IRONMAN Arizona kicks off with a single-loop swim in Tempe Town Lake, followed by a challenging three-loop bike course through the Sonoran Desert. It finishes with a spectator-friendly run around Tempe Town Lake and Papago Park.

The course will remain a one-loop swim and follow a clockwise flow, with athletes exiting the same stairs that they entered from. Athletes will enter the water in a continuous stream through a controlled access point at the stair entrance as they enter the water, similar to how running road races are started. An athlete's time will start when they cross timing mats at the stairs. Athletes will be directed to self-seed on race morning based on their projected swim time. Volunteers and staff will be in the staging area with signs and will assist with this process. Self-seeding will not be mandatory, but will be encouraged.

The professional men's field will start their day at 6:40 a.m., and the professional women will start at 6:45 a.m.  Age group athletes will follow at 6:50 a.m.  We anticipate that all athletes will be in the water by 7:20 a.m. All athletes will still be given the 2 hour 20 minute time limit to complete the swim portion of the race; however, the current overall cut-off times for both the bike and run course, as well as any intermediate cut-offs, will remain in place.

The 2017 IRONMAN Arizona offers 40 qualifying slots for the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.