r/IronmanTriathlon

As many (most) of you here, I spend plenty of time indoors on the bike trainer - and mostly watch YouTube of old races and their personal or brand channels. With a few exceptions, I only ever see them swimming/biking/running and never in the weight room? Does it just not make great viewing?

If a pro is s/b/r for ~20 hours a week (or whatever the pro average is), how much additional time is spent lifting? Or with bands, cords, doing core work etc? I can’t believe it’s only limited to off season since it plays a big part of injury prevention….

Hi,

What’s the general rule of thumb in regard to FTP and the Ironman bike. My preconceived thought that I think may be entirely incorrect is that the bike should be done at 70-75% FTP.

Also second question, what would you estimate is the required FTP for a 95kg man to go sub 5 (36km) for the bike leg (180km)

Cheers

Just saw a video on instagram about some guy who didn't make the swim time cut-off at IM Texas (i think). He said that he was in the water for 3 hours.

Maybe I'm just being overly optimistic, but I don't see a way you could possibly train and not make specific cut-offs, barring some unforeseen mishaps (flat tire, excessive cramping, etc...).

Really my question is how often are people not making cut-off times? And how many of those are more due to improper training vs. unlucky circumstances?

For reference, I swim prob around 2:20/100yd on my long continuous swim (3200yd - slow), run a 1:43 half-marathon (mid), and recently just completed a 75 mile bike in a little over 4 hours with ~3800 ft of elevation. I know I am extremely far from fast (far from even average). Am I in danger of not meeting cut-off times?

Had a friend who just finished. She said there was a huge dispute with multiple athletes over the bike cutoff being arbitrarily early and ruining a few races. She started at 7:27 AM because it was wet suit optional, race directors held the entire wetsuit group longer than even back of the pack telling them wait, and after making making the swim cutoff and getting to the bike finish at 5:55 PM she found out that a single volunteer had been holding people since 5:50 saying that they missed the cutoff. For context, the run cutoff was 12:30. They took her tracker and when speaking to another director they told her to just make the run cutoff because the coordinator wasn’t correct but obviously she didn’t have the leisure of time to argue it. When she finished, another director told her they had no idea what was going on.

Aren’t cutoffs supposed to be set by the last person to get in the water. I’ve heard conflicting reports that the cutoffs were predetermined before the race and that the speeches ran too long, but also I’ve heard that cutoffs can be set by the last non-wetsuit swimmer due to it being wetsuit optional. If these cutoffs are a gray area, does it just make sense to start at the front every time if you think you’re gonna be cutting it close.

How bad are the cobble stones? Will bottles fly left and right? After watching Paris Roubaix I'm a bit worried.

Can someone who previously raced Hamburg share their experience? They have changed the route a bit, but seems like cobbles stone are a still a part of the route.

Thanks!

Can you guys share your input when it makes sense to go for a fast carbon running shoes vs a comfortable one?

I always imagined that I would run in Alphaflys which is a great shoe for me in regular marathons. However I don't know if it makes more sense to go for a more comfortable shoe like Vomero Plus for the Ironman marathon.

The reason for that is because almost 25 % of the course is gravel which isn't great for carbon shoes, and also because I expect a pretty slow marathon in 4 hours or so. So I expect I will not benefit a lot from the carbon and should maybe go for a heavier/comfortable shoe.

Can you share your thoughts? Thanks.

I am participating in Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley on June 14th. This is my first ever triathlon but I plan to do more 70.3’s and possibly a 140.6 in the years to come. As i accumulate my gear, I am wondering which route to go for the swim as far as a wetsuit or a skimsuit. Does anyone that has raced at this one in the past have recommendations? I was planning on getting a wetsuit just so i have it for the future, but i want to make the right decision. Thanks in advance!

I've been trying to think of new things to do while riding in Z2 on the bike. Obvious things are watching TV, music, nothing etc. but I've been getting bored of those and am looking for new ideas. Some things I've tried are working on my computer (very hard to type though) and playing my nintendo switch (a little distracting). Anyone do anything interesting?

Via Shawn McDonald. Sharing for reach. We lost an Ironman athlete this morning on the swim. This is hard to write.

I’m sharing this because I hope it somehow finds its way back to her family — and that it brings them even a small measure of comfort knowing that people who didn’t know her at all gave everything they had to save her.

My 12-year-old daughter Mila and I woke up at 3 a.m. this morning and drove from Sugar Land to The Woodlands to volunteer on our paddle board for the swim portion of Ironman Texas. We also came to cheer on a close friend competing for the very first time.

I wanted to volunteer for several reasons — but one of the biggest was giving Mila a chance to experience this incredible event from a completely different perspective than watching me compete last year. We launched our board in the dark, waited near the start area, took videos and photos, sang the national anthem, and buzzed with excitement as thousands of athletes began entering the water. It was a beautiful morning.

