IRONMAN 70.3 Peru

Get to the start with your gear racked and a plan to settle quickly. Do a short, controlled warm-up before you enter: a few minutes of easy swimming plus several faster strokes (not all-out) to wake up your cadence. When you’re seeding up, aim for a pace where you can sight consistently—avoid starting too far up if you need space for clean breathing. In the first minutes, focus on smooth effort and frequent, calm sighting; draft behind swimmers if it helps, but don’t fight for position until the field stretches out.

You’ll swim 1,890m in typical water conditions around 21°C, where the official wetsuit ruling is set on race morning—confirm in the official IRONMAN athlete guide. Expect the swim to feel technical at the start while you find rhythm, then stabilize once you’re breathing evenly and sighting less often as your stroke locks in. With moderate conditions overall, keep your effort controlled—this course rewards saving legs for the bike rather than “winning” the swim. Fueling on the swim is minimal for most athletes; if you tolerate it, you can take small sips before you start the bike, but your main fueling mission begins on the bike.

Plan a clean T1 so you can immediately start controlled power. After your swim exit, dry off quickly, grab the essentials, and put on socks/shoes without rushing so you don’t create foot-hot spots. In T1, get sunglasses on (if you use them), mount smoothly, and immediately settle into your target effort. The first 10–15 minutes are about rhythm and temperature management—start fueling early so you’re not chasing calories later.

Ride 91.5km on a flat/fast profile with 277m of elevation gain, which means the bike can feel deceptively easy until the head/tail wind effects show up. With wind at about 5.2 m/s from the S, expect a crosswind component at times depending on course orientation; stay relaxed in corners and avoid abrupt steering inputs—especially when passing groups. Keep your power and breathing steady; on a fast course, it’s easy to overcook early and pay on the run. Fuel to your targets consistently: aim for 90g carbs per hour, 750mg sodium per hour, and about 650ml fluid per hour—take it in regularly rather than in bursts. Use the flat sections to smooth out intake and hydration; if you feel slightly under-hydrated, adjust fluid before it becomes a cramp/heat problem later.

Set your legs expecting a quick transition-to-hard work. In T2, don’t stomp—keep your cadence smooth as you jog out, and mentally cue “shorter stride, higher turnover” for the first 5–10 minutes. If you’re wearing a race belt or gels on the course, confirm you can access them quickly without stopping. Your first goal is rhythm and comfort: you should feel like you can build, not like you’re already behind.

Run 21.5km on a flat/fast profile with 57m elevation gain, so the main challenge becomes pacing, heat management, and staying fueled. With air temperatures roughly in the 18.4–22.7°C range and moderate heat, you’ll likely be able to move—just don’t sprint the early miles. Wind (5.2 m/s from the S) can change how the effort feels from one section to another; treat it as a pacing adjustment cue, not a reason to surge. Keep taking in carbs and fluids on schedule to match what you executed on the bike; this is where consistent intake prevents late-race gut/energy fade. If you have any early GI hesitation, reduce the pace slightly and prioritize hydration and steady carbohydrate intake rather than pushing harder.