Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Olympic
Hever Castle Triathlon & Multisport Festival 2026
- Race day
- Saturday, 26 September 2026
- Location
- Hever, near Edenbridge, Kent, UK
- Distance
- 52 km total
1.5km swim 40km bike 10.5km run
Hever Castle Triathlon: 26 September 2026 — the castle-grounds Olympic-distance course, a split-time calculator, and real Verus athletes racing it.
16 days to go
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Saturday, 26 September 2026
- Venue
- Hever Castle, Hever Road, Hever, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG
- Distance
- Olympic — 52km total
- Start Time
- First waves start around 8:00am both days (26-27 September 2026); individual wave times are assigned by email around two weeks before the race.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- Sprint: 3 hours total. Olympic: 3 hours 15 minutes through swim+T1+bike+T2, 4 hours 15 minutes overall. Gauntlet (half-iron): swim exit 1 hour 30 minutes, 7 hours through swim+T1+bike+T2, 10 hours overall. Junior races have no cut-off.
Also this weekend
A genuinely large multi-format weekend: Starter, Super Sprint, Sprint, Sprint Plus, Olympic and Gauntlet (half-iron) triathlon distances, plus Duathlon, Aquabike, Aquathlon, a Run Series (marathon/half/10K), a Swim Series, and junior triathlon for ages 9-16.
Gauntlet (half-iron)
Two 45km bike laps, with 1,400m+ of climbing and sections above 6% gradient.
Sprint Plus
A step up from standard Sprint, same weekend at Hever Castle.
Sprint
Same weekend at Hever Castle.
Super Sprint
Same weekend at Hever Castle.
Starter
The shortest triathlon option — bike distance reported as 12-14km depending on the source.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 1.5km
A swim in Hever Castle's own private lake (Olympic distance) — shorter distances (Sprint Plus 800m, Sprint 750m, Super Sprint 400m, Starter 200m) and a longer Gauntlet 1.9km option also run the same weekend.
- Venue
- Hever Castle's private lake
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Lake — still water.
Wetsuit: Wetsuit thickness is capped at 5mm; an explicit mandatory-use temperature threshold wasn't published, though water temperature is checked around 24 hours before the race.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 40km
The Olympic-distance bike course runs around 810ft of gain per lap; strictly non-drafting, marshalled and motorcycle-patrolled, with a 5-bike-length (12m) drafting-avoidance rule. The Gauntlet (half-iron) bike leg is two 45km laps with 1,400m+ of total gain and sections above 6% gradient.
- Venue
- Kent countryside around Hever
- Elevation gain
- 810ft
- Surface
- Public road.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 10.5km
Winds through the landscaped gardens, woodland trails, and past the castle itself. No numeric elevation figure is published.
- Venue
- Hever Castle grounds
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Mixed garden paths and woodland trails.
Wetsuit outlook
Will you need a wetsuit at Hever Castle Triathlon & Multisport Festival?
Water temperature at inland lake in September has typically been 15°C, ranging from 14.2°C to 16.8°C in eight of every ten years. Against British Triathlon's thresholds for this race's 1500m swim, that means:
Wetsuit optional — and recommended
Between 14°C and 22°C the choice is yours. Rule 4.2(b) recommends a wetsuit for all novices and age-groupers up to 22°C.
What would have happened in each of the last 16 years
- Wetsuit mandatory1 of 16
- Optional (recommended)15 of 16
What the organiser says
Wetsuit thickness is capped at 5mm; an explicit mandatory-use temperature threshold wasn't published, though water temperature is checked around 24 hours before the race.
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
A roughly 600m grass run connects the swim exit to T1; racking is by wave group with about a 25-minute preparation window before the pre-race briefing.
Hever Castle Triathlon & Multisport Festival Split Calculator
Hever Castle Triathlon & Multisport Festival Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
2:51:45
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where Hever Castle Triathlon & Multisport Festival starts and finishes
Hever Castle Triathlon & Multisport Festival starts at Hever Castle, Hever Road, Hever, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG and finishes at Hever Castle's private lake. 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
Standard 2026 pricing: Starter £80, Super Sprint £95, Sprint £100, Sprint Plus £115, Olympic £125, Gauntlet £245 (plus Duathlon, Aquabike, Aquathlon and Junior options from £35). A 25% early discount window has applied in past years. First come, first served.
