Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Full Distance (140.6)
IRONMAN Australia 2026
- Race day
- Sunday, 18 October 2026
- Location
- Port Macquarie, New South Wales
- Distance
- 226 km total
3.8km swim 180km bike 42.2km run
IRONMAN Australia: 18 October 2026, Port Macquarie. The Hastings River weir swim, the Matthew Flinders Drive climb, cut-offs and entry.
38 days to go
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 18 October 2026
- Venue
- Westport Park, Port Macquarie, with the finish at Town Green
- Distance
- Full Distance (140.6) — 226km total
- Start Time
- Not published for 2026 at time of checking — full-distance racing here starts around dawn, and the Athlete Information Guide confirms it closer to race week.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- Measured from your individual start rather than from a gun: 2 hours 20 minutes for the swim, 10 hours for the bike, and 17 hours overall. Cyclists who miss the bike cut-off are collected by the sag wagons. Intermediate cut-offs are published in the Athlete Information Guide.
Also this weekend
IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie runs alongside it, sharing the swim venue and much of the run course — hence the two separate run turnarounds. IRONKIDS Port Macquarie runs across the same weekend.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 3.8km
A single lap in the calm, protected water of the Hastings River, starting at Westport Park and heading north. About a kilometre in it passes under the Park Street bridge to the weir crossing — the feature the race is known for — then turns, crosses the weir again, heads south down the river and turns once more before returning to Westport Park.
- Venue
- Hastings River, Port Macquarie
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- River — sheltered, non-tidal at the weir.
Wetsuit: Decided against the measured water temperature on the day under the standard rules. The organiser publishes an average water temperature of 23°C for the race, which is close enough to the wetsuit-legal threshold that it is worth checking rather than assuming.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 180km
Two northern laps and one southern. The northern loop runs west along Hastings River Drive with a short out-and-back to Cassegrain Wines, then north over the Pacific Highway and through Blackmans Point onto Telegraph Point Road and Pembrooke Road, through rolling country to a turnaround at Redbank Road. At about 135km the course passes tantalisingly close to transition and heads south instead, onto Ocean Drive for sweeping ocean views, a loop down to Tacking Point Lighthouse and a turnaround at Lake Cathie. The return brings you to the Matthew Flinders Drive climb.
- Venue
- Hastings River Drive, Pembrooke and Ocean Drive
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sealed road — rolling, with genuine climbing in the southern loop.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 42.2km
Four laps through the middle of town. Each lap passes the finish line, runs out to Town Beach and back down the breakwall, then south along the path beside Kooloonbung Creek, turning in a shaded park past the giant goanna, before heading north to a turnaround at Settlement Point Road. Note that the IRONMAN 70.3 turn is just short of the full-distance one — going to the wrong one is a real and recurring mistake.
- Venue
- Port Macquarie town centre, breakwall and Kooloonbung Creek
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sealed path and road — flat.
Wetsuit outlook
Will you need a wetsuit at IRONMAN Australia?
Water temperature at river in October has typically been 17.8°C, ranging from 17.1°C to 19.3°C in eight of every ten years. Against IRONMAN / 70.3's thresholds for this race's 3800m 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
Decided against the measured water temperature on the day under the standard rules. The organiser publishes an average water temperature of 23°C for the race, which is close enough to the wetsuit-legal threshold that it is worth checking rather than assuming.
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
Swim exit is at the Westport boat ramp, 200m from T1 over a footbridge built across the run course. Blue Gear Bags are racked in the change tent, which carries tables of sunscreen, healthcare products and period products, plus bike mechanics, pumps and a bidon-filling bar. T2 returns you to Westport Park.
IRONMAN Australia Split Calculator
IRONMAN Australia Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
11:12:06
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where IRONMAN Australia 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 Australia carries Oceania TriClub Championship status, and full-distance IRONMAN races award age-group qualifying slots for the IRONMAN World Championship. Slot allocations are published per race and per age group before race day.
