Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?

Triathlon · Middle Distance (70.3)

Ironman 70.3 Weymouth 2026

Race day
Sunday, 20 September 2026
Location
Weymouth, Dorset, UK
Distance
113 km total

1.9km swim 90km bike 21.1km run

Ironman 70.3 Weymouth: 20 September 2026 — the Jurassic Coast course, a split-time calculator, and real Verus athletes racing it.

10 days to go

Key Race Metrics & Overview

Date
Sunday, 20 September 2026
Venue
The Pavilion, Weymouth DT4 7SX (registration/expo); transition at Lodmoor Country Park, Weymouth DT4 7SX; finish on The Esplanade, Weymouth DT4 8ED
Distance
Middle Distance (70.3) — 113km total
Start Time
Age-group self-seeded rolling start from 7:15am; 9:00am gun.
Draft-Legal Bike
No — non-drafting
Cut-Off
8h30m overall from your individual swim start, per the 2025 athlete guide: 1h10m swim, 5h30m combined through swim+bike (checkpoints at 27.6mi by 11:20, 40.0mi by 12:10, 46.6mi by 12:40), and a run checkpoint at 6.4mi by 14:55. T1/T2 each carry a 10-minute limit. One secondary source quoted "17 hours," which contradicts the standard 70.3 cut-off and is very likely an error.

Also this weekend

No confirmed relay or aquabike option was found published for this race.

Leg 1 of 3

Swim — 1.9km

A triangular, clockwise loop in Weymouth Bay — the former sailing venue for the 2012 London Olympics.

Venue
Weymouth Bay
Elevation gain
No official figure published — see notes above
Surface
Sea — open water.

Wetsuit: Per the 2025 athlete guide (2026's hadn't been published as of research): mandatory at or below 16°C, optional 16-24.5°C, banned above 24.5°C. Max thickness 5mm; De Soto Water Rover and Speedo Elite Triathlon (forearm reinforcement) are banned models.

Leg 2 of 3

Bike — 90km

A single anti-clockwise loop through Dorset countryside via Godmanstone, Dorchester and King's Stag — described as one of the toughest, most technically demanding courses on the UK 70.3 calendar. A specific elevation figure of around 1,400m has been reported by one independent source, but this isn't independently verified — treat with caution.

Venue
Dorset countryside
Elevation gain
No official figure published — see notes above
Surface
Public road.

Non-drafting

Leg 3 of 3

Run — 21.1km

A flat, 2.5-lap course along the seafront promenade.

Venue
Weymouth seafront
Elevation gain
No official figure published — see notes above
Surface
Promenade.

Wetsuit outlook

Will you need a wetsuit at Ironman 70.3 Weymouth?

Water temperature at open sea in September has typically been 17.7°C, ranging from 17.1°C to 18.9°C in eight of every ten years. Against IRONMAN / 70.3's thresholds for this race's 1900m swim, that means:

Wetsuit optional — and recommended

Up to and including 24.5°C (76.1°F) every athlete may wear a wetsuit and remain eligible for awards.

What would have happened in each of the last 16 years

  • Optional (recommended)16 of 16

What the organiser says

Per the 2025 athlete guide (2026's hadn't been published as of research): mandatory at or below 16°C, optional 16-24.5°C, banned above 24.5°C. Max thickness 5mm; De Soto Water Rover and Speedo Elite Triathlon (forearm reinforcement) are banned models.

Calibrated against measured sea-surface data, to within about 1.2°C. The official temperature is taken an hour before the start, and only that reading decides the rule on the day.

Transitions

A single, combined T1/T2 transition is set up at Lodmoor Country Park.

Ironman 70.3 Weymouth Split Calculator

Ironman 70.3 Weymouth Split-Time Calculator

Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.

Swim /100m
T1
Bike km/h
T2
Run /km

Projected Finish Time

5:38:03

Swim1.9km @ 2:00/100m
38:00(38:00 total)
T1Swim → Bike
2:00(40:00 total)
Bike90km @ 30km/h
3:00:00(3:40:00 total)
T2Bike → Run
2:00(3:42:00 total)
Run21.1km @ 5:30/km
1:56:03(5:38:03 total)

Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.

Where Ironman 70.3 Weymouth starts and finishes

Swim: Weymouth Bay

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 pricing wasn't found published for this specific race. Around 2,800 competitors were expected for the 2026 edition, per one secondary source. First come, first served.

Ballot policy

No ballot found — first come, first served.

Age requirement

Runners must be 18 or over, per the standard Ironman 70.3 rule.

