IRONMAN 70.3 races fastest times for age group – triathlete

Each year, there are over 100 Ironman 70.3 events to choose from, but where should you race to ensure a fast time? I’ve examined results from more than 1,000 Ironman 70.3 races over the past decade to find events that consistently produce fast age-group times.

Find the fastest age group races for Ironman 70.3

To find the fastest events, I followed a similar approach to events I’ve done recently An article about the fastest Ironman races. For each event, I calculated the average completion time over the past 10 years and also the fastest and slowest averages over that period.

Sometimes courses have to be shortened or cancelled, and I’ve taken care to exclude any race where this has happened. Since I’m looking for consistency, I only considered events that have produced race results for at least four years. The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship was also excluded because it is not open to general entry and the course changes regularly. (Not that it made the top five anyway.)

With so many races and so much more variety on offer than a full distance Ironman, I’ve taken a slightly different approach to arranging events. My ranking is based on a weighting of averages where the average race time of the slowest is the most important and the fastest is the least. I want a race that gives a fast time and the best way to ensure that is to prioritize the rankings of the slower years. There may be races that go faster on their best days, but there won’t be many races that go faster on their worst days.

There is subjectivity here, as adjusting the weights would change the order of some events. It won’t be a big deal, but it will be enough to change some rankings by one or two places.

Let’s take a look at the five Ironman 70.3 races that I think give you the best chance for a fast time.

Ironman 70.3 Warsaw

Warsaw is the clear leader in speed and consistency.

In her slowest year, her average time was still faster than the majority of racing averages over the past decade. To achieve this, there had to be a flat course from start to finish – with no hills in sight – and moderate temperatures ideal for racing.

DNF rates in this event range between 2-4% with minimal change between years.

Iron Man 70.3 Venice-Jesolo

We stay in Europe for second place in Venice. Shows vary more in Venice than in Warsaw, but on average, times are only a few minutes slower. Venice offers protected marine swimming at first and then incredible flat bike riding and running. The race date in April also means cool temperatures for the race.

When it comes to DNFs, 2022 stands out as a slightly slower year for racing with DNFs up by more than 5% of starters. But this is strange for Venice.

Ironman 70.3 Florianópolis

After that we move to South America. Florianópolis is the third fastest Ironman 70.3 course. At its slowest, it’s similar to Venice, but the average over the past decade has been about 5 minutes slower than second place. The course is described as rolling, but the climbing is limited, allowing for fast times.

Coincidentally, Ironman Brazil, its full-distance counterpart, is held at the same location and also ranks third in my rankings of fastest Ironman courses.

Ironman 70.3 Geelong

We go on around the world for a fourth place finish at Geelong, one of two Australian races to make the top five. Geelong’s 10-year average is actually a bit faster than Florianópolis, but my weight emphasizes the slowest racing year, so Geelong is right behind. There’s not much to choose between these two in terms of speed.

The course is rolling, but the climbs are minimal with plenty of flat roads in between. Conditions tend to be moderate, a common characteristic of the fastest 70.3s.

Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast

The final event to get into the top five is Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast. There is little difference between the ten-year averages from third to fifth, but the slowest year on the Sunshine Coast drags it down the rankings. This is despite the fact that the fastest year comes before Warsaw.

A partially protected sea swim begins the race. The swim follows a rolling bike with the most climbs out of the top five. The finish is a flat path along the waterfront. DNF rates are higher than others in the top five. 4-6% do not reach the finish line.

All over the world

Unlike the full-distance Ironman, Europe does not dominate the fastest 70.3 events. There is a mix of races from Europe, South America and Australia across the top 20. We have to scroll down the list to find events from other parts of the world.

The first US 70.3 races were rated in the 30s with a combination of Maine, La Quinta, Santa Cruz and Texas. The 10-year averages range from 6:04 in Maine to 6:12 at 70.3 in Texas. If you’re seeking a faster course, a trip south to Mexico for the Ironman 70.3 Monterrey might save you a few minutes with the 10-year average of 5:57.

Asian races are found at the end of this list. Like their full-distance counterparts, conditions are often difficult and the numbers of athletes are smaller. The IRONMAN 70.3 Airborne takes last place with an average time of 7:12 over 10 years, almost two hours slower than Warsaw.

There are a limited number of races in Africa, and most of them do not meet my criteria for inclusion (there are not enough events for consistency). Ironman 70.3 Durban is the only one included and sits at the bottom of the rankings with a 10-year average of 6:21. Likewise, Oman is the only Middle East race in the rankings, but is in the top 20 with an average of 5:49 over 10 years.