Complete A Half Ironman
Still to do
Swim, bike and run 70.3 miles in a single day, the race where triathlon stops being a hobby and becomes a test.
The adventure
An IRONMAN 70.3 starts with a mass of swim caps churning the water of a lake or the sea for 1.9 kilometres. You climb out with wobbly legs, strip off your wetsuit in transition and settle onto the bike for 90 kilometres, managing your effort and eating on the move, because what you do here decides how the run will go.
Then comes the half marathon. Your legs feel like they belong to someone else for the first couple of kilometres, the sun is usually high by now, and every aid station becomes a small celebration. Most age-group athletes take somewhere between five and seven hours, and the finishing chute, with the commentator calling out your name, makes every early-morning pool session worth it.
Why it’s epic
- The 70.3 name comes from the total distance in miles, a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile ride and 13.1-mile run.
- IRONMAN 70.3 races are held across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia.
- Top age-groupers can qualify for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, held in a different country each year.
- It is the natural stepping stone between an Olympic-distance triathlon and a full Ironman.
What it is
A half Ironman (70.3) is a 1.9-kilometre swim, 90-kilometre bike ride and 21.1-kilometre run.
How to do it
Enter an IRONMAN 70.3 event and follow a training plan for all three disciplines.
Top tip
Practise transitions.
Need to know
- The overall cut-off is usually eight and a half hours, with separate cut-offs for the swim and bike.
- Expect around six months of structured training if you already have an Olympic-distance race behind you.
- Open-water confidence is essential, so practise sighting and swimming in a wetsuit before race day.
Make it happen
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Why it’s on my list
The last step before a full distance Ironman, Sprint and Olympic distances will have taught me a lot, but here the distance really steps up.
Half Ironman: 1.9km swim; 90km bike; 21.1km run. (This distance is also known as a “70.3” which refers to the total race distance in miles.)
Check out The Official Ironman Website to find your nearest Half Ironman Event
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