Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Olympic
Brighton & Hove Triathlon 2026
- Race day
- Sunday, 6 September 2026
- Location
- Hove, East Sussex
- Distance
- 51.5 km total
1.5km swim 40km bike 10km run
Brighton & Hove Triathlon 2026: a sea swim off Hove Lawns with sprint, standard and super sprint distances — date, entry prices, course and relay options.
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 6 September 2026
- Venue
- Hove Lawns, Brighton and Hove
- Distance
- Olympic — 51.5km total
- Start Time
- Not published for 2026 — wave times are confirmed in the final athlete information.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- Per the official Athlete's Guide (2026 precedent): TriStars transition closes 07:40, Sprint transition 08:50, Super-Sprint transition 09:50, Standard transition 10:00, last bike lap 13:30, predicted last finisher 15:00.
Also this weekend
Part of a wider multisport festival. Alongside the Standard distance covered here there is a Sprint (750m sea swim), a Super Sprint (300m swim), relay entries, plus aquathlons and duathlons over the same weekend.
Sprint
The most popular option, on the same seafront course.
Super Sprint
A 300m sea swim — the entry point for a first sea triathlon.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 1.5km
A 1,500m sea swim off Hove Lawns on the English Channel. Genuine open sea rather than a sheltered dock or lake, so conditions on the day matter — and a September date usually means the water is at its warmest of the year.
- Venue
- The sea off Hove Lawns
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sea — open water off a shingle beach.
Wetsuit: Per the official Athlete's Guide: mandatory below 14°C, banned above 22°C, maximum thickness 5mm. Socks are only permitted below 14°C, and gloves are never permitted.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 40km
A 40km ride out of the Hove Lawns transition. Coastal and largely flat along the seafront, with the exposure to a Channel headwind the main variable.
- Venue
- Brighton and Hove seafront and beyond
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Road — coastal, largely flat.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 10km
A flat 10km along the promenade, finishing back at Hove Lawns.
- Venue
- Brighton and Hove promenade
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Promenade and road — flat.
Transitions
A single transition on Hove Lawns serves both T1 and T2, a few metres from the swim exit.
Brighton & Hove Triathlon Split Calculator
Brighton & Hove Triathlon Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
2:49:00
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where Brighton & Hove Triathlon starts and finishes
These are the start and finish points, not the route. Verus doesn't hold course files for this race, and drawing a line between two pins would be a guess you might end up training on. The official course map is the one to use: view it on the organiser's site .
Entry & Ballot
Direct entry summary
Individual entry was £139 for the Standard distance and £109 for the Sprint at the time of writing. The event sold out in 2025 and the organiser expects it to sell out earlier for 2026, so do not leave it late. Relay entries are also available.
Ballot policy
No ballot — entry is direct, first come first served, and it sells out.
Age requirement
Not published in the sources checked — confirm with the organiser.
Charity Places
No formal charity-place scheme is published.
Race Day Info & Checklist
On the day
- A genuine sea swim in the English Channel off Hove Lawns — early September is when the water is at its warmest.
- A single transition on the Lawns serves the whole race, metres from the swim exit.
- Super Sprint, Sprint and Standard distances, plus relays, aquathlons and duathlons across the festival weekend.
- The event sold out in 2025 and is expected to sell out earlier in 2026.
- There's no face-to-face race briefing on the day — the Athlete's Guide itself is the briefing, so it's unusually detailed and worth reading properly.
- One run aid station, passed every lap, with water and HIGH5 Energy Drink and gels; the finish line has the same.
- Race pack: a helmet sticker plus bike seat-post sticker (numbers must match your wristband to collect your bike), a race-number belt (back for the bike, front for the run), a colour-coded swim cap tied to your wave, and a timing chip for the left ankle — losing the chip costs a £45 fee.
- The A259 Kingsway is closed from Wish Road to Western Street, 6am-2pm race day. There is no dedicated event parking — organisers suggest arriving and registering the Saturday before and staying overnight instead.
- Penalties: disqualification for crossing the centre line, littering, an incomplete course, blocking or excessive drafting; time penalties for kit left outside your transition box, an unfastened helmet strap, or an incomplete transition. All penalties and DQs are posted on a noticeboard by race control.
Checklist
- A wetsuit for a Channel swim, plus a brightly coloured cap you can be spotted in
- Something for shingle underfoot at the swim exit — Hove is a pebble beach, not sand
- Bike, helmet and shoes racked on Hove Lawns per the race-morning schedule
- Sun protection and a plan for a flat, exposed seafront bike and run
- A meeting point agreed with family and friends on the Lawns — it is a compact venue and easy to spectate
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
Hove and Brighton stations both serve the venue, on the Southern network from London Victoria and London Bridge. Hove station is around a mile from the Lawns.
No dedicated event parking; the A259 Kingsway is closed 6am-2pm race day. Public transport is the sensible option — organisers suggest registering the Saturday before and staying overnight.
Seafront closures apply for the bike and run legs. Brighton & Hove City Council publish details ahead of the event.
Spectator guide
Hove Lawns covers the swim exit, transition, the run and the finish. The promenade gives an uninterrupted view of much of the run.
The whole venue is walkable along the seafront — one of the easiest triathlons in the country to watch.
Where to stay
Hove seafront
+ Closest to the Lawns venue and transition, and quieter than central Brighton.
– Fewer hotels than Brighton proper.
Brighton city centre
+ The widest choice, the main station, and everything open late afterwards.
– A mile or so from the venue, and busy on a September weekend.
Kemptown
+ Quieter and often better value, still walkable to the seafront.
– The far side of Brighton from Hove Lawns — a longer walk on race morning.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Brighton & Hove Triathlon 2026?
Sunday 6 September 2026, based at Hove Lawns.
What distances does the Brighton & Hove Triathlon offer?
Standard (1,500m sea swim), Sprint (750m) and Super Sprint (300m), plus relays, aquathlons and duathlons across the festival weekend.
How much does the Brighton & Hove Triathlon cost?
£139 for an individual Standard entry and £109 for the Sprint at the time of writing.
Is the Brighton & Hove Triathlon swim in the sea?
Yes — a genuine English Channel swim off Hove Lawns, not a lake or a dock. Early September is when the water is warmest.
Does the Brighton & Hove Triathlon sell out?
Yes. It sold out in 2025 and the organiser expects it to sell out earlier for 2026.
Is the Brighton & Hove Triathlon good for a first triathlon?
The Super Sprint, with a 300m swim, is a sensible entry point, and the flat seafront bike and run help. The sea swim is the variable — it is real open water, and conditions differ from a lake.
When were Brighton & Hove Triathlon results published?
Results only exist once the race has been run. Check back here, or the official results page, after it takes place.
Do you need a wetsuit at the Brighton & Hove Triathlon?
Per the official Athlete's Guide: mandatory below 14°C, banned above 22°C, max 5mm thickness. Early-September Channel water off Hove is usually inside the wetsuit-legal range.
Is there parking at the Brighton & Hove Triathlon?
No dedicated event parking, and the A259 Kingsway is closed 6am-2pm on race day. Organisers recommend public transport, or registering the Saturday before and staying overnight.