Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Middle Distance (70.3)
The Lost Sheep 2026
- Race day
- Saturday, 5 September 2026
- Location
- Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland
- Distance
- 105.9 km total
1.9km swim 83km bike 21km run
The Lost Sheep 2026: the toughest middle-distance triathlon in Ireland — a Kenmare Bay swim, 83km over the Healy and Caha passes on the Beara peninsula, and a 21km run.
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Saturday, 5 September 2026
- Venue
- Kenmare, County Kerry
- Distance
- Middle Distance (70.3) — 105.9km total
- Start Time
- Not published for 2026 in the sources checked — confirm in the athlete information.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- Per the 2026 race briefing: swim 1h10m (8:40am), bike 5h30m total from the start (1:00pm), run 8h total from the start (3:30pm).
Also this weekend
A single middle-distance race rather than a range of distances.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 1.9km
A 1,900m swim in Kenmare Bay, the long sheltered inlet between the Iveragh and Beara peninsulas. Sea water, but far calmer than the open Atlantic a few miles west.
- Venue
- Kenmare Bay
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sea — a sheltered bay.
Wetsuit: Not published in the sources checked. Kerry sea temperatures in early September make a wetsuit standard — confirm the current rule with the organiser.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 83km
An 83km ride out along the Beara peninsula on the Wild Atlantic Way, over the Lauragh and Healy passes, on to Glengarriff and back to Kenmare via the Caha pass. Three mountain passes in 83km is what earns this race its reputation — the Healy Pass in particular is one of the most demanding surfaced climbs in Ireland.
- Venue
- The Beara peninsula, along the Wild Atlantic Way
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Road — mountain passes and exposed coastal lanes.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 21km
A 21km run to finish, on the roads around Kenmare after the Beara loop.
- Venue
- Around Kenmare
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Road.
Transitions
Transition is based at Kenmare, serving the bay swim and the Beara bike loop.
The Lost Sheep Split Calculator
The Lost Sheep Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
5:23:30
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where The Lost Sheep 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 .
Entry & Ballot
Direct entry summary
Entry through Sportstiming.ie, priced in euro. Traditionally staged in late August or early September. Running since 2003.
Ballot policy
No ballot — entry is direct.
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
- Running since 2003, and widely regarded as the toughest middle-distance race on the Irish triathlon circuit.
- The bike leg crosses three mountain passes — Lauragh, Healy and Caha — in 83km.
- The Healy Pass is one of the hardest surfaced climbs in Ireland and comes in the middle of the bike leg.
- Traditionally held in late August or early September.
- Registration is Friday evening only (18:30-21:00) — there is no race-morning registration, and athletes must confirm they've read the full briefing and watched a safety video of the bike course.
- There is zero parking near transition — leave the car at your accommodation and bring a head torch, since transition opens before dawn.
- Two automatic-disqualification no-race zones on the bike: Pier Road and the approach/return over the Kenmare Suspension Bridge. Named danger points include the Lauragh descent (~24km) and the Healy Pass descent (~32km, flagged as recently resurfaced with loose chippings).
- One self-serve bike aid station at Glengarriff (53km, must stop to use it); four run aid stations at roughly 5/10/14.5/17.5km, all with water and energy drink, with flat Coke and solid food added from the third station onward.
- Littering is an automatic disqualification on both the bike and run legs specifically, not just a general policy.
- Prize structure has a minimum-field rule: an age group needs 3 entrants to award 1st only, 5 for 1st and 2nd, and 8 for a full podium.
Checklist
- A wetsuit for an early-September Kerry sea swim
- Climbing gears — three mountain passes in 83km, and the Healy is not a course to be under-geared on
- Descending confidence: what goes up the Healy Pass comes down the other side on a narrow road
- Full weather cover for the Beara peninsula, which makes its own conditions
- Euro rather than sterling if you are travelling from the UK
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
No rail service to Kenmare. Killarney is the nearest station, around 20 miles away, and Kerry Airport is roughly 40 minutes by road with flights from several UK airports. Cork Airport is around two hours.
Not published for this event — check the athlete information for Kenmare parking.
Managed sections on the Beara peninsula roads and the mountain passes for the bike leg.
Spectator guide
Kenmare covers the swim, transition, the run and the finish. The Healy Pass is the spectacular place to watch the bike from, and the drive up it is worth doing regardless.
Kenmare is compact. The Beara loop is a long circuit on narrow mountain roads — pick the Healy Pass or stay in town.
Where to stay
Kenmare
+ At the venue, and a genuinely good small town to spend a weekend in — it has more restaurants per head than anywhere else in Kerry.
– Small, popular, and it fills for race weekend and the tourist season alike.
Killarney
+ The widest choice in Kerry, with the station and easy access to Kerry Airport.
– Around 20 miles over the Moll's Gap road, which is slow.
Glengarriff and the Beara peninsula
+ On the bike course, quieter, and spectacular.
– Very limited accommodation and a long way round the bay to Kenmare.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Lost Sheep triathlon?
Traditionally late August or early September, based at Kenmare in County Kerry.
What are the Lost Sheep distances?
Middle distance: a 1.9km swim in Kenmare Bay, an 83km bike around the Beara peninsula and a 21km run.
Why is the Lost Sheep considered so hard?
The bike leg. It crosses three mountain passes — Lauragh, Healy and Caha — in 83km, and the Healy Pass is one of the most demanding surfaced climbs in Ireland. Since 2003 it has built a reputation as the toughest middle-distance race on the Irish circuit.
Where is the Lost Sheep swim?
Kenmare Bay, the long sheltered inlet between the Iveragh and Beara peninsulas — sea water, but far calmer than the open Atlantic.
How do you get to Kenmare?
No rail service. Kerry Airport is around 40 minutes by road with flights from several UK airports, Killarney station is about 20 miles away, and Cork Airport is roughly two hours.
When were Lost Sheep results published?
No results yet — they'll be added here once the race has actually happened, or check the official results source directly.
What are the Lost Sheep cut-off times?
Per the 2026 briefing: 1h10m for the swim, 5h30m total for the bike, and 8 hours total for the run, all measured from the start.
Where do you park at the Lost Sheep?
Nowhere near transition — there is genuinely zero parking there. Athletes are told to leave their car at their accommodation and bring a head torch, since transition opens before dawn.