Swim. Bike. Run. Then do it again in your head for a year. Here's the real scoop before you sign the waiver.
A full Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and full 26.2 mile marathon, all in one day, with a strict 17-hour cutoff. A 70.3 ("half") is exactly half of every leg and a much more common entry point.
Open water with hundreds of other athletes swinging arms and legs is nothing like a pool. Practice in open water before race day if you can, sighting and navigating around people is a skill on its own.
T1 (swim to bike) and T2 (bike to run) are timed, practice them so you're not fumbling with a wetsuit or bike shoes while the clock runs.
Miss a cutoff at any checkpoint and you're pulled from the course, no exceptions. Know your pacing plan against the official cutoff schedule, not just the finish-line time.
Bike mechanical issues happen mid-race, know basic repairs (flat tire, chain) before race day, race support isn't guaranteed to reach you fast. Nutrition on the bike leg is where most DNFs actually start, dial in your fueling plan in training, not on race morning. Spectating an Ironman is a full-day commitment for your people too, the athlete is out on course for 8-17 hours, plan their day, not just yours.
Sorted soonest to furthest out. Straight talk: we could not confirm an official IRONMAN-branded race in Long Beach, CA. IRONMAN California is actually in Sacramento, the closest real Long Beach option is Supertri Long Beach, the rebranded former Legacy Triathlon. Flagging it directly instead of guessing.
Half-distance (70.3) race, 70.3 events typically offer a relay division if you want to split swim/bike/run across a team, confirm relay availability on registration. Sep 26, 2026.
Register / More Info →Full-distance IRONMAN, the actual branded California race despite the name confusion with Long Beach. Oct 18, 2026.
Register / More Info →The rebranded former Long Beach Legacy Triathlon, not an official IRONMAN event. Moved from its usual July slot to September 2027 because of Olympic test events at Long Beach in July 2027. Sep 19, 2027.
Register / More Info →Know of an Ironman NY relay division or another race we should add? Tell us here →
Tell the next person what the swim start was really like.
Rate This Race