Entry & Ballot
Direct entry summary
Registration is open, direct through IRONMAN, at tiered pricing that rises as the race approaches. The organiser is explicit that committing early secures the best price.
Ballot policy
No ballot — entry is direct and tier-priced.
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 original full-distance IRONMAN in Australia, and the one most Australian IRONMAN athletes started with.
- The Hastings River weir crossing is the signature of the swim and is genuinely unlike any other IRONMAN swim.
- The bike is the hardest part of the day here: two rolling northern laps followed by a southern loop that ends on the Matthew Flinders Drive climb.
- Town Green is the finish, and is one of the most concentrated finish-line atmospheres on the circuit — the run passes it four times before you get to use it.
- On-course fuel is likely PURE Sports Nutrition Electrolyte and Maurten Energy Gels/Bars — confirmed for the shared-venue IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie via its 2024 Athlete Information Guide, though a full-distance-specific guide wasn't independently located.
- The organiser publishes average race-week conditions of 24°C high, 15°C low and 23°C water.
Checklist
- Blue and Red Gear Bags packed to the published transition process, not improvised on the day
- The full-distance run turnaround at Settlement Point Road identified — it sits beyond the 70.3 turn, and taking the wrong one is a common and expensive error
- A bike plan that leaves something for Matthew Flinders Drive, which comes after 170km
- Sunscreen; the change tents stock it, and a four-lap October run in New South Wales needs it
- A wetsuit decision made against the measured temperature rather than assumed — 23°C average water is borderline
- Special needs and personal nutrition arranged around the published aid station provision
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
Wauchope station, about 20km inland, is the nearest rail on the North Coast line, with a coach connection into Port Macquarie. Most athletes fly into Port Macquarie Airport or drive from Sydney or Brisbane.
Not published for this event — check the official race website.
Closures across Hastings River Drive, Ocean Drive, the town centre and the breakwall. The event publishes a dedicated traffic impact page.
Spectator guide
Westport Park for the swim and both transitions, the breakwall for the run, and Town Green for the finish. The four-lap run means a spectator sees their athlete repeatedly from one spot.
Port Macquarie is small and the whole run course is walkable. The bike course is not — pick a point on Hastings River Drive and stay there.
Where to stay
Port Macquarie town centre
+ Walk to Westport Park, the run course and Town Green. Everything about the weekend is on foot.
– Books out for race week, and it is a small town.
Town Beach and the breakwall
+ On the run course, close to the finish, and a genuinely pleasant place to stay.
– Limited stock, and priced for race weekend.
Lighthouse Beach and Ocean Drive
+ Cheaper, quieter, and on the southern bike loop so you can ride the hard part in training.
– A drive from transition on a morning when the roads are closing.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is IRONMAN Australia?
Sunday 18 October 2026, in Port Macquarie, New South Wales. It also carries Oceania TriClub Championship status.
What is the IRONMAN Australia swim like?
A single 3.8km lap of the Hastings River from Westport Park, passing under the Park Street bridge to the weir crossing, then back over the weir and south down the river. It is sheltered, calm, and genuinely unlike any other IRONMAN swim.
What are the IRONMAN Australia cut-offs?
Measured from your individual start: 2 hours 20 minutes for the swim, 10 hours for the bike and 17 hours overall. Riders who miss the bike cut-off are collected by the sag wagons.
Is the IRONMAN Australia bike course hilly?
It is the hard part of the day. Two rolling northern laps through Pembrooke, then a southern loop along Ocean Drive with the Tacking Point Lighthouse climb and the Matthew Flinders Drive climb at the end, after 170km of riding.
Do I need a wetsuit for IRONMAN Australia?
Check rather than assume. The organiser publishes an average water temperature of 23°C, which sits close to the wetsuit-legal threshold, and the decision is made on the day against the measured temperature.
What is the difference between the IRONMAN and 70.3 run turnarounds?
The 70.3 turn on Settlement Point Road sits just short of the full-distance one. Taking the wrong one is a recurring mistake and the organiser flags it explicitly in the course description.