Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Olympic
Garmin Noosa Triathlon 2026
- Race day
- Sunday, 1 November 2026
- Location
- Noosa Heads, Queensland
- Distance
- 51.5 km total
1.5km swim 40km bike 10km run
Noosa Triathlon: 1 November 2026, 6:15am. The 1.5km Laguna Bay swim, the Garmin Hill Climb, a flat 10km run — cut-offs, entry and a split calculator.
52 days to go
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 1 November 2026
- Venue
- Noosa Heads Lions Park, Noosa Heads
- Distance
- Olympic — 51.5km total
- Start Time
- 6:15am, with age-group swim waves released in sequence — the wave order rotates between years, so last year’s start time is a guide and not a promise.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- Everyone must finish by 1:25pm. The swim closes at 10:10am; the bike has early turnarounds at 11:00am (14km) and 11:07am (16.2km), a hard cut-off at 11:20am at 20km, and must be completed by 12:20pm; runners still in transition are released by 12:20pm and anyone on course after 12:52pm may be moved to the footpath so the roads can reopen. Being turned early on the bike is recorded as a DNF.
Also this weekend
The triathlon is the Sunday centrepiece of a five-day festival running 28 October to 1 November. Around it sit the Run Swim Run, the Breakfast Fun Run, the 2XU Noosa 1000 Ocean Swim, the Tour de Noosa ride, the Superkidz and Special Tri events, and the ASICS Bolt on Super Saturday.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 1.5km
A 1,500m oblong course in Laguna Bay off Noosa Main Beach, swum anti-clockwise with the first turn buoy at 610m and three left-hand turns before the return to shore. Clear water, a beach start, and — genuinely — sea turtles.
- Venue
- Laguna Bay, off Noosa Main Beach
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Open ocean, sheltered bay.
Wetsuit: Decided on the day against the measured water temperature under the standard rules. Laguna Bay in early November is often above the wetsuit-legal threshold, so plan for a non-wetsuit swim and treat a wetsuit as the exception.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 40km
Forty kilometres out and back into the Noosa hinterland. The defining feature is the Garmin Hill Climb, a 2km ascent that arrives 10km into the ride — early enough that people overcook it, and long enough that they pay for it on the way home.
- Venue
- Noosa hinterland, out and back
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sealed road.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 10km
Ten kilometres of flat road along Noosa Parade, lined with spectators for essentially its whole length, with five aid stations and a finish on the Noosa Tri blue carpet.
- Venue
- Noosa Parade
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sealed road — flat.
Wetsuit outlook
Will you need a wetsuit at Garmin Noosa Triathlon?
Water temperature at open sea in November has typically been 22.7°C, ranging from 22°C to 23.5°C in eight of every ten years. Against World Triathlon's thresholds for this race's 1500m swim, that means:
Wetsuit not permitted
At or above 22°C wetsuits are forbidden for age-group (35) athletes over 1500m.
What would have happened in each of the last 16 years
- Optional (recommended)2 of 16
- Wetsuit banned14 of 16
What the organiser says
Decided on the day against the measured water temperature under the standard rules. Laguna Bay in early November is often above the wetsuit-legal threshold, so plan for a non-wetsuit swim and treat a wetsuit as the exception.
Calibrated against measured sea-surface data, to within about 1°C. The official temperature is taken an hour before the start, and only that reading decides the rule on the day.
Transitions
Transition is on the grass at Noosa Lions Park, split into separate individual and team areas. A colour-coded ID wristband controls access — and, as the organiser puts it, you still have to remember where you racked your bike.
Garmin Noosa Triathlon Split Calculator
Garmin Noosa 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 Garmin Noosa Triathlon starts and finishes
Garmin Noosa Triathlon starts at Noosa Heads Lions Park, Noosa Heads and finishes at Laguna Bay, off Noosa Main Beach. 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
Individual entries for 2026 have sold out. Relay team entries remain available, and there is a waitlist for individual places. Entry categories include Age Group, Open, Elite, Athena, Clydesdale, Paratriathlete and several non-award categories.
Ballot policy
No ballot — entry is direct and first come, first served, and it sells out. The Open category is not a free entry: it requires three race results from the past eighteen months inside 2:05 for men and 2:18 for women.