Ballot policy
No ballot — entry is first come, first served.
Age requirement
Junior categories cover ages 9-16; an explicit adult minimum-age policy for the main triathlon distances wasn't found published (the general British Triathlon guideline is 16+ for sprint-length and 18+ for standard/long-distance events, but this hasn't been confirmed as Hever Castle's own rule).
Charity Places
Alzheimer's Research UK charity places: Gauntlet £30 registration / £500 minimum sponsorship; Olympic £20 registration / £350 minimum; any Run or Swim event £10 registration / £200 minimum.
Alzheimer's Research UK (Olympic)
Entry: £20 · Minimum: £350
Alzheimer's Research UK (Gauntlet)
Entry: £30 · Minimum: £500
Race Day Info & Checklist
On the day
- Feed stations on the Sunday are stocked with Precision Fuel & Hydration products (PH 1000 electrolyte, PF 30 gels/chews) plus water, bananas, cola and jelly babies. The Saturday events have water only, with no full feed station.
- Mass wave starts are organized by wave number and colour-coded swim hats.
- Discounted spectator tickets (QR code required) let supporters into the grounds from 10:30am, with junior competitors getting one free adult spectator ticket.
- On-site camping is available with showers, toilets and electric hookup, from £30.
- A bike mechanic (On Your Bike) is on site all weekend.
Checklist
- Wetsuit (5mm max thickness), goggles and swim cap for the private lake swim
- Bike, helmet (mandatory) and bike shoes for the closed-road, non-drafting bike leg
- Run shoes and nutrition — Precision Fuel & Hydration products are on course on the Sunday only
- A bag (not a box) for transition, per event rules
- Free car parking sorted in advance — follow the yellow signs, not your sat-nav, to the estate fields
- A meeting point agreed with family/friends at the Hever Castle event village for afterwards
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
Hever railway station is roughly 45 minutes from London Bridge, then a 15-20 minute walk or short taxi to the castle. Gatwick is about 40 minutes by car, Heathrow around 1h15.
Free parking is available in estate fields, a 5-10 minute walk to the event village — follow "Castle Race Series Car Park" signs rather than sat-nav directions to the main gate. Blue Badge parking is available via the main gate from 10:30am.
The bike course runs on open, marshalled public roads through the Kent countryside.
Spectator guide
Discounted spectator tickets (QR code required) grant access to the estate from 10:30am, including Hever Castle's own gardens and attractions as part of the event village.
No official guidance is published on moving between viewing points, though the compact estate layout keeps the swim, transition and finish close together.
Where to stay
Edenbridge
+ The nearest town to Hever Castle, with a reasonable range of accommodation.
– A short drive to the castle grounds.
Tonbridge / Tunbridge Wells
+ A wider choice of hotels within a short drive.
– Not walkable — you'll need transport on race morning.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Hever Castle Triathlon 2026?
Saturday 26 - Sunday 27 September 2026, with first waves around 8:00am both days.
What distances does the Hever Castle Triathlon offer?
A genuinely large range — Starter, Super Sprint, Sprint, Sprint Plus, Olympic, and a half-iron "Gauntlet" distance, plus Duathlon, Aquabike, Aquathlon and junior events, all across one weekend.
Does the Hever Castle Triathlon count toward any championships?
Yes — the Sunday Standard Aquabike is an official 2027 World Standard Distance Aquabike Championships qualifier (top 4 per age group, within 20% of the age-group winner's time).
What is the Hever Castle Triathlon cut-off time?
Olympic: 4 hours 15 minutes overall. Gauntlet (half-iron): 10 hours overall. Sprint: 3 hours.
Which charity does the Hever Castle Triathlon support?
Alzheimer's Research UK, with charity places available from £10 (Run/Swim) up to £30 (Gauntlet) with matching fundraising minimums.
Can I track a competitor at the Hever Castle Triathlon?
Optional paid GPS tracker hire is available via "Geo Tracks Live" for the cycle and run legs — it's not a default spectator feature.
How do I get to the Hever Castle Triathlon?
Free parking is available in the estate fields — follow the "Castle Race Series Car Park" signs rather than driving to the main gate.
When were Hever Castle Triathlon results published?
No results yet — they'll be added here once the 2026 race has actually happened, or check the official results source directly.