IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero.
The IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero is a half distance built out of turnarounds: an out and back swim in the sheltered bay off the Lido San Giovanni, a fast bike loop through the Nurra whose only real climb comes late, and three running laps through the old town. The day is decided in the final quarter of the bike.
IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero 2027: Course, Elevation & Route Profile
The day starts on sand. The gun goes on the beach of the Lido San Giovanni, the swim runs out into the sheltered bay and back on an out and back course, and transition sits roughly a hundred metres beyond the water exit. A T1 barely gets shorter than that: you are on the bike before your heart rate has settled.
What follows is a single 90 kilometre loop, north past Fertilia and out into the Nurra, with two out and back spurs on open country road, a turnaround at the Grotte di Nettuno and a return leg through the Parco Naturale Regionale di Porto Conte. The sequencing is what defines this course: the hardest section, the Capo Caccia headland, sits deep into the bike, and some twenty flat kilometres follow it, on which a climb bought too dearly shows up immediately. T2 returns to the same transition by the Lido.
The run is then the opposite of the bike: the same loop three times over the seafront promenade, down to the harbour, along the Bastioni and through the Catalan old town, finishing at the port. You pass the finish area twice before you are allowed to take it. Alghero is small enough that beach, transition and finish are all within walking distance of each other, and the sold out debut put around 3,000 starters from 91 countries on that sand, more than half of them from outside Italy.
+702 m
+120 m
Bike course
90 km · +702 m| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 24.4 | 0.5 km | 3.5 % | 5.1 % | +18 m | — |
| km 26.1 | 0.4 km | 3.6 % | 4.3 % | +15 m | — |
| km 27.2 | 0.4 km | 3.1 % | 4.1 % | +12 m | — |
| km 60.6 | 0.3 km | 4.6 % | 6.6 % | +14 m | — |
| km 65.1 | 1.1 km | 7.4 % | 14.8 % | +82 m | Cat. 4 |
| km 66.7 | 0.4 km | 19.7 % | 29.2 % | +74 m | — |
| km 70.6 | 1 km | 4.7 % | 14.1 % | +45 m | — |
| km 79.5 | 1.2 km | 3.8 % | 4.9 % | +44 m | — |
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
Run course
21.1 km · +120 m| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero.
Settle into the race
This half distance spreads its costs unevenly. In sheltered water the swim is the cheapest discipline of the day and should be treated that way: racing the 1.9 kilometres buys a couple of minutes and hands them back in the first hour on the bike. The very short run into transition reinforces that, because it gives you no time to come down.
Spread the effort
The day is decided between the last quarter of the bike and the first running lap. The headland comes late, and if you have ridden the flat kilometres before it above target power you lose time there, then lose it again on foot. Ration the bike by power rather than by speed: the spurs cover the same stretch of road out and back, the fast half always comes first, and the clock lies about it.
Finish strong
The second trap sits at the start of the run. Coming off the aero bars into a town where the air stands still between the walls, the opening kilometres feel easy. Running the first of the three laps deliberately conservatively, and taking aid at the recurring junction from the first pass, is worth more here than any surge along the promenade.
Training plan for IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero: 12-week build
Build all three disciplines
For an age group athlete the IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero takes roughly five to seven hours. The demand is steady and aerobic for most of it: a long swim in calm water, a mostly flat bike leg spent on the aero bars, a flat half marathon. The exceptions are few, but all of them sit late, so preparation aims at durability rather than at peaks.
Brick sessions
The central session is therefore the brick, run in the order the race imposes it: a long flat ride at target race power, finished with one short hard climb and followed immediately by 20 to 40 minutes of running. That exact sequence, climbing late and then getting straight onto your feet, is where this race turns.
Practise transitions
Then there are the conditions. By late May the north west coast of Sardinia is already warm, the bike leg is largely shadeless and exposed to the coastal wind, and the old town section of the run lap sits in still air. Heat acclimatisation in the weeks beforehand, a drinking and cooling plan that starts on the bike rather than at the run, and confidence in crosswinds are core work here, not extras.
Arrive fresh
The swim asks for navigation more than for speed: a beach start off soft sand, an out and back course with buoys, salt water and a field that bunches at the turn. Practise entering from the beach, sighting every few strokes, and swimming in a pack. And practise T1: a hundred metres between water and bike means your heart rate and your head have to come down once you are already riding, while others are clipping in beside you.
Courses
Download each leg of IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero as its own GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero dynamically
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Everything about IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero.
How long is IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero?
IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero is 113 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
What is the profile of the bike course at IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero?
The bike course at IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero is classified as Rolling, averaging 7.8 vertical metres per kilometre. 56% of the route is flat, 20% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 1% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does the bike course at IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero have?
The hardest climb on the bike course at IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero starts at kilometre 65.1, runs for 1.1 km at an average of 7.4% and gains 82 metres. Cycling-convention rating: Cat. 4. 8 climbs are mapped in total.
Is there a GPX file for the IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero course?
Yes. Each leg of IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero is on this page as its own free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero?
Preparation for IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero should account for 113 km, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero?
The pacing strategy for IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero should reflect 113 km and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero take place?
IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero takes place on May 30, 2027.
Where does IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero take place?
IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero takes place in Alghero, Italy.
How do I register for IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero?
Registration runs through the organiser: sardegnaturismo.it. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
