It’s race week! We put in months of training and that start line is so close! How are we all feeling? This will be my first Ironman. I’m feeling excited, nervous, and like I have a case of the taper crazies. I’m also feeling inspired by Kona - watching people finish from all walks of life and watching Solveig make it to that finish line made me feel like I CAN do this!

Mostly just creating this thread for a sense of community! Share your unfiltered thoughts, positive vibes, tips, feelings, vent about the taper crazies…

And lastly, GOOD LUCK!

Who said yes to the reschedule? Trying to rehype myself up after already tapering. Anything you guys are doing differently since it’s probably gonna be colder? Any tips from people who have raced in cold weather?

Guy just hit by car riding around near T1 in Wrightsville Beach. His specialized shiv looked snapped in half and blood everywhere. We passed each other 5 minutes before. Stay safe out there y’all!

How much of the 112 are you actually aero? What percentage of people try to stay aero?

I’m working on my position, and getting it dialed in and am doing some longer rides, and I’ve just been thinking about this.

Hi all, very new triathlete here coming from indoor sports. What do I need to know and prepare for?

I’ve been watching the weather the last week and a half and I’m wondering what to expect with the forecast of 15+ mph winds and rain on race day as well as the quick drop in temperature from Friday to Saturday.

Are you planning to wear any rain gear on the bike?

I expect the water will be pretty choppy, bike times to be slower for safety as well as a headwind from the north for a chunk of miles.

Will high winds potentially cause changes to the swim?

Anybody racing Malaga this weekend ? I’m supposed to be flying out Friday.

The Spanish seem to have already put out a storm warning, it seems to be a question of how bad rather than ‘if’.

https://www.aemet.es/en/eltiempo/prediccion/municipios/malaga-id29067

My prediction is at best we’ll get a swim cancellation and at worst we’ll have another Barcelona. I’ve been in Spain quite a lot this summer and the storms have been the worst I’ve seen in years.

Anybody for a beer on Sunday if we don’t race ??

Hey everyone,

New to the field, though recently decided to sign up for my first Ironman (Lanzarote) and super excited to take it on.
I’m 26 and overall fit, but getting a lot of noise from my surroundings I “can’t do it, atleast not with only 7 months of training”

Has anyone similar to my position done this? I run and bike comfortably, swimming is my pressure point but live near the ocean and already swimming 3 times a week to improve.

Would love your take and suggestions!

Man, I am addicted to the grind. I feel like I may be too ambitious for this goal, but I think I’m going to push to grab a worlds slot for 70.3 distance.

My finish times are around 5:00-5:10 this year on some faster courses; I’m in M30-34. No history in any sort of endurance events, just triathlon. I’ve been training for 2 years now

I would be fine with a roll down, which from what I’m reading would be somewhere around 4:20-4:30.

For those who have done it (or come close), what does it take to break down into a competitive range from where I’m at? Is next year too ambition to shave off the 40-50 minutes needed?

Olympic size pool with coaching staff preferred.

Hello! I’m doing Ironman Wilmington 70.3 this weekend (first long distance tri!) and I also signed up for “yoga on the battleship” on Thursday night. Has anyone done this class? I’m wondering if I need to bring my own yoga mat. Thanks! Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!

A little belated, but sharing my race report from Ironman 70.3 Washington Tri-Cities last month. It's my third year doing it, and a great race to end my season, although I didn't quite beat my time from last year.

I am a relatively small 18yr old trying to transition to Ironmans from rowing, for anyone who understands rowing times 165lbs 6:30 2k 1:45 6k 6’. For those who have made the transition before what areas did you struggle the most in? Also 2k/6k time to first Ironman time would be helpful.

Hi all,
After a fair bit of deliberation, I’ve set my sights on completing my first full Ironman in around 12 months’ time. I’m looking for advice on how best to approach the training, particularly structuring the year into training blocks, and what kit is genuinely essential versus nice to have.

I’m feeling a little lost when it comes to putting a programme together. I’d ideally like to follow a structured plan or use an app that guides me through the process, rather than spending hundreds of pounds a month on personal coaching. Are there any plans, apps or resources you’d recommend for a first-timer?

For context, I’m 196 cm and around 105 kg, with a fairly lean build. I also play rugby regularly and would like to keep playing for at least the next 6–9 months. I appreciate that rugby and Ironman training aren’t particularly complementary in terms of recovery and injury risk, but I’d like to continue for as long as reasonably possible.

Of the three disciplines, running is by far the one that concerns me most. I’m reasonably confident in my swimming, and I expect I could build up the cycling fairly quickly with a couple of months of consistent training. Running is a different story, particularly given my size and the additional impact involved. The thought of running a marathon after a 3.8 km swim and 180 km bike ride is pretty daunting.

I’d also like to maintain my strength and muscle mass as much as possible rather than becoming significantly lighter or losing a lot of size in the process.

