IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner.
IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner is one of the flattest middle distances on the calendar: barely 150 metres of elevation across 111 kilometres of bike and run, with a swim in the Dämeritzsee on Berlin's doorstep. No climb decides this race; what decides it is the ability to manage a fast pace cleanly for hours.
No date has been announced for the next edition yet. The course, elevation and route profile are from the most recent edition.
IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner: Course, Route Profile & Map
The swim is one loop of the Dämeritzsee, the lake straddling the border between Berlin and Brandenburg, starting from the Erkner lido. Transition sits about 150 metres away at the sports centre and serves both changes.
The bike course consists of two identical 44-kilometre loops. Each loop heads south past Grünheide, swings south-east towards Hangelsberg and further east in the direction of Fürstenwalde, before returning through Spreenhagen and along the Spree back to Erkner. The whole loop lies between 33 and 55 metres of altitude, there is not one rise that deserves the name of a climb, and the roads are broad and straight for long stretches.
The half marathon is four laps of a not quite five-kilometre circuit through Erkner itself, past the market square and the Gerhart Hauptmann Museum. It too is level, fully paved, and passes the same spectator zones four times, which gives the race the character of a compact city event and makes time gaps unusually easy to read.
+112 m
+35 m
Bike course
90 km · +112 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.
Run course
21.1 km · +35 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 Erkner.
Settle into the race
On a course with no terrain, the pacing question shifts entirely onto your own discipline. On the bike that means constant power well below threshold, committed to the aero position, without letting faster groups tempt you into surges. The course never slows you down; your plan has to.
Spread the effort
The central trap is overbiking. Because speed feels effortless on the straight Brandenburg roads, many athletes dismount ten minutes ahead of their target split and lose twenty on the run. The second bike loop is the honest gauge: ride the first one too hard and you feel it before transition.
Finish strong
The race is decided in the second half of the half marathon. Four laps through Erkner expose without mercy anyone who overspent on the bike. Treat the swim as a controlled opener, the bike as an investment in the run, and save the final escalation for the last lap.
Training plan for IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner: 12-week build
Build all three disciplines
For the middle distance on this course, budget roughly 4:15 to 7 hours of total effort depending on your level: a swim of 30 to 45 minutes, a bike leg of 2:15 to 3:10, plus the half marathon.
Brick sessions
Across all three disciplines the demand is evenly aerobic: no terrain-forced spikes, no recovery phases, just the long holding of a brisk intensity. That is precisely the challenge; the course rewards athletes with a high threshold and a stable sense of pace.
Practise transitions
Decisive are the aero position over 90 almost uninterrupted kilometres and the ability to hit your run pace straight off the bike. Preparation therefore centres on long rides in race geometry, tempo blocks at or just below middle-distance intensity, and regular brick runs that anchor goal pace immediately after dismounting.
Arrive fresh
For the swim, open-water sessions with sighting practice in a lake pay off. Beyond that, this course demands no special skills, only the consistently trained fundamentals of the middle distance: threshold, aero position, brick resilience. And because four run laps offer plenty of chances to change rhythm, practising a deliberately monotonous, unimpressed pace is worth adding.
Courses
Download each leg of IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner as its own GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner dynamically
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Everything about IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner.
How long is IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner?
IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner is 113.1 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
How much elevation gain does IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner have?
IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner has around 147 m of elevation gain over 113.1 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the profile of the bike course at IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner?
The bike course at IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner is classified as Flat, averaging 1.2 vertical metres per kilometre. 96% of the route is flat, 1% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 0% is steeper than 6%.
Is there a GPX file for the IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner course?
Yes. Each leg of IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner 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 Erkner?
Preparation for IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner should account for 113.1 km, 147 m of elevation gain, 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 Erkner?
The pacing strategy for IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner should reflect 113.1 km, 147 m of elevation gain, 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 Erkner next take place?
No date has been announced for the next edition yet. The most recent one was held on September 13, 2026.
Where does IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner take place?
IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner takes place in Erkner, Germany.
How do I register for IRONMAN 70.3 Erkner?
Registration runs through the organiser: ironman.com. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
