunstoppable began with Norseman. It soon became a discussion about years. About entering the lottery year after year, about the times his name was not drawn, about 5 a.m. training sessions and summers shaped around a race entry that was never guaranteed. Norseman was the visible goal. Behind it stood Swissman, Celtman, ICON, and other milestones that gradually defined his relationship with extreme triathlon.
This series begins with those years, and with the races that made the Norwegian dream possible.
A plan written before it felt possible
At the end of 2016, Dragoș wrote on his personal blog about an objective that seemed distant at the time. Within five years, he wanted to complete Norseman, Swissman, and Celtman, the three emblematic races of the XTRI circuit. Fewer than 40 athletes worldwide had achieved all three. It was not a passing ambition, but a structured, long-term plan with clear steps and many unknowns. Swissman, on June 24, 2017, became the first concrete move in that direction.
A day that starts badly and ends 19 hours later
Swissman was, in his words, one of those races where negotiations with yourself begin almost immediately. Stomach problems started before the swim and continued onto the bike. The opening hours turned into damage control, with a clear deadline. Either his system stabilized within two hours, or the race would end early.
“I had a two-hour window to fix my stomach. Otherwise, my body would shut down.”
On the climb to Gotthard Pass, the solution was improvised: small sips of cola and pieces of Snickers every 15 minutes, until things began to function again. From there, the day turned into constant energy management, balancing temperature, elevation, and doubt. He crossed the finish line after 19 hours.
In his Swissman race report, he recounts the day with close attention to detail, walking the reader through the Swiss mountains step by step. The climbs, the early morning cold, the fatigue accumulating through the afternoon, and the final ascent to Kleine Scheidegg unfold in sequence, without embellishment.
Never alone
In a feature for sportid.ro, Dragoș spoke about the role of the support team and the fact that, in XTRI races, you are never truly alone. At Swissman, his wife Alina was central to the effort. There are no standard aid stations. Each athlete relies on a personal support crew, and the support car becomes part of the race strategy.
“Alina has been with me at every race. She’s part of this. She’s everywhere. I don’t know if I’d have the strength to do one without her.”
In his blog, he describes the dynamic clearly: “The supporter sets up transition points, handles nutrition, and runs the final nine kilometers of the marathon alongside the athlete. No one is allowed to cross the finish line alone. It is, in practice, a race for two.”
What XTRI really means
In extreme triathlon, time does not tell the full story. “If the time is very good, everything aligned. If it’s slower than expected, something went wrong along the way.”
Swissman is defined by elevation, altitude, and weather that can change the script at any moment. It is not a closed course lined with barriers and spectators. It is mountain terrain, cold water at dawn, strong sun later in the day, and long stretches where the only sound is your own breathing.
”On the run course, I had many moments of solitude. I had started to get used to them, and I liked hearing my own thoughts. I feel much better on a deserted trail than on a crowded road marathon course”, Dragoș writes on his blog.
For Dragoș, Swissman confirmed that the plan drafted in 2016 was achievable. Not because it was easy, but because he remained in the race when it seemed unlikely he could.
Swissman Xtreme Triathlon – key facts
Location: Ascona to Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland
First edition: 2013
Circuit: XTRI World Tour
Distances: 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, 42 km run. The classic Ironman format, but in a radically different setting.
Elevation gain: over 5,500 meters
Point-to-point course: start in southern Switzerland, finish in the Alps, crossing three major passes, Gotthard, Furka, and Grimsel
Mandatory self-support: each athlete must have a dedicated support crew throughout the race
Limited field: around 250 slots, allocated by lottery
Mountain finish: final kilometers include a steep ascent to Kleine Scheidegg, with mandatory equipment and, on certain sections, an accompanying supporter
Variable conditions: low morning temperatures, high altitude, rapidly changing weather
Beyond the race
Within the XTRI philosophy, experience and decision-making outweigh the clock. The organizers describe it as an adventure where personal effort and judgment matter more than spectacle.
Swissman stands alongside Norseman and Celtman as part of the historic core of European extreme triathlon. All three follow the same principle: full-distance racing in raw landscapes, minimal infrastructure, and high responsibility for athlete and team.
For Dragoș, Swissman marked his entry into the XTRI world. It raised the standard and clarified the type of challenge he would continue to pursue in the years that followed.
Next stop: Scotland, at Celtman, where the terrain changes, the weather brings different tests, but the logic remains the same: nature, self-support, and a long day where anything can happen.
Photo: Dragoș Georgescu archive