Event Description

IRONMAN 70.3 GULF COAST
Panama City Beach, Florida

Panama City Beach offers a beautiful seashore and perfect temperatures, making this race the perfect location for triathletes and their families. Home to one of the most popular North American races, IRONMAN Florida, this spring race provides the perfect course preview for athletes planning on racing the November IRONMAN. It takes place in Panama City Beach, which is known for pristine beaches and moderate temperatures. It's the perfect time of year to visit northwest Florida—and the event is as much a destination vacation as it is a race.

Swim
The one loop swim takes place in the Gulf of Mexico. With an early sunrise, the swim will start at 6:00 AM. Strong currents, riptides, and occasional marine life are possible; a universal flag system is used locally. Athletes will have a short run on the beach to the shower and then into transition.

IRONMAN 70.3 Gulf Coast will feature a “Rolling Start”. Athletes will self-seed into swim start corrals based upon their estimated swim finish time. Each athlete will be allotted 1 hour 10 minutes to complete the swim course. Self-seeding will be based on your individual abilities according to your expected finish time. You can avoid being overtaken by stronger swimmers by seeding yourself with athletes of a similar skill and ability levels.

Athletes’ official race time will start at the water’s edge once they enter the water. All athletes will have the traditional 8 ½ hours to complete the entire event (subject to intermediate cutoff times throughout the event).

Bike
The one-loop course is flat and fast. The highest point on the course is only 161 feet above sea level, and the wind tends to be light. Expect a fast bike split, and be prepared to stay in your aerobars.

Run
This is one of the flattest run courses on the IRONMAN circuit. The three-loop course is fast and flat. Athletes will run parallel to the shoreline and Aid Stations are strategically placed for multiple hits every mile.