Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Middle Distance (70.3)
Wimbleball Middle Distance 2026
- Race day
- Sunday, 30 August 2026
- Location
- Brompton Regis, Exmoor, Somerset, UK
- Distance
- 115.9 km total
1.9km swim 93km bike 21km run
Wimbleball Middle Distance: 30 August 2026 — the Exmoor course with over a decade of 70.3 pedigree, a split-time calculator, and real Verus athletes racing it.
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 30 August 2026
- Venue
- Wimbleball Lake, Brompton Regis, near Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9NU
- Distance
- Middle Distance (70.3) — 115.9km total
- Start Time
- Check-in from around 6:00am, Middle Distance start around 7:30am.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- Overall cut-off: 4:00pm (roughly 8.5 hours from the 7:30am start). Per-leg cut-offs are not published for the current Sportiva Events-era race — a similarly named earlier event at this venue used different cut-offs, not confirmed as applicable now.
Also this weekend
The same weekend (as the wider "Wimbleball Sports Festival") also offers a new Iron-distance option (180km bike/42km run, four laps), plus Standard (45km/10.5km) and Sprint (18.5km/5km) triathlon, alongside separate open-water swims and the Exmoor Sportive cycling event on the Saturday.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 1.9km
Two laps of Wimbleball Lake — a South West Lakes Trust reservoir where swimming isn't normally permitted outside race events.
- Venue
- Wimbleball Lake
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Reservoir — still water.
Wetsuit: Mandatory at or below 15.9°C; forbidden above roughly 24.5°C; sleeveless/shorty wetsuits permitted with a noted reduced-protection caveat.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 93km
Two laps of "quiet, albeit lumpy" local roads. A widely-cited historical figure of over 5,000ft (~1,524m) of climbing comes from the venue's earlier era as Ironman 70.3 UK Exmoor (2006-2017) — this is not confirmed as accurate for the current Sportiva Events-era course, so treat it as historical context rather than a current official figure.
- Venue
- Exmoor, two laps
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Public road.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 21km
Two laps described as "stunning" with "a few lumps." No numeric elevation figure is published for the current course.
- Venue
- Exmoor, two laps
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Mixed road and trail.
Wetsuit outlook
Will you need a wetsuit at Wimbleball Middle Distance?
Water temperature at reservoir in August has typically been 15.6°C, ranging from 14.4°C to 16.9°C in eight of every ten years. Against British Triathlon's thresholds for this race's 1900m swim, that means:
Wetsuit mandatory
Below 16°C a wetsuit is compulsory for a 1900m swim under rule 4.2(a).
What would have happened in each of the last 16 years
- Wetsuit mandatory11 of 16
- Optional (recommended)5 of 16
What the organiser says
Mandatory at or below 15.9°C; forbidden above roughly 24.5°C; sleeveless/shorty wetsuits permitted with a noted reduced-protection caveat.
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 secure transition area with numbered racking is set up at the lake.
Wimbleball Middle Distance Split Calculator
Wimbleball Middle Distance Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
5:43:30
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where Wimbleball Middle Distance starts and finishes
Wimbleball Middle Distance starts at Wimbleball Lake, Brompton Regis, near Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9NU and finishes at Wimbleball Lake. 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
Reported pricing shows some inconsistency across sources (£140-£147); the listing showed as closed on one aggregator at the time of research. First come, first served.
Ballot policy
No ballot found — first come, first served.
Age requirement
Iron and Middle distance: 18, as of 31 December of the competition year.
Charity Places
No official charity partner or charity-place scheme was found published for this race.
Race Day Info & Checklist
On the day
- Feed stations are included on course (no brand confirmed) with professional RFID chip timing.
- Wimbleball has ample parking, with on-site camping also available at the lake.
- A wider "Wimbleball Sports Festival" runs across the weekend, including separate open-water swims and a cycling sportive on the Saturday.
- Sportiva Events (the organiser) is moving to fully cupless aid stations across its races — bring or buy a collapsible cup. Headphones are banned per British Triathlon rules, and a single flannel-sized towel (max 12"x12") is the only permitted item left loose in transition, rolled under your racking or in a shoe.
- Zone3 offers a 15% wetsuit-hire discount to entrants (code SPORTIVA).
Checklist
- Wetsuit, goggles and swim cap for the Wimbleball Lake swim
- Bike, helmet (mandatory) and bike shoes for the "lumpy" 93km Exmoor bike leg
- Run shoes and nutrition for the two-lap Exmoor run
- Camping gear if staying on site at the lake
- Weather-appropriate kit — Exmoor conditions can turn quickly even in late August
- A meeting point agreed with family/friends near the lake for afterwards
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
No specific race-day train guidance is published — this is a remote Exmoor venue best reached by car.
Ample parking is available at Wimbleball Lake, with on-site camping also available.
The bike leg runs on open, not closed, public roads.
Spectator guide
No dedicated spectator guide is published.
No official guidance is published on moving between viewing points.
Where to stay
Dulverton
+ The nearest town to Wimbleball Lake, within Exmoor National Park.
– Limited hotel choice for a small Exmoor town.
Wimbleball Lake (on site)
+ On-site camping is available directly at the venue.
– Limited if you specifically want a hotel rather than camping.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Wimbleball Middle Distance 2026?
Sunday 30 August 2026, with Middle Distance starting around 7:30am.
Did Wimbleball used to host Ironman?
Yes — Wimbleball Lake hosted Ironman 70.3 UK (Exmoor) for 12 editions from 2006 to 2017, before Ironman discontinued the event due to the remote location. Sportiva Events has since revived triathlon racing at the venue.
Is the Wimbleball bike course hilly?
Described as "quiet, albeit lumpy." A widely-cited 5,000ft+ climbing figure comes from the old Ironman 70.3 era and is not confirmed as accurate for the current course.
What is the Wimbleball Middle Distance cut-off time?
4:00pm overall, roughly 8.5 hours from the 7:30am start.
What other distances run at the Wimbleball weekend?
A new Iron-distance option, plus Standard and Sprint triathlon, alongside separate open-water swims and a cycling sportive on the Saturday.
Is there live tracking at Wimbleball?
Live GPS tracking is offered for the Iron distance only, not for the Middle distance.
How do I get to Wimbleball?
This is a remote Exmoor venue best reached by car — ample parking and on-site camping are both available.
When were Wimbleball Middle Distance results published?
The 2026 race (30 August) has taken place, but results weren't yet posted on the official results page (sportivaevents.clubtrac.co.uk) as of early September — check there directly for the latest.