IRONMAN Wales
Notoriously the hardest Ironman, this course has the longest average finishing time across all age groups in the world, over 13 hours for mortals and over 9 hours for pros. The last few years have also seen a 12% DNF rate - more than one out of every 10 people who try this race fail.
Bike Course Recon
Overall Surface Quality:
Excellent, parts may get slippery when it rains
Strava workout from last year’s race:
https://www.strava.com/activities/2712142034
Strava Segment:
https://www.strava.com/segments/22298237
Significant Ascents:
Dozens of “rollers” that could really be categorized as category 2 or 3 climbs. Quite a few of these break 5%, and there is nearly 3km of the course at over a 10% grade:
5-10% grade:
+10% grade:
Steepest Climb: Wisemans Bridge to Saundersfoot (@ km 105 and 171)
- 0.9km @ 7.6%
- 65m climbed
- Approximate max gradient: 22%
Longest Climb: Climb into Cross Hands (@ km 78 and 144)
- 4.4km, 111m climbed
- Peak gradient: 7.2%
Rolliest section: Km 90 - 98 and 156 - 164
- 7 rollers over 7.7km
- Biggest: 1km @ 6.1%
Click here to view a full interactive profile of the 112 mile course.
Transition Layout
https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachments/document/83cb-1979901/IMWA_Swim_2021_10YEAR.pdf
Obstacles and Other Notes:
- Along with lots of steep uphills, there are lots of very steep downhill sections too, breaking -10%. None of them are long enough to be technical, but they often have a turn at the bottom - be sure to review our profile tool to get familiar with these.
- A long run from the swim exit to transition
- Due to the amount of climbing and descending, it’s not uncommon to see people choose to ride road bikes with drop bars + clip on aero bars for this triathlon.
Current / Historical Weather Patterns
Link to main race site:
https://www.ironman.com/im-wales
Notice an error, have a suggestion, or an update to this information? Contact us at samlyons@pjammcycling.com!