Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Middle Distance (70.3)
IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast 2026
- Race day
- Sunday, 13 September 2026
- Location
- Mooloolaba, Queensland
- Distance
- 113 km total
1.9km swim 90km bike 21.1km run
IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast: 13 September 2026, Mooloolaba. A surf-beach swim, a flat motorway bike and the Alexandra Headland hill — cut-offs and entry.
3 days to go
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 13 September 2026
- Venue
- Parkyn Parade Park, Mooloolaba, opposite the boat ramp
- Distance
- Middle Distance (70.3) — 113km total
- Start Time
- A rolling start from Mooloolaba Beach. Exact times are confirmed in the Athlete Information Guide during race week.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- One hour for the swim, and 5 hours for the bike from your start time, with riders who miss it collected by the sag wagons. In both cases any remaining team members waiting in transition are released onto the next leg at that point. The swim cut-off here is ten minutes tighter than most 70.3 races.
Also this weekend
IRONKIDS Sunshine Coast runs on the Saturday, alongside relay and aquabike categories on the Sunday.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 1.9km
A one-lap counter-clockwise ocean swim off Mooloolaba surf beach, starting at the more sheltered eastern end and finishing about 120m west of the start. A rolling start rather than waves. It is a genuine surf beach, which is what makes this different from the sheltered-bay swims further south.
- Venue
- Mooloolaba Beach
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Open ocean, surf beach.
Wetsuit: The organiser publishes an average water temperature of 20°C for the race, which sits close to the wetsuit-legal threshold. Decided on the day against the measured temperature.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 90km
From Parkyn Parade the course runs out via Mooloolaba Esplanade and Buderim Avenue onto the Sunshine Motorway — smooth, fast, and with few undulations. Off the highway it runs the beachfront to Maroochydore and back, then rejoins Buderim Avenue for a second lap. The return to transition no longer uses Mooloolaba Esplanade: it passes the TriClub Village, turns right down Venning Street, left into Muraban Street, left into First Lane, right into First Avenue, right into Brisbane Road and back via Hancock Street to Parkyn Parade.
- Venue
- Sunshine Motorway and the Maroochydore beachfront
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sealed road and motorway — flat and fast.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 21.1km
Two laps. From transition the course heads east along The Spit and loops Point Park, then north onto the Mooloolaba Boardwalk and Esplanade and over Alexandra Headland hill — the one piece of real climbing on the day, and worth it for the view — before continuing to Cotton Tree via Sixth Avenue and Alexandra Parade. The second lap repeats it, finishing on Beach Terrace, a few steps from the water.
- Venue
- The Spit, Mooloolaba Esplanade and Alexandra Headland
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sealed path and road — flat apart from Alexandra Headland.
Wetsuit outlook
Will you need a wetsuit at IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast?
Water temperature at open sea in September has typically been 19.7°C, ranging from 19.3°C to 20.8°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
The organiser publishes an average water temperature of 20°C for the race, which sits close to the wetsuit-legal threshold. Decided on the day against the measured temperature.
Calibrated against measured sea-surface data, to within about 1.1°C. The official temperature is taken an hour before the start, and only that reading decides the rule on the day.
Transitions
Transition sits at Parkyn Parade Park overlooking the beach. The swim exit is onto Mooloolaba Beach and up a short set of stairs straight into T1, with a water station at the entry. The bike exits from the top right corner onto Parkyn Parade; the run exit is on the same side as the swim exit, in the bottom corner.
IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast Split Calculator
IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
5:38:03
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast 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 .
What you can qualify for
IRONMAN 70.3 races award age-group qualifying slots for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, published per race and per age group before race day.
Entry & Ballot
Direct entry summary
General registration for 2026 has sold out, with some special entries remaining. Entry is otherwise direct through IRONMAN at tiered pricing.
Ballot policy
No ballot — entry is direct and first come, first served, and it sells out.
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
- The organiser pitches this as the friendliest 70.3 in the country for a first attempt at the distance — flat, well supported, and with the whole course lined with spectators.
- The swim cut-off is one hour rather than the usual 1:10. That is worth checking against a realistic 1.9km time, particularly in surf.
- A genuine surf-beach swim rather than a sheltered bay, which is a different skill.
- Alexandra Headland hill is the only real climb of the day, and it comes twice on the run.
- The bike return route changed — it no longer comes back along Mooloolaba Esplanade.
- On-course fuel is typically PURE Sports Nutrition Electrolyte and Maurten Energy Gels/Bars, the nutrition partners confirmed in official Athlete Information Guides for other Australian IRONMAN races — not independently confirmed for this specific event.
Checklist
- Surf-entry practice, since this is an ocean beach rather than a bay
- A realistic look at the one-hour swim cut-off before entering
- A run plan that accounts for Alexandra Headland twice
- Sun protection — a September Queensland day is mild and the UV is not
- Gear packed to the published transition process, with the bike exit and run exit in different corners
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
The nearest rail is at Landsborough or Nambour, both inland; Sunshine Coast Airport at Marcoola is about fifteen minutes away and takes flights from every capital.
Not published for this event — check the official race website.
Closures along Mooloolaba Esplanade, Buderim Avenue, the Sunshine Motorway and the Maroochydore beachfront.
Spectator guide
Mooloolaba Beach for the swim, Parkyn Parade for both transitions, and the Esplanade and Alexandra Headland for the run — which passes twice.
The Esplanade covers the swim, transition and both run laps within a walk. The bike course is the only part that needs a car.
Where to stay
Mooloolaba
+ Walk to transition, the swim, the run and the finish. The whole event is on the Esplanade.
– Books out for race weekend, and it is a popular holiday town anyway.
Alexandra Headland and Maroochydore
+ On the run course, cheaper, and a short walk or drive from transition.
– A slightly longer race morning.
Noosa
+ Forty minutes north and a lovely base for a week, particularly if you are also racing Noosa in November.
– Too far for a comfortable race morning.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast?
Sunday 13 September 2026, from Parkyn Parade Park at Mooloolaba in Queensland.
What is the IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast swim cut-off?
One hour — ten minutes tighter than most 70.3 races. It is worth checking against a realistic 1.9km ocean time before entering.
Is the IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast course flat?
Almost entirely. The bike uses the Sunshine Motorway, which is smooth and has few undulations. The only real climb is Alexandra Headland hill on the run, covered twice.
Is the Sunshine Coast swim in the ocean?
Yes, off Mooloolaba surf beach — a one-lap counter-clockwise course starting at the more sheltered eastern end. It is a genuine surf swim rather than a sheltered bay, which is a different skill.
Do you need a wetsuit at IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast?
Check rather than assume. The organiser publishes an average water temperature of 20°C, which sits close to the wetsuit-legal threshold, and the decision is made on the day.