Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Middle Distance (70.3)
New Forest Middle Distance 2026
- Race day
- Sunday, 6 September 2026
- Location
- Ringwood, Hampshire, UK
- Distance
- 112.9 km total
1.9km swim 90km bike 21km run
New Forest Middle Distance: 6 September 2026 — the 1.9km/90km/21km Hampshire course, a split-time calculator, and real Verus athletes racing it.
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 6 September 2026
- Venue
- Moyles Court School, Moyles Court, Ringwood, Hampshire BH24 3NF
- Distance
- Middle Distance (70.3) — 112.9km total
- Start Time
- Registration from 5:30am, mass swim start 7:00am. Course closes 3:00pm.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- Per the 2026 event pack: 1 hour for the swim from your wave start (non-finishers are collected by the safety boat and sent on to the bike, minus a swim time); 5 hours for the bike from your wave start (miss it and you cannot start the run); an 8-hour total cut-off may be enforced from the end of the first run lap.
Also this weekend
The same weekend also offers Standard (1.1km/33km/10km), Sprint (400m/33km/5km), Aquabike, Duathlon, and relay options at the same venue.
Standard
Same venue, same day, at Moyles Court School.
Sprint
Same venue, same day, at Moyles Court School.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 1.9km
Two laps of Ellingham Water Ski Lake, followed by an approximately 1km run from the lake to the transition zone at Moyles Court School.
- Venue
- Ellingham Water Ski Lake, Blashford, Ringwood BH24 3PJ
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Lake — still water.
Wetsuit: Per the 2026 event pack: mandatory below 15.9°C for everyone; forbidden above 22°C for under-60s at this distance, or above 24.6°C for over-60s. Wearing one even when optional is "strongly encouraged" by the organiser.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 90km
A route through New Forest countryside on open (not closed) public roads — ride with normal road awareness. An independent route analysis estimates around 526m (1,726ft) of climbing, though that figure is not official.
- Venue
- New Forest countryside, open roads
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Open public road.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 21km
A two-loop course through the New Forest, largely traffic-free.
- Venue
- New Forest National Park
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Mixed traffic-free paths and tracks.
Wetsuit outlook
Will you need a wetsuit at New Forest Middle Distance?
Water temperature at inland lake in September has typically been 16.7°C, ranging from 15.8°C to 18°C in eight of every ten years. Against British Triathlon's thresholds for this race's 1900m swim, that means:
Wetsuit optional — and recommended
Between 16°C and 24.6°C the choice is yours. Rule 4.2(b) recommends a wetsuit for all novices and age-groupers up to 22°C.
What would have happened in each of the last 16 years
- Wetsuit mandatory3 of 16
- Optional (recommended)13 of 16
What the organiser says
Per the 2026 event pack: mandatory below 15.9°C for everyone; forbidden above 22°C for under-60s at this distance, or above 24.6°C for over-60s. Wearing one even when optional is "strongly encouraged" by the organiser.
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
A single transition zone is set up at Moyles Court School. The swim exit requires an approximately 1km run from Ellingham Lake to the transition zone before starting the bike leg.
New Forest Middle Distance Split Calculator
New Forest Middle Distance Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
5:37:30
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where New Forest Middle Distance starts and finishes
New Forest Middle Distance starts at Moyles Court School, Moyles Court, Ringwood, Hampshire BH24 3NF and finishes at Ellingham Water Ski Lake, Blashford, Ringwood BH24 3PJ. We haven't been able to place those on a map accurately enough to show one — a pin in the wrong place is worse than no pin.
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 is via Challenging Events (the race organizer), first come, first served. 2026 pricing: £177 for an individual Middle Distance entry, £212 for a relay team — the 2026 edition is currently showing as sold out.
Ballot policy
No ballot — entry is first come, first served, and the 2026 edition has sold out.
Age requirement
Not confirmed with a directly-sourced official page for the Middle Distance specifically — treat as unconfirmed rather than assuming a figure.
