Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Sprint
Dartmouth Triathlon 2027
- Race day
- Sunday, 13 June 2027
- Location
- Blackpool Sands, near Strete, Dartmouth, Devon
- Distance
- 25.75 km total
0.75km swim 20km bike 5km run
Dartmouth Triathlon: a Blackpool Sands sea swim, an out-and-back over Slapton Sands on "Devon's flattest road", and a two-lap run. Distances, entry and the weekend sea swims.
276 days to go
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 13 June 2027
- Venue
- Blackpool Sands, near Strete, Dartmouth, Devon
- Distance
- Sprint — 25.75km total
- Start Time
- 07:00 for the sprint triathlon; the super sprint starts at 08:00.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- Not published in the sources checked — confirm with the organiser.
Also this weekend
A super sprint runs alongside the sprint, starting an hour later at 08:00 with a 400m swim and a 2.5km run. Separate sea swims of 750m, 1,500m and 3km are held on the Saturday evening as their own events.
Super Sprint
A shorter swim and run, starting at 08:00.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 0.75km
A 750m sea swim from Blackpool Sands, a sheltered south-facing shingle cove near Dartmouth — one of the more forgiving open-sea swims in the British calendar, because the bay itself does most of the sheltering.
- Venue
- The sea at Blackpool Sands
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sea — sheltered cove, shingle beach.
Wetsuit: Compulsory below 15.9°C, per the organiser's competitor information — expect to need one for a June cove swim in Devon most years.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 20km
A 20km out-and-back along Slapton Sands, on what the organiser bills as Devon's flattest road — the shingle ridge running between Start Bay and Slapton Ley. Genuinely flat, and unusual for South Devon, where almost nothing else is.
- Venue
- Slapton Sands and the South Hams
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Road — flat coastal ridge, open to traffic.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 5km
Two laps of the grounds at Blackpool Sands to finish.
- Venue
- The Blackpool Sands grounds
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Path and grounds.
Transitions
Unusually, there are two separate transition sites rather than one. Beach-side T1 closes at 7:20am. A separate run transition on the other side of the main road closes at 8:20am — you place your running shoes there in advance, and bikes are held and not released from T2 until 10:30am, for security and fair-racing reasons.
Dartmouth Triathlon Split Calculator
Dartmouth Triathlon Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
1:26:30
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where Dartmouth Triathlon starts and finishes
Dartmouth Triathlon starts at Blackpool Sands, near Strete, Dartmouth, Devon and finishes at The sea at Blackpool Sands. 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 .
Entry & Ballot
Direct entry summary
Entry through Sportiva Events, from £42. Capacity is limited to 350 triathlon entries, so it is worth entering early.
Ballot policy
No ballot — first come, first served, capped at 350 entries.
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
- The 2027 date had not been confirmed at the time of writing — the most recent edition was Sunday 7 June 2026, and the race normally falls in early to mid June.
- Capacity is 350 triathlon entries.
- The bike leg runs along Slapton Sands, billed by the organiser as Devon's flattest road — a rarity in the South Hams.
- Separate sea swims of 750m, 1,500m and 3km run on the Saturday evening for anyone who wants the water without the bike.
- Race pack: a Sportiva silicone swim cap, colour-coded race numbers with matching helmet stickers, and a timing chip on a Velcro left-ankle strap — £65 if not returned, the highest lost-chip fee found among the races Verus covers.
- No mechanical support out on the course, per BTF rule — carry your own spare tube, tyre levers and pump, or expect a long wait for the support van.
- Camping is available from 4pm the day before for £15/person, and entry includes parking until midday (a day-parking charge applies after that unless you're camping). No dogs anywhere on site.
- Awards follow a strict one-prize-per-person policy — an age-category winner who also places top-3 overall doesn't collect both — and uncollected prizes are not posted out, unlike some other UK races.
Checklist
- A wetsuit for a June sea swim, even in a sheltered cove
- Something for shingle underfoot — Blackpool Sands is a pebble beach despite the name
- A bike setup for a genuinely flat out-and-back rather than the South Devon hills either side of it
- Run shoes for two laps of the grounds
- An early start: the sprint goes at 07:00
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
Totnes is the nearest mainline station, on the Great Western line, around 12 miles away. There is no rail access to Blackpool Sands itself.
Not published for this event. Blackpool Sands has its own car park — check the athlete information for race-day arrangements.
The bike leg runs on the open coast road along Slapton Sands.
Spectator guide
Blackpool Sands covers the swim, transition, the two-lap run and the finish from one spot. Slapton Sands is a long straight and easy to watch the bike from.
The coast road links the beach and Slapton Sands directly, but it is also the bike course — plan around it rather than driving it during the race.
Where to stay
Dartmouth
+ The obvious base — a proper town a few miles from the venue with plenty of places to stay and eat.
– Not walkable to Blackpool Sands, so an early drive on race morning.
Strete / Slapton
+ Closest to the venue and on the bike course, in the quietest part of the South Hams.
– Very limited accommodation — mostly B&B and self-catering.
Totnes
+ On the mainline, with more choice and a good base for the wider area.
– Around 12 miles from the venue on slow Devon lanes.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Dartmouth Triathlon?
The 2027 date had not been confirmed at the time of writing. The most recent edition was Sunday 7 June 2026, and the race normally falls in early to mid June.
What are the Dartmouth Triathlon distances?
A 750m sea swim, a 20km bike and a 5km run for the sprint. A super sprint runs alongside it with a 400m swim and 2.5km run.
Where is the Dartmouth Triathlon swim?
In the sea at Blackpool Sands, a sheltered south-facing cove near Strete, a few miles from Dartmouth.
Is the Dartmouth Triathlon bike course hilly?
No, unusually for South Devon. It is an out-and-back along Slapton Sands, which the organiser bills as the flattest road in Devon.
How much does the Dartmouth Triathlon cost?
Entries start from £42, through Sportiva Events. Capacity is limited to 350.
Can you do just the swim at Dartmouth?
Yes — separate sea swims of 750m, 1,500m and 3km are held on the Saturday evening as their own events.
When were Dartmouth Triathlon results published?
There's nothing to publish before race day — results get added here once the race has taken place, same as the official source.
How many transitions does the Dartmouth Triathlon have?
Two separate sites, unusually — a beach-side T1 that closes at 7:20am, and a run transition across the main road that closes at 8:20am, with bikes held there until 10:30am.
Do you need a wetsuit at the Dartmouth Triathlon?
Compulsory below 15.9°C, per the organiser — a June swim at Blackpool Sands is usually inside that range.