Age requirement
Individual entrants must be 15 as at 31 December 2026. Relay team members must be 14, and a 14-year-old may complete only one leg.
Charity Places
Charity Hero and Smiling for Smiddy entries race alongside the field. They are not eligible for awards, which is stated plainly rather than buried.
Race Day Info & Checklist
On the day
- Ranked among the largest Olympic-distance triathlons in the world, and the pinnacle event of the Australian multisport calendar.
- Swim wave order rotates between years by age group — do not plan around last year’s times.
- Equal prize money for elite men and women from first to tenth, A$15,600 down to A$620, plus an Open category paying to third.
- Check-in runs Friday 9:30am-7:00pm and Saturday 8:00am-4:00pm. There is no race-morning check-in.
- Relay teams split the legs between two or three people, with categories for open, masters, corporate, family and paratriathlete teams.
- The bike cut-offs exist to hand the roads back to the police on schedule, and they are enforced rather than indicative.
Checklist
- Checked in on the Friday or Saturday — there is no race-morning option
- Bike racked and its position actually memorised; transition is large and split in two
- Colour-coded ID wristband on, since it is what gets you into transition
- A non-wetsuit swim plan, because Laguna Bay in November is often too warm for one
- Sun protection for a 10km run on open road in a Queensland spring
- A realistic look at the bike cut-offs if you are near the back of the field
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
The nearest rail is Cooroy, around 25km inland on the Sunshine Coast line; almost everyone arrives by road from Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast airport.
The event runs a parking and shuttle bus arrangement across race weekend, published on its own precinct map — Noosa Heads is small and closes heavily for the race.
Extensive closures through Noosa Heads, Noosa Parade and out into the hinterland along the bike course. The reopening schedule is police-approved, which is why the bike cut-offs are hard.
Spectator guide
Noosa Main Beach for the swim, the Garmin Hill Climb for the bike, and Noosa Parade for the run — where the crowd runs almost the whole 10km.
The run course is an out-and-back on one road from the event village, so a spectator can see the swim finish, both run passes and the blue carpet without moving more than a few hundred metres.
Where to stay
Noosa Heads and Hastings Street
+ Walk to transition, the beach and the finish. The whole festival is on the doorstep.
– The most expensive accommodation on the Sunshine Coast, and it books out a year ahead for race weekend.
Noosaville and Noosa Junction
+ Cheaper, still close, and Noosaville sits on the bike and run corridor.
– Road closures make race-morning movement awkward — plan to walk or ride in.
Sunshine Beach and Peregian
+ Quieter, good value, and a genuinely nice place to stay for a week.
– Fifteen to thirty minutes away by road, on a morning when the roads are shut.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Noosa Triathlon?
Sunday 1 November 2026, starting at 6:15am from Noosa Heads Lions Park. It closes a five-day festival running from 28 October.
What distance is the Noosa Triathlon?
Olympic distance — a 1.5km swim in Laguna Bay, a 40km bike into the hinterland and a flat 10km run along Noosa Parade.
What is the Garmin Hill Climb?
A 2km climb 10km into the bike leg, and the defining feature of the course. It comes early enough that people ride it too hard and long enough that they notice on the way back.
What are the Noosa Triathlon cut-off times?
Finish by 1:25pm. Swim by 10:10am, bike by 12:20pm with early turnarounds at 11:00am and 11:07am and a hard cut-off at 11:20am at 20km. Being turned early on the bike is recorded as a DNF.
Is the Noosa Triathlon swim wetsuit legal?
Often not. Laguna Bay in early November is frequently above the wetsuit-legal threshold, and the decision is made on the day against the measured temperature. Plan for a non-wetsuit swim.
How old do you have to be to race Noosa?
15 as at 31 December 2026 for an individual entry. Relay team members must be 14, and a 14-year-old may only complete one leg.
Does the Noosa Triathlon sell out?
Yes. Individual entries for 2026 sold out, leaving relay team entries and a waitlist.
Can you do the Noosa Triathlon as a team?
Yes. Relay teams of two or three split the legs, with categories for open, masters, corporate or club, family and friends, and paratriathlete teams. Only one member needs to attend check-in.