Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Middle Distance (70.3)
Challenge Canberra 100 2026
- Race day
- Sunday, 22 November 2026
- Location
- Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
- Distance
- 100 km total
2km swim 80km bike 18km run
Challenge Canberra 100: 22 November 2026. A 2km lake swim, 80km bike and 18km run at Black Mountain Peninsula, and a world championship qualifier.
73 days to go
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 22 November 2026
- Venue
- Black Mountain Peninsula, Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra
- Distance
- Middle Distance (70.3) — 100km total
- Start Time
- Published in the event’s own time schedule ahead of race day.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- The bike cut-off is 11:15am — athletes must be off Lady Denman Drive and the Tuggeranong Parkway by then. The overall limit is published in the athlete guide.
Also this weekend
The day also carries a 100-distance aquabike (2km/80km), an Olympic distance (1.5km/40km/10km) and its aquabike, a sprint, a super sprint and a kids’ aquathlon. Both the 100 and the Olympic are world qualifying races.
Olympic Distance
Also a world qualifying race, on the same course and the same morning.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 2km
Two kilometres in the sheltered water off Black Mountain Peninsula, run as a 1,400m big loop followed by a 600m small loop. Calm, protected and close to the foreshore, which gives spectators an unusually complete view of the swim.
- Venue
- Lake Burley Griffin, off Black Mountain Peninsula
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Lake — flat and sheltered.
Wetsuit: Decided on the day against the measured water temperature under the standard rules. Lake Burley Griffin in late November is usually cool enough to be wetsuit-legal.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 80km
Four laps of 20km, redesigned for speed: smooth hot-mix bitumen, only two turns per lap, and long fast straights along Lady Denman Drive and the Tuggeranong Parkway. The one interruption is the Hindmarsh climb, short and paid back immediately by a fast descent.
- Venue
- Lady Denman Drive and the Tuggeranong Parkway
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sealed road — fast, flat to gently undulating.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 18km
Eighteen kilometres of lakeside path, flat and fast with some undulation, lapping past the race venue so the crowd is with you on every circuit.
- Venue
- The Lake Burley Griffin foreshore path
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sealed path — flat.
Wetsuit outlook
Will you need a wetsuit at Challenge Canberra 100?
Water temperature at inland lake in November has typically been 15.3°C, ranging from 14.1°C to 16.8°C in eight of every ten years. Against World Triathlon's thresholds for this race's 2000m swim, that means:
Wetsuit mandatory
Below 15.9°C a wetsuit is compulsory under the World Triathlon temperature table.
What would have happened in each of the last 16 years
- Wetsuit mandatory11 of 16
- Optional (recommended)5 of 16
What the organiser says
Decided on the day against the measured water temperature under the standard rules. Lake Burley Griffin in late November is usually cool enough to be wetsuit-legal.
Estimated from air-temperature history — no direct measurement of this water exists, and small, shallow venues tend to run a degree or two warmer than shown. The official temperature is taken an hour before the start, and only that reading decides the rule on the day.
Transitions
Everything is based at Black Mountain Peninsula on Lake Burley Griffin — swim start, transition, the lapped run and the Challenge red-carpet finish chute, all in one lakeside precinct.
Challenge Canberra 100 Split Calculator
Challenge Canberra 100 Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
5:03:00
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where Challenge Canberra 100 starts and finishes
Challenge Canberra 100 starts at Black Mountain Peninsula, Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra and finishes at Lake Burley Griffin, off Black Mountain Peninsula. We haven't been able to place those on a map accurately enough to show one — a pin in the wrong place is worse than no pin.
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 .
What you can qualify for
Both the 100 distance and the Olympic distance are World Qualifying Races for the 2027 Multisport World Championships in Edmonton, Canada. That is the reason to choose this over a comparable middle-distance race.
Entry & Ballot
Direct entry summary
Entries are open, direct through Challenge Canberra. Entry fees, the athlete guide, the time schedule and refund terms are all published on the event’s own site.
Ballot policy
No ballot — entry is direct.
Age requirement
Not published for this event — check the official race website.
Charity Places
Not published for this event — check the official race website.
Race Day Info & Checklist
On the day
- A World Qualifying Race for the 2027 Multisport World Championships in Edmonton — for both the 100 and the Olympic distance.
- Based at Black Mountain Peninsula for 2026 and 2027, which puts the whole event on one stretch of lake foreshore.
- The bike is four 20km laps with only two turns per lap, on hot-mix bitumen. It is built to be fast rather than scenic.
- The Hindmarsh climb is the only real interruption to the bike rhythm, and it is short.
- The 18km run laps past the venue, so supporters see their athlete repeatedly.
- The finish is the Challenge Family red-carpet chute, with the tape for whoever gets there first.
Checklist
- A bike plan for four laps of a genuinely fast course — the temptation on hot-mix with two turns a lap is to go too hard early
- The 11:15am bike cut-off checked against your realistic split
- Warm layers for a Canberra dawn, which is colder than the coast even in late November
- A wetsuit, since Lake Burley Griffin in November is usually cool enough for one
- The athlete guide read for the time schedule, which is where the start times live
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
No metropolitan rail in Canberra. Black Mountain Peninsula is a short drive from the city centre; light rail runs from Gungahlin through Braddon into the city.
Not published for this event — check the official race website.
Closures on Lady Denman Drive and the Tuggeranong Parkway for the bike leg, and around the lake foreshore for the run.
Spectator guide
The Black Mountain Peninsula foreshore covers the swim, transition, every run lap and the finish chute. The event publishes a courses and hotspots page for the bike.
You barely need to. The organiser calls it one of the most spectator-friendly triathlon hubs in the country, and the geography supports that.
Where to stay
Canberra city centre and Acton
+ Minutes from Black Mountain Peninsula, with the lake path outside the door for a shakeout.
– Fills for event weekends; Canberra is a small city.
Belconnen
+ Close to the northern end of the bike course and cheaper than the centre.
– Further from the finish and the city’s restaurants.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Challenge Canberra?
Sunday 22 November 2026, based at Black Mountain Peninsula on Lake Burley Griffin.
What distance is Challenge Canberra 100?
A 2km swim, an 80km bike and an 18km run — the Challenge 100 format, which sits a little short of a standard middle distance.
Is Challenge Canberra a world championship qualifier?
Yes. Both the 100 distance and the Olympic distance are World Qualifying Races for the 2027 Multisport World Championships in Edmonton, Canada.
What is the Challenge Canberra bike cut-off?
11:15am — athletes must be off Lady Denman Drive and the Tuggeranong Parkway by then.
Is the Challenge Canberra bike course fast?
Deliberately so. Four 20km laps on smooth hot-mix bitumen with only two turns per lap, long straights and gentle undulation. The Hindmarsh climb is the one interruption, and it is short.
What other distances are at Challenge Canberra?
A 100-distance aquabike, an Olympic distance and its aquabike, a sprint, a super sprint and a kids’ aquathlon.