Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Olympic
Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon 2027
- Race day
- Saturday, 29 May 2027
- Location
- Gort, County Galway, Ireland
- Distance
- 51.5 km total
1.5km swim 40km bike 10km run
Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon 2027: a festival of triathlon, duathlon, aquabike and aquathlon on a private Galway lake — dates, distances from beginner to elite, and entry.
261 days to go
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Saturday, 29 May 2027
- Venue
- Lough Cutra Castle, near Gort, County Galway
- Distance
- Olympic — 51.5km total
- Start Time
- Not published for 2027 in the sources checked — wave times are confirmed in the athlete information.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- Not published in the sources checked — confirm with the organiser.
Also this weekend
A full multisport festival across a weekend rather than a single race. Triathlon, duathlon, aquabike, aquathlon, standalone swims and standalone runs all run, at distances the organiser describes as ranging from beginner to elite — including a half-iron "Gauntlet" distance.
Gauntlet (half-iron)
Swim loops Apple Island; bike crosses the Burren National Park including the Cat 3 Corkscrew Hill climb; run is three 7km loops.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 1.5km
A 1,500m swim in Lough Cutra, described by the organiser as the largest privately owned lake in Europe, in the grounds of Lough Cutra Castle. Sheltered fresh water on private land — about as controlled as an open-water swim gets.
- Venue
- Lough Cutra, County Galway
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Lake — sheltered fresh water.
Wetsuit: Compulsory for all triathlon and multisport events at this specific venue, per the Castle Race Series' own competitor guide — a venue-specific rule rather than the temperature-dependent policy used at some other series venues.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 40km
A 40km ride on the quiet roads of south Galway around Gort, on the northern fringe of the Burren. Largely flat limestone country.
- Venue
- South Galway, around Gort and the Burren fringe
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Road — flat south Galway lanes.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 10km
A 10km run through the castle estate and its parkland, finishing at the castle.
- Venue
- The Lough Cutra Castle estate
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Estate track and parkland.
Transitions
A single transition in the Lough Cutra Castle grounds, beside the lake.
Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon Split Calculator
Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
2:49:00
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon 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 direct through the organiser, priced in euro. The 2027 festival runs over the weekend of 29-30 May.
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
- A weekend festival rather than a single race — triathlon, duathlon, aquabike, aquathlon, swims and runs across two days.
- Distances span beginner to elite, which makes it one of the better Irish events to enter as a first triathlon.
- The swim is in a private lake in castle grounds, which removes most of the variables of open water.
- The 2026 festival ran 23-24 May; the 2027 edition is 29-30 May.
- A half-iron 'Gauntlet' distance also runs here: 1.9km swim (a loop around Apple Island), 96km bike (through the Burren National Park, including the Category 3 Corkscrew Hill climb), and 21km run (three 7km loops).
- Gauntlet cut-offs: 75 minutes for the swim, 7 hours for the bike, no third run lap started after 9 hours, and a 10-hour overall cut-off.
- Gauntlet bike aid stations serve truefuels energy gels, pre-mixed electrolyte bottles, energy chews/bars and bananas; run stations add flat Coca-Cola and jelly babies, plus a water-only station at the 2km mark of each run loop.
- Course-sharing hazard: Sunday's shorter-distance racers join the Gauntlet course for the last 15km of the bike leg, wearing different-coloured bibs — worth knowing so you're not confused mid-race.
- Race pack: a race bib, three numbered kit labels, a swim hat, a chip-timing device and an event wristband. Boxes aren't allowed in transition, only a small soft-sided bag.
- Gauntlet finishers get a bespoke technical t-shirt and medal, a hot meal, a post-race massage and access to the Castle Courtyard showers; a separate recovery area (sauna, plunge pool, compression therapy) can be pre-booked.
Checklist
- A wetsuit for a late-May Galway lake swim
- Bike, helmet and shoes racked in the castle grounds per the race-morning schedule
- Trail or road shoes depending on the run option you have entered — the estate run is on track and parkland
- Camping kit if you are staying on site for the weekend
- Euro rather than sterling if you are travelling from the UK
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
Gort has a station on the Limerick to Galway line. Shannon Airport is around an hour by road and Galway city about 40 minutes.
Not published for this event — the castle estate has its own parking. Check the athlete information.
Managed sections on the south Galway lanes for the bike leg.
Spectator guide
The castle grounds cover the swim, transition, the run and the finish, and the lakeside setting makes it one of the more pleasant Irish events to spectate at.
The estate is walkable throughout. The bike loop covers quiet south Galway lanes.
Where to stay
Lough Cutra Castle estate
+ On site, which for a weekend festival with multiple races is worth a great deal. Camping is part of the event.
– Camping rather than hotels.
Gort
+ The nearest town, a few minutes away, with a station on the Limerick to Galway line.
– Small, with limited accommodation.
Galway city
+ The widest choice in the west, around 40 minutes away, and somewhere proper to eat afterwards.
– Not walkable to anything, and a drive each morning of a two-day festival.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon 2027?
The weekend of 29-30 May 2027, at Lough Cutra Castle near Gort in County Galway.
What distances does Lough Cutra offer?
It is a festival rather than a single race: triathlon, duathlon, aquabike, aquathlon, standalone swims and standalone runs, at distances the organiser describes as beginner to elite.
Where is the Lough Cutra swim?
In Lough Cutra itself, described by the organiser as the largest privately owned lake in Europe, within the castle grounds. Sheltered fresh water on private land.
Is Lough Cutra good for a first triathlon?
It is one of the better options in Ireland. The swim is in a sheltered private lake rather than open sea, the bike is flat south Galway, and the beginner distances are run alongside the elite ones over the same weekend.
When were Lough Cutra Castle Triathlon results published?
Results only exist once the race has been run. Check back here, or the official results page, after it takes place.
Do you need a wetsuit at Lough Cutra?
Yes — it's compulsory for every triathlon and multisport event at this venue specifically, per the Castle Race Series' own competitor guide, rather than a temperature-dependent rule.
What is the Gauntlet distance at Lough Cutra?
A half-iron option: a 1.9km swim looping Apple Island, a 96km bike through the Burren National Park (including the Category 3 Corkscrew Hill climb), and a 21km run over three 7km loops. Cut-offs are 75 minutes for the swim, 7 hours for the bike, and 10 hours overall.