After the start, we paddled alongside swimmers, offering a hand - or a board — to anyone who needed a quick rest. Then we heard a whistle.

A group of younger volunteers in a kayak on the far side of the field were raising a flag, blowing a whistle, yelling for help. Dozens of athletes were between us and them. I could see swimmers clinging to their kayak. I heard them say she went under. I had Mila hand me the paddle and I started calling out to the athletes around us to stop so I could cross. I made my way over in about 30 seconds. When I got there and asked what happened, they all said the same thing: She went under. Right here. Right below us. The panic and fear on their faces won’t leave me for a long time.

The only athlete I remember seeing was an older gentleman, maybe in his 60s — hanging onto the side of the kayak, goggles removed, with the widest eyes I have ever seen. A thousand-yard stare. He had just watched someone disappear beneath him.

I dove in immediately and began searching. One other young volunteer, possibly a lifeguard, began diving with me. After about a minute underwater, I felt her body with my foot. I surfaced, took what seemed like the deepest breath I have ever taken and went back down. She was gone. I don’t know how to describe what that felt like. I tried again. And again. And again. I just knew I would feel her again and could grab her and pull her up. I lost count of how many times I dove over the next hour (attached photo is of my watch that tracked my movement as I searched).

When boats with sonar arrived and identified a target, I’d dive in that area. It never entered my mind that she had already passed long ago. I just kept searching like I was going to pull her up alive. Looking back, I was probably taking more risks than I should have. But I couldn’t stop.

I was asked to exit the water as dive teams began to arrive. They recovered her body just after 9 a.m.

She had gone into that water chasing something most people only dream of finishing. She trained for it. She showed up for it. She deserved to come out of it.

What breaks my heart most is imagining her family on shore, watching for her to exit the water and mount her bike. Refreshing the app. Waiting for her position to update. It never did. They never saw her come out.

Her name was Mara and she was from Brazil. She was someone’s whole world.

To her family: we did everything we could. I am so deeply, genuinely sorry that it wasn’t enough. She will stay with me.

May she rest in peace. I will be praying for all of you and please do the same for us.

Sad news out of Ironman Texas this weekend. A professional triathlete lost her life during the race. Absolutely heartbreaking for her family, friends, and the entire triathlon community.

Every time something like this happens, the same comments show up—people blaming “unprepared swimmers” or saying the sport needs to weed people out. And sure, there’s a real conversation to be had about race safety, qualification standards, and how events are structured. This was a pro. Someone who had trained at the highest level, who knew exactly what she was doing.

Endurance sports, especially long-course triathlon carry real risks. Open water swims, heat, exertion, underlying conditions… sometimes things go wrong even when everything is done “right.”

So maybe instead of defaulting to judgment, we show a little humility. Respect the difficulty of the sport. Respect the athletes who take it on. And most of all, respect the fact that not every tragedy has a simple explanation, or someone to blame. The victim least of all

I’m seriously considering registering for the 2026 Ironman 70.3 Waco on October 4th and looking for honest feedback before I commit.

Background / Current Fitness

Mid-30s, full-time work, heavy travel schedule through June (access to treadmill and local gym only)

Current baseline:

•	Running 15–30 miles/week

•	Strength training 3–4x/week (compound lifts)

•	Half marathon in May, goal sub-1:55

Biggest Gap: Swimming

I’m comfortable in the water but prone to panic under pressure. My previous swim training topped out around 100 yards before I stopped. This is my primary concern and the main variable I’m trying to solve.

Plan is to spend the next two months focused on swim technique with a coach while maintaining my run base. I recently bought a road bike and will begin building ride volume alongside that.

What I’m looking for:

1.	Honest assessment of whether Waco 70.3 is realistic given this timeline and swim baseline

2.	Training tips for someone balancing a busy schedule with 70.3 prep

3.	If you’re in DFW and open to training together, I’d welcome it

4.	Swim coach recommendation with a flexible schedule. Doesn’t need to be a certified coach. A strong swimmer who can give structured feedback works.

Appreciate any feedback/comments!

Training for my first 70.3 on 5/9 in Panama City. After my first open water swim, I immediately ordered a wetsuit—definitely a humbling experience.

Went back out this past weekend after practicing sighting, this time with the wetsuit, and it was a completely different feel. I stayed calm and now feel confident I can cover the 1.2 miles.

In the pool, I’ve done 2 miles continuous, but it’s clear how different that is from open water. My pool is saltwater, but the lake I’ve been swimming in is brackish, and I feel like I sink a lot more there compared to the pool.

