IRONMAN · IRONMAN 70.3 · Course speed

It wasn't you, it was the day: the race days that played slowest in 2025–26

Some race days played far slower than their course usually does. Here is how to judge a time from one.

By Blame the Course · · 2 min read

+7.1%70.3 Panama 2025 against its course's usual

25 minabout what that cost on a 5:45 finish

50 minabout what Vitoria-Gasteiz 2026 cost on a 12-hour day

The days that played slowest

IRONMAN 70.3 Panama 2025 played 7.1% slower than its course's other eight years: about 25 minutes on a 5:45 finish. IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz 2026 played 6.8% slower than usual, close to 50 minutes on a 12-hour day; Los Cabos 70.3 2026, 5.9%. Heat, wind or a rough swim: the same course gave everyone a slower day.

The whole race, against the same course's usual (its median over its other race years since 2019)

0%+2%+4%+6%+8%70.3 Panama 2025+7.1%Vitoria-Gasteiz 2026+6.8%70.3 Los Cabos 2026+5.9%70.3 Emilia-Romagna 2025+4.8%70.3 Muskoka 2025+4.6%Penghu 2026+4.6%South Africa 2025+4.2%70.3 Nice 2025+4.1%
Only courses whose route didn't change since 2019, so the day isn't mistaken for a new course.

How a day is measured

A race year's speed comes from the athletes who raced it and other courses: if they were, on average, 7% slower in Panama in 2025 than at their other races, the day played 7% slow. Comparing it with the same course's other years shows how far that day was from the usual. Only courses whose route stayed the same since 2019 are in the list, so a new bike course isn't mistaken for a slow day.

Judging your own time on a slow day

If you raced one of these and the time hurt, compare it with the field, not the clock: where you finished in your age group, and how far that course and day were from their usual. Each race report on this site shows both: how fast the course played that day, leg by leg, against its usual, and how strong the field was.

Measured from IRONMAN's public results. Course and day speeds come from the athletes who raced more than one course; "typical" is the median of the same measure across races of the distance. Figures as of 3 October 2026. Blame the Course is independent and not affiliated with IRONMAN.

More stories