Charity Places
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is the official charity partner, with a suggested £30 fundraising target per participant — no separate guaranteed-entry charity-place scheme beyond that.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance
Entry: Standard entry (£177) · Minimum: £30 suggested
Race Day Info & Checklist
On the day
- A single transition zone is set up at Moyles Court School, serving both T1 and T2.
- An event village at the venue offers coffee, pizza, a mechanic, massage and kids' activities.
- On-site camping is available at Moyles Court School.
- Race pack (2026): race bib, wristband, bike/helmet stickers, an Active Timing chip for the left ankle, a colour-coded swim hat, and a wetsuit bag to carry down to the swim start. The timing chip costs £50 to replace if not returned.
- Free-roaming New Forest ponies, donkeys, cattle and pigs are a genuine hazard on both the bike and run course — organisers specifically flag slippery cattle grids.
- Run aid stations serve High Five energy drink, Coke, water, and High Five gels and sweets — Middle-distance runners pass 5 stations over 2 laps, plus an extra drinks stop through transition on lap 2. The bike has one manned water stop where you must come to a complete, off-road stop.
- Drafting penalty (BTF table): 3 minutes for each of a first and second offence at Middle distance, disqualification on a third. The draft zone is 12m, with 25 seconds allowed to complete a pass.
Checklist
- Wetsuit, goggles and swim cap for the 1.9km lake swim
- Bike, helmet (mandatory) and bike shoes, racked at the Moyles Court School transition zone
- Run shoes and nutrition for the 90km bike and 21km run legs
- Trail-capable or all-terrain running shoes, given the largely traffic-free/off-road run course
- A transition bag or mat to keep T1/T2 kit organized
- A meeting point agreed with family/friends at the event village for afterwards
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
No specific race-day train guidance is published — this is a rural venue best reached by car.
Parking is at Moyles Court School or the overflow sports field, opening 5:45am — a £2 donation is requested for Hampshire & IOW Air Ambulance. There is no parking at Ellingham Lake (the swim start) or on New Forest verges/roadside — fines apply; it is roughly a 1,200m (15-minute) walk between the car park/transition and the lake.
The bike leg runs on open, not closed, public roads.
Spectator guide
No dedicated spectator guide is published, though the single-venue transition/event-village setup at Moyles Court School gives supporters one central place to watch the swim exit, T1/T2, and the finish.
No official guidance is published on moving between viewing points.
Where to stay
Ringwood
+ The closest town to the venue, with a good range of accommodation.
– Can book up around race weekend given the New Forest's general popularity.
New Forest National Park (wider)
+ On-site camping is available at Moyles Court School itself.
– Limited if you want a hotel rather than camping.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the New Forest Middle Distance 2026?
Sunday 6 September 2026, with a mass swim start at 7:00am.
How long is the New Forest Middle Distance?
A genuine 70.3-equivalent: 1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21km run.
Who organizes the New Forest Middle Distance?
Challenging Events Ltd, which also runs the New Forest Triple Triathlon Series and other Hampshire multisport events.
Is the New Forest Middle Distance bike course closed to traffic?
No — the 90km bike leg runs on open public roads through New Forest countryside, not closed roads.
Is the New Forest Middle Distance sold out?
The 2026 edition is currently showing as sold out. Entry is first come, first served with no ballot, so entering early for future editions is worthwhile.
Which charity does the New Forest Middle Distance support?
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA), with a suggested £30 fundraising target per participant.
What other distances run at the New Forest Middle Distance weekend?
Standard, Sprint, Aquabike, Duathlon, and relay options all run at the same Moyles Court School venue the same weekend.
When were New Forest Middle Distance results published?
No results yet — they'll be added here once the 2026 race has actually happened, or check the official results source directly.
Do you need a wetsuit at the New Forest Middle Distance?
Per the 2026 event pack: mandatory below 15.9°C, forbidden above 22°C (under-60s) or 24.6°C (60+). The organiser strongly encourages wearing one even when it is optional.
What are the ponies doing on the New Forest course?
They're free-roaming and genuinely on both the bike and run routes — along with donkeys, cattle and pigs. Organisers specifically warn about slippery cattle grids on course.