For those who’ve done ocean swims : since it’s in the Gulf, is the buoyancy closer to a saltwater pool, or more like a lake? I’m looking for advice as if I’m going to go wet suit then I should train without a wet suit

For context, I started training in January and couldn’t swim a full freestyle lap before that.

Hi, I did IM texas as my first triathlon a couple days ago and it was an okay experience. After I finished the bike, I left my stuff in transition. When I came back to gear pickup later, my stuff wasn't at my bike. I looked around for a while and a volunteer told me to come back the next day and check with lost & found. I went back the next day and was told there is no lost & found.

I understand there are a lot of volunteers and room for miscommunications and lost things and also that someone died but I'm pretty pissed about losing all my stuff (s-works torches, evade, velocio kit).

I emailed them but the last time I had to contact them, I just got a low effort slop response so I'm probably fucked.

I raced yesterday at Ironman Texas, and I’ve been sitting with a lot of mixed emotions since.

First off, I’m incredibly saddened by the news about the swimmer who passed away. My wife is Brazilian, so that part hit especially close to home. It’s a tough reminder that even in a sport we love, things can go wrong.

For some context I’m 31 and I’ve done a 70.3 and four full Ironmans (including Chattanooga with the cancelled swim). After yesterday, I’ve come to the realization that I think I’m done with full-distance racing—the training, the hours, all of it.

The race itself was really hard. I pushed through like we all do, but something felt different this time. The way my body felt after the race was honestly kind of crazy—the cold shakes, everything—it just doesn’t feel worth it anymore.

Hearing about what happened on the swim made me reflect on how much I’ve probably underestimated that part of the race and the real risks involved.

It’s a strange feeling—this sport has been a big part of my life, and I genuinely loved it. But now it feels like I’m closing a chapter. Not in a negative way, just… done.

Curious if anyone else has experienced something similar—that moment where you realize you’ve hit your limit with the sport, physically or mentally, and it’s time to move on.

I’m signed up for my first Ironman 70.3 in September. I have a running background (~16 min 5k in hs and kept running into college) and have become proficient enough at biking since beginning training in January. But swimming just feels SO difficult. It doesn’t feel like I’m really getting better since the original jump I had in just learning basic fundamentals. I have a training plan that I follow and the bikes/runs are doable (sometimes even too easy), but the swims are so tough. I’m a broke college student and cannot afford a swim coach (I had to save up to even register for the race) I burn out so fast and have to stop every 100m or so to catch my breath in the pool. Is it easier in open water/at least mentally easier to keep going because there’s no choice? When does it get easier? I’m worried about not being under the 70.3 cutoff time

Trying to get into the smart watch game, to track my times, in and out of the water. What’s the best smartwatch that wont bust a hole in my wallet.l

“Calcary 7026” I can’t even make out what the rest of the text is supposed to say lol, even half the sponsors logos got mangled by AI. I think I’m skipping this race this year and driving out to Victoria instead. This is just embarrassing and I don’t want to support this garbage.

I apologize if this is discussed elsewhere, but I wanted a really narrow topic.

I run about 35 to 45 mpw, which is probably fewer miles than many of you. For over a year, I’ve worn two watches. Apple series 9 (for cellular if my 12yo needs me) and a Forerunner 265s. I have pretty small wrists, which makes the AWU and the larger face Garmins unappealing and uncomfortable.

For work and other preferences, I like the Apple Watch (read: stuck in the ecosystem). I don’t currently have a battery healthy issue, but the series 9 can barely make it through the day with over 100 minutes of workout activity (despite using Spotify via the 265s). I get work notifications but only hour meetings, texts, and never have my phone on runs. I don’t receive a crazy amount of notifications.

Has anyone made the switch from the series 9 to the series 11. It says 24 hrs from 18 hrs battery. Does anyone have anecdotal evidence if they’re aw11 is performing much better throughout the day after moving from aw series 10 or 11. I feel like I have to charge a little too frequently on any day with runs over 2 hrs or I need it to be charged well before my run if it’s midday or later.

Has anyone out there in Reddit-land done this race? What was your experience, especially with the swim? I’m headed there in 4 weeks and I’m nervousssssss. I’ve only been training since early March and even though I’ve done the full distances on bike and swim (only in a pool) and I’m an experienced marathon runner (which is why I wasn’t training bc I had London, Berlin, NYC and Tokyo all back to back), it’s not like I have years of experience (have been an avid indoor cycler for a few years), I did my first Olympic Tri in Fort Lauderdale yesterday and well, the swim almost ate me alive. Even though I grew up in South Florida, I’ve never swim in the ocean like that and not even any of my training has been ocean swims. For the 1 mile distance, I came in at 52 mins (2:54/100) and I was 30% on my back. Swallowed a little water and thought I was going to puke, and the waves and wind were practically nothing, 5 to 7mph out of the south. Now I’m serious considering not going, am I crazy?