For many, seeking out the easiest IRONMAN triathlon they can find is important. It may be they have low levels of confidence in their ability to complete at event, and want to find the most predictable way to finish the event. Alternatively, if they are a Clydestyle/Athena athlete they may be looking for the flattest route possible.
Criteria
Before we get stuck in, let’s look at what makes a race easy
Flat bike and run profile
Hills slow us down. Yes we speed down the other side, but we spend much more time crawling up a hill than we do descending, so they will slow us down and extend our time on the bike, prolonging the duration of the event.
Predictable, mild weather conditions
Some of you may be surprised to see one of the fastest IRONMAN courses in the world, Cozumel, omitted from this list. The reason is because the current in the swim and wind on the bike can help athletes set blindingly fast times. However, if the current flips and works against you, the wind changes direction, or you’re just not comfortable riding in wind, this does not make for an easy, predictable way to finish your event.
Freshwater swim
While having a sea swim does not disqualify an event from appearing on this list, it does go against it. In a freshwater swim you do not have to worry about contending with saltwater, waves, currents, swell or sharing the water with wildlife.
Wetsuit swim
If a race is almost guaranteed to be a wetsuit swim this makes it much more likely to appear on this list. While there are never any guarantees, a race held in the spring or autumn is much more likely to appear here.
Mild air and water temperature
While we want a race to be comfortably wetsuit legal, we do not want the water to be in the low teens, as this offers a challenge of its own. Equally, while we want to avoid the heat of the midday sun beating down on us relentlessly on the run, we do not want to find ourselves shivering on the bike. A race with air temperatures in the mid 20s and water temperature in the high teens is more likely to appear here.
Logistics
This has less of a bearing on my decision than other factors, but is a race is held a short taxi ride from an international airport, this moves it up my list. IRONMAN put on some races in beautiful parts of the world, but if it’s four hours from an airport in a small skiing village with very little accommodation, this is going to go against its inclusion here.
Culture shock and safety
If you are reading this, there is probably a 90% chance you are used to western food and culture. When racing, it is important that you have access to food that you are familiar with and that you feel safe. Racing in Southeast Asia may sound romantic when you hit the registration button, but if you are unable to find anything to eat that doesn’t give you the squits or you get your phone snatched when checking for the directions to registration, this doesn’t set you up for athletic excellence. There is no such thing as a truly safe area, but I feel it would be irresponsible of me to recommend someone travels to South Africa without knowing more about them.
17 hour cutoff
A 17 hour cutoff is mandatory to appear here. I want to ensure you have every possible chance to complete your event, and anything less than the full 17 hours to complete your race will result in disqualification from this article.
I’ll be honest, there are no races which meet all the above criteria, all of them have their challenges, it’s simply a matter of balance to work out which events are the easiest.
With all that in mind, let’s get started in no particular order
IRONMAN Barcelona
Triathletes from all over the world flock to Barcelona each year for its sheltered Mediterranean swim, flat bike course and mild autumnal temperatures. The water temperature is a tad higher than I’d like (average of 22 with wetsuit cutoff at 24.6), but it would be very unusual for them to be banned at this event.
The bike course only has 750M of elevation over 180KM, making it one of the flatter courses out there. As it runs down the coast there is the possibility for crosswinds, but having spoken to dozens of people who have done the event over the years, nobody has ever lamented being blown around on the bike course relative to other events with a flat bike course.
Taking place in a city with a high level of English speaking residents, you can do an awful lot worse than choosing Barcelona.
IRONMAN Jacksonville
Held within the state of Florida but earlier in the year than IRONMAN Florida itself with a nailed on wetsuit swim in a river and a flat bike course. What makes it a slower race than Florida is the run course which involves several bridge crossings, earning it the “rolling”badge on the IRONMAN website. While these small changes in elevation may look very non-threatening on the map right now, you will likely end up being forced to a walk on these inclines.
I included Florida in an earlier draft of this piece, but the high water temperature and tricky ocean conditions meant I couldn’t in good faith recommend it as one of the easiest races, especially with Jacksonville so close.
IRONMAN Western Australia
Heading to the southern hemisphere for our next event, Western Australia is not only one of the fastest courses in the world, it is also the only event in Australia with a nailed on wetsuit swim. The swim course takes place in a sheltered bay which makes it very appealing to newer swimmers.
The run and bike courses are very flat, and with air temperatures hovering around the high teens to low 20s you can be sure of a fairly comfortable day relative to other events in Australia.
IRONMAN Tallinn
Located in Estonia, this is one of the easiest IRONMAN events out there due to its flat bike and flat run, mild temperatures and sheltered bay swim. The fact the swim takes part in the ocean does lose it points for those who may be uncomfortable in sea water, but the very sheltered nature of the swim means that athletes will not be contending with swells, currents or swells.
For my money, it’s a close run thing between Tallinn and Barcelona for the easiest IRONMAN event in Europe. IRONMAN Klamar might also be worth your consideration, but the very windy crossing of the Öland bridge on the bike and an exposed ocean swim means it doesn’t quite make the cut on this list, as there are more gentle introductions to the distance.
IRONMAN California
Heading back stateside, we have IRONMAN California, know for being one of the easiest IRONMAN events in the USA. A downriver swim helps push you along to the swim exit, with average wetsuit temperatures of 17 degrees comfortably making it a wetsuit swim, ideal for someone new to open water swimming.
The bike course has less than 200M of elevation making it one of the flattest in the world, but as with other flat courses, this does make it very prone to wind, with gusts reaching up to 40MPH some years, as it is help later in the season when conditions can be more unpredictable. This makes the event especially suitable for weak swimmers but confident cyclists.
Conclusion
This is a fairly short list, shorter than I imagined when I started writing it. However, there were so many courses which had cutoffs under 17 hours or water temperatures around 23-24 degrees (close to the wetsuit cutoff) that I couldn’t bring myself to include them here.
Be sure to have a look around the IRONMAN website to see if there is something that suits you as an athlete better. If you are a strong swimmer you may feel more empowered to take on races that may be over the threshold for wetsuits, or you may feel comfortable travelling to parts of the world that others don’t. What makes a race easy really comes down to you as an individual, so be sure to look through not only the events I’ve listed here, but also check out events that are closer to you.
If you are looking for an easy IRONMAN course because you are new to the sport, then you need to think very carefully about your preparation. The flattest, fastest course in the world won’t help you if you get your nutrition wrong, pick up an injury or burnout from getting your training volume wrong.
Check out my IRONMAN programmes here to help maximise your success of finishing your event, or view my bespoke coaching here.
