Race day for this edition — 12 July 2026 — has passed. The guide stays up for reference.
Upcoming race guides →IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea is a single-transition 70.3 on the Gower coast — you rack at one transition at East Burrows, with colour-coded bags for the bike and the run, and your bike goes in the night before. The swim is in Prince of Wales Dock, the run finishes in Museum Gardens, and here's exactly what goes in each bag.
Swim, bike and run all turn through one transition at East Burrows Car Park — you come back to the same rack between disciplines. The swim is in Prince of Wales Dock, a 500 m run from transition, and the two-loop run along Swansea Bay finishes at Museum Gardens, so your dry kit is moved there for you.
IRONMAN's colour-to-bag scheme is the same across European 70.3s, so this part is settled. Pack each bag for the discipline it powers — and for a cool, changeable day on the Welsh coast.
Swansea runs a mandatory day-before bike check-in at East Burrows Car Park with the bike racked overnight — there's no race-morning bike check-in to fall back on. Your blue and red transition bags are racked at the same time, and check-in is where you collect your timing chip.
The 2026 official guide is in. The times below are now confirmed for this edition — a few moved from last year.
The choreography barely moves year to year — transition opens at 05:00 and closes at 07:00, the white and yellow bags go in by 07:00, then the self-seeded rolling start at Prince of Wales Dock from 07:10. The order is what matters.
The blue bag is your bike / T1 bag — bike shoes, sunglasses, race belt and ride nutrition, with your helmet packed inside it and your bib number in the bag. It's racked at East Burrows the day before.
The yellow bag holds the shoes you want for the 500 m run from swim exit to transition. You rack it on a numbered hook outside swim start, collect it after the swim, put your shoes on and run to transition — then stuff it into your blue bike bag. You must take it with you: any yellow bag left on the rack is a disqualification.
Yes. Bike check-in is mandatory and day-before at East Burrows Car Park, racked overnight, and it's where you collect your timing chip. There is no race-morning bike check-in, so don't plan to bring it on the day.
The run finishes at Museum Gardens, by Swansea Museum. Your white street-wear bag is dropped on the walk down to swim start between 05:00 and 07:00 and moved to the finish for you, so dry clothes are waiting when you cross the line.
The swim is in Prince of Wales Dock in the historic docklands — sheltered dock water, but Welsh-coast cool, so it's wetsuit territory and a neoprene cap is worth packing. From the swim exit it's about 500 m on foot to transition.
Plan for cool, changeable conditions: a rain gilet and arm warmers in the blue bag for an exposed Gower bike leg, and a warm dry layer in the white bag for the finish. The two-loop seafront run is flat but open to the bay wind.
This edition has raced — the structure above stays for reference. Add Swanseaand RackSide has a personal, deadline-aware plan ready the moment the next edition's guide is published.