Blue bagBike / T1 — what you ride in
- Helmet
- Bike shoes
- Sunglasses
- Race belt + number
- Bike nutritiongels · bars
- Socksoptional
Checked in with your bike at Lake Raku on Saturday and left overnight. Your wetsuit goes in here after the swim.
Race day for this edition — 23 August 2026 — has passed. The guide stays up for reference.
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What to pack for IRONMAN 70.3 Tallinn
IRONMAN 70.3 Tallinn is a split-transition 70.3 with three colour-coded bags — blue for the bike, red for the run, white for the morning clothes that travel to the finish. The swim and T1 move to Lake Raku for 2026, the bike heads north, and the run finishes under the roof of Unibet Arena. Here's exactly what goes in each bag, when check-in closes, and how race morning runs.
70.3Split transitionTallinn, EstoniaSun 23 Aug 2026
ⓘThe layout, bags and check-in shape come from the race calendar and don't change year to year. Exact times are confirmed from the 2026 athlete guide.
Each bag waits where you'll need it.
On a split course you never return to where you started, so your kit goes into separate bags that wait for you along the course.
Blue bag
Bike / T1 — what you ride inChecked in with your bike at Lake Raku (T1) on Saturday, left overnight
Waiting at T1, out of the swim
Red bag
Run / T2 — what you finish inHanded in at Saturday's bike and run gear check-in
Waiting at the arena (T2), off the bike
White bag
Street wear — start → finishDropped at the swim start on race morning
Moved to the arena — dry clothes meet you at the finish
A split transition, in three places.
This is a split transition — you swim and start the bike at Lake Raku on the city's southern edge, then ride north and rack for the last time at Unibet Arena, where the run starts and finishes. Nothing moves back to the lake, so each bag has to be right where it is before you start.
T1 · swim → bikeLake Raku (Karuse str)Swim exit and bike out. Your bike and blue bag go in here at Saturday's check-in and stay overnight — the sheltered lake start is new for 2026.
→T2 · bike → runUnibet Arena (Paldiski mnt 104b)Bike in and run out at Rocca al Mare. Your red run bag is waiting here — you won't pass the lake again.
→finishUnibet Arena (Paldiski mnt 104b)Run finish under the arena roof. Your white street-wear bag is brought here from the swim start.
▪Two venues on opposite sides of the city means one thing above all: what you want on the bike must be in the blue bag at the lake, and what you want on the run must be in the red bag before you leave. There is no returning to T1. Build the transfer between the lake and the arena into your race-week reconnaissance, not into race morning.
Three bags, by colour.
IRONMAN's colour-to-bag scheme is the same across European 70.3s, so this part is settled. Three bags: pack each for the discipline it powers, and remember they end up in two different places.
Red bagRun / T2 — what you finish in
- Running shoes
- Run cap or visor
- Run nutritiongels
- Anti-chafe balm
- Sunscreensmall
- Spare socksoptional
Handed in at Saturday's bike and run gear check-in and waiting for you at the arena, off the bike.
White bagStreet wear — start → finish
- Warm dry layer
- Flip-flops or sandals
- Small towel
- Pre-swim throwaway top
- Phone + keys pouch
- Recovery snackoptional
Dropped at the swim start on race morning — the drop closes at 10:45 — and moved to the arena so dry clothes meet you at the finish.
+What you carry to the water (not in a bag): wetsuit, goggles, timing chip on the ankle, and the swim cap from your race pack. Everything else has already gone into the three bags — the white bag is the last thing you hand over before the start.
Your bike goes in the night before.
Tallinn runs a mandatory Saturday bike and gear check-in at Lake Raku, with the bike racked overnight — there's no race-morning bike check-in to fall back on. Athlete check-in runs from Wednesday, but the bike and bags are a Saturday job: gear check-in opens at 13:00 and closes at 19:00.
Lake Raku (Karuse str)
Day beforeMandatoryRacked overnightNo race-morning check-in
Bike check-in & bag drop closecut-off
The 2026 official guide is in. The times below are now confirmed for this edition — a few moved from last year.
How the morning typically runs.
A late start for a 70.3 — transition opens at 07:00 and closes at 09:15, the age-group rolling start is at 09:30, and the white bag drop stays open until 10:45. Bike and bag check-out runs from 17:00 to 19:45 at the arena.
Wednesday — four days before
Athlete check-in opens
Athlete check-in closes
Thursday — three days before
Athlete check-in opens
Athlete check-in closes
Friday — two days before
Athlete check-in opens
Athlete check-in closes
Saturday — day before
Athlete check-in opens
Bike and Run Gear Check-In opens
Athlete check-in closescut-off
Bike and Run Gear Check-In closescut-off
Sunday — race day
Transition area opens
IRONMAN 70.3 Start - PRO men
IRONMAN 70.3 Start - PRO women
Transition area closescut-off
IRONMAN 70.3 Start - Para Open
IRONMAN 70.3 Tallinn Start - Age Group
Swim cut-off (1:10 after final athlete starts)
IRONMAN 70.3 Tallinn Start - Teams
Street Wear Bag drop closes
Bike course cut-off: enter highway section
Bike course cut-off: exit highway section
Bike course cut-off: back in Vääna (approx 65 km)
Bike course cut-off (5:45 after final athlete starts)
Bike course cut-off: passed Tutermaa (approx 75 km)
Bike and transition bags check-out opens
Overall course cut-off (8:30 after final athlete starts)
Bike and transition bags check-out closes
Tallinn, answered.
How many bags does IRONMAN 70.3 Tallinn use?
Three: blue for the bike, red for the run, white for your street wear. Because the transitions are split, the blue bag stays at Lake Raku and the red bag is at Unibet Arena.
What colour bag is the bike bag?
The blue bag is your bike / T1 bag — helmet, bike shoes, sunglasses, race belt and ride nutrition. It's checked in with your bike at Lake Raku on Saturday.
Do I have to check my bike in the day before?
Yes. Bike and gear check-in is mandatory and closes at 19:00 on Saturday, with the bike racked overnight at Lake Raku. There is no race-morning bike check-in.
Where do my morning clothes go?
In the white street-wear bag, handed in at the swim start before the drop closes at 10:45. It's transported to Unibet Arena, so your dry clothes are at the finish rather than back at the lake.
What time does the course close?
The overall cut-off is 18:00 — 8h30 after the final athlete starts. The swim cut-off is 10:40 and the bike cut-off is 15:15. Bike and transition bags are collected from the arena between 17:00 and 19:45.
Is the swim venue the same as previous years?
No — the swim and T1 move to Lake Raku for 2026, a sheltered lake on the southern edge of the city. If you've raced Tallinn before, don't navigate from memory: recce the lake and the arena separately during race week.
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