IRONMAN California 2026
A downriver point-to-point swim finishing at Tower Bridge, two flat laps through the Central Valley, and a flat two-lap riverside marathon.
2026 edition completed
This record covers the 18 October 2026 edition of IRONMAN California in Sacramento, California, USA, with a 3.8 km swim, a 180.2 km bike and a 42.2 km run. This date belongs to a completed edition. The course record remains available. Course descriptions and coaching notes are archived context for this edition. Check the organiser for a future edition once its date and entry details are published.
“A downstream swim and a flat ride make this a fast day, but 17 degree water is cold enough to matter. Get cold water swims into the last six weeks or you will lose more in the first ten minutes than the current gives back.”
The race
The course
No course maps for this race. IRONMAN publishes no downloadable route for any leg of this race, so there is nothing to draw a course map from. Everything below comes from the official course page, checked on the date at the foot of this section.
A downriver point to point, starting in the American River near Township 9 Park and finishing on the Sacramento River by Tower Bridge, with the turn buoys placed at the confluence to match the current. The current does real work here, so do not read your split as fitness. At around 17°C it is also the coldest water on this list.
Two flat laps through the Sacramento River delta and the farm country of the Central Valley. Nothing technical and nothing steep, which makes it one of the genuine personal best courses in North America.
Two flat laps on the River Walk Trail beside the Sacramento River, under Tower Bridge and the I Street Bridge, out to a turnaround near Discovery Park, finishing through Old Sacramento.
Not yet confirmed for this edition: transition locations, bike elevation gain, cut-off times, water temperature history. We publish these only once they are on the official course page, so check there before you pace off anything here.
Course details verified against the official IRONMAN California course page on 14 August 2026. Courses change; the official page is always the last word.
Questions, answered
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Read before you race
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Photograph of Sacramento, California, USA: Michael Grindstaff of Sacramento, CA, edited by Fir0002, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Not official race photography.
This listing is for information only. Unbroken is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by IRONMAN California or its organiser. Details are based on publicly available information; names are used descriptively to identify the event. For accurate, up-to-date information and entry, always use the official event website.