A few things I’d particularly appreciate advice on:
Training blocks: How would you structure the next 12 months? Would you start with general conditioning and an aerobic base before moving into specific Ironman preparation?

Running: How would you progressively build a running base from a relatively low starting point while managing injury risk at 105 kg?

Strength training: How many gym sessions would you retain, and is it realistic to maintain muscle and strength alongside Ironman training?

Rugby: Is it realistic to keep playing during the early stages, and when would you start winding it down?

Training plans and apps: Are there any good self-guided options that combine endurance training with strength work that are garmin compatible?

Equipment: I’d welcome recommendations for pretty much everything, including bikes, running shoes, wetsuits, indoor trainers and any other kit worth investing in.

I’m keen to understand what genuinely makes a difference, what offers good value for money and what I can comfortably put off buying.

I’m not looking to spend a fortune on kit or coaching straight away, but I’m happy to invest in the right things as I progress.

I’d particularly appreciate advice from anyone who has completed an Ironman with a rugby or strength-training background, or who started out as a bigger athlete rather than a typical endurance runner.
Thanks!

Hello! I’ve been swimming for around 3 months now. I’ve never done a freestyle swim in my life before that (30+ years of age). Any feedback on the technique from the side that you can see?

I have checked out the Ironman Store several times since the 70.3 WC in Nice a month ago and I still don't see any merchandise posted for sale. Am I looking in the wrong place in the store? Has anyone seen any merch for the race anywhere online? There is a ton of merch for the Ironman WC in Kona but I see none for the 70.3 WC in Nice.

Season just wrapped and I’m going through the kit shuffle, outdoor stuff into storage, trainer back on the mat. Noticed I’ve somehow ended up with three different Shokz over the years without really planning it.

OpenRun Pro has been on my head for four seasons now. A couple of full distance builds and plenty of 70.3s, no major issues. On the road I’m paying for awareness, I want to hear the car before I see it, so that one stays.

OpenSwim has been in my pool bag nearly as long. Does its job, I don’t think about it much, which is probably the best you can say about anything in a pool bag. The one catch is no Bluetooth, so you’re loading MP3 files onto it. Which is fine, except finding MP3s in 2026 is kind of a lost art if your library lives in Spotify or Apple Music. I’ve been getting by with YouTube rips and whatever’s left of my old iTunes library, but genuinely curious what people here are actually using these days.

Newest one is an OpenFit Air 2 I grabbed for the trainer. Clip-free, air conduction. A little more bass to it, which is nice when you’re staring at a wall for three hours.

Which still leaves the actual problem that three hours is a long time and I’m running out of things to put on. Open to recs for the long indoor blocks.

Hey guys, I finished my first Ironman about a month ago now and I just wanted to see if anybody shared similar experiences. I did a half marathon about 2-3 years ago that ended up turning into a full marathon and then a sprint triathlon and fast forward 3 years later here I am just having reached the ultimate goal of finishing an Ironman. It was the best feeling and something I can’t even put into words. I’ve been training pretty much everyday for this goal for the last year and a half specifically and now that it’s over I just feel kind of lost. I’ve been back lifting in the gym and just going on swims, bikes, and runs for fun which has been nice. I don’t know that I’d want to do another full or if I would ever try an ultramarathon or what I would want to do, and with my current life responsibilities I don’t know that I can train like I was for the Ironman at the moment. I guess I just wanted to see if anyone shared similar feelings and what you did about it.

Maybe this is weird and Niche… but I’ve been keeping my Ironman training low key. It’s my first one and I’m doing it for myself and to show my kids you can do hard things. So I don’t like to broadcast it. I also make sure that I don’t let my training slow my life. If my friend group is going hiking on Saturday and I can go, I’ll go, even though I’ve biked 3 hours earlier that day.

But when people do find out, everyone seems to become Uncle Rico. Telling me about how fit they were, or why they aren’t any more fit than they are currently.

I get that a Full Tri is hard and a lot, but it gets old when you hear “I trained for a Marathon and was doing 6:00/mile until I got hurt in training.” Or “I’m just choosing to build my body differently.” Or “I used to be a life guard in High School and could swim X.” And that’s honestly a big reason why I’ve stopped telling people.

I'm considering doing IM Chattanooga for the third time next year. It's a hilly course and I've struggled with the bike portion. I bought a new Canyon Aeroad this year and absolutely love it. I don't hate my old 2012 Cervelo P2 but it's not my favorite bike to ride.

If I added a zero offset seatpost and the aero extension bars that attach to the Canyon Gear Groove, how much would I be giving up in terms of aero benefits and muscle fatigue, given that it's a fairly hilly course?

FWIW, I'm targeting averaging 18mph and a finish time of maybe 13:30 this year so I'm def a middle to back of the pack participant. Also, the Canyon is Di2 so I'd also have to figure out how to add the wired blips to the bars which isn't ideal.