Charity Places

SSAFA runs a dedicated charity-entry page for this race, with a reported £1,900 minimum fundraising target (a figure quoted for Ironman UK races generally) — no Weymouth-specific figure independently confirmed.

SSAFA

Entry: Charity entry (fee not published) · Minimum: £1,900 (reported, Ironman UK-wide figure)

Race Day Info & Checklist

On the day

  • Bike aid stations (2025: miles 16.5/27.6/40.0) had water, Precision Hydration, bananas and Maurten bars/gels; run stations (miles 2.1/3/4.8/6.2/8.5/9.4/11.2/12.6) added cola and sweet/salted snacks. Littering outside the marked zones is a disqualification.
  • Parking near the venue is limited — walking-distance accommodation is recommended. In 2025, the Mount Pleasant Park & Ride offered free parking with a paid bus (15-minute walk), and the Beach and Pavilion car parks both had race-day closures.
  • Race pack (2025): an IRONMAN 70.3 backpack, three colour-coded transition bags (Red/Blue/White), a QR wristband (worn all weekend, needed to reclaim your bike/bags), a colour-coded swim cap, bib, and stickers for your bags/seatpost/helmet.
  • Timing chip worn on the left ankle, collected at Saturday bike check-in — it is on loan and you are charged for a replacement if not returned at the finish.
  • Drafting: a blue card (drafting) costs 2 minutes for each of a first and second offence before disqualification on a third; a yellow card (other violations) is a 30-second stop-and-go. Run shoes are capped at a 40mm stack height under World Athletics rules.
  • Awards ceremony (2025): Weymouth Pavilion, 18:00-20:00 — top 3 per age group, top 3 relay teams and top 3 tri clubs; attendance is required to collect an award.

Checklist

  • Wetsuit, goggles and swim cap for the Weymouth Bay sea swim
  • Bike, helmet (mandatory) and bike shoes for the demanding 90km Dorset bike leg
  • Run shoes and nutrition for the flat seafront half-marathon
  • Weather-appropriate kit for a late-September coastal race
  • The official IRONMAN Tracker app downloaded in advance, for family and friends to follow you
  • A meeting point agreed with family/friends on The Esplanade for afterwards
How many weeks do you actually need to train for Middle Distance (70.3)?

Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay

Transport

Weymouth railway station is roughly 2.5 hours from London Waterloo or Bristol.

Parking near the venue is limited; walking-distance accommodation is recommended.

Road closures apply across the bike course through Dorset; confirmed by organizers and Dorset Council closer to race day.

Spectator guide

No official spectator guide was found; The Esplanade and the seafront run course are natural gathering points.

No official guidance is published on moving between viewing points.

Where to stay

Weymouth seafront / Esplanade

+ Closest to the finish and the run course, with the widest choice of seafront hotels.

Books up quickly for race weekend.

Dorchester

+ A short drive away, directly on the bike course.

Not walkable to the Weymouth transition/finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Ironman 70.3 Weymouth 2026?

Sunday 20 September 2026, with a 9:00am gun and a 7:15am self-seeded rolling age-group start.

Is the Ironman 70.3 Weymouth bike course hard?

Yes — it's widely described as one of the toughest and most technically demanding on the UK 70.3 calendar, through Dorset countryside.

Is the Ironman 70.3 Weymouth run flat?

Yes — a flat, 2.5-lap course along the Weymouth seafront promenade.

What is the Ironman 70.3 Weymouth cut-off time?

8 hours 30 minutes overall, the standard Ironman 70.3 cut-off.

Which charity is associated with Ironman 70.3 Weymouth?

SSAFA (the Armed Forces charity) runs a dedicated charity-entry page, alongside the general GoFundraise platform used across Ironman UK races.

How do I get to Ironman 70.3 Weymouth?

Weymouth railway station is around 2.5 hours from London Waterloo or Bristol; parking near the venue is limited.

When were Ironman 70.3 Weymouth results published?

Results aren't published until after the race — check back here, or the official results source, once the 2026 race has taken place.

Do you need a wetsuit at Ironman 70.3 Weymouth?

Per the 2025 athlete guide: mandatory at or below 16°C, optional up to 24.5°C, banned above it. Weymouth Bay in late September typically sits inside the optional band.

What are the exact Ironman 70.3 Weymouth cut-offs?

8h30m overall from your individual start: 1h10m for the swim, 5h30m combined through the bike, with intermediate checkpoints at 27.6, 40.0 and 46.6 miles on the bike and 6.4 miles on the run.