IRONMAN 70.3 Cartagena on 29 November 2026

SPORT · CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA

IRONMAN 70.3 Cartagena 2026 is set for Sunday 29 November 2026 on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, with a 1.9 km swim in the Bay of Las Ánimas, a 90 km ride on the Vía al Mar and a 21 km run through the walled Old City. IRONMAN, the race organiser, shows athlete registration as sold out on its race page as of 19 October 2026.

For US readers this is mainly a travel and spectator story, because the organiser’s pages list no spectator ticket and no television partner for the race. The organiser does say the course is fully accessible to support crews, and Colombia needs no visa from US citizens for stays of up to 90 days.

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What the IRONMAN 70.3 Cartagena Is

An IRONMAN 70.3 is a half-distance triathlon, and the name refers to the 70.3 miles (113 km) covered in total. In Cartagena that means a swim of 1.2 miles (1.9 km), a bike leg of 56 miles (90 km) and a half marathon of 13.1 miles (21 km).

The organiser sells the race on its Colombian Caribbean setting, with a protected bay swim, a flat and fast ride and a run through a UNESCO World Heritage city. The organiser’s host-city page says UNESCO named Cartagena a World Heritage Site in 1984 and describes the walled old town as an outdoor museum of the Spanish colonial period.

The previous edition took place on Sunday 30 November 2025 and drew more than 2,500 athletes from 72 countries, according to El Universal of Cartagena. Emmanuel Lodice of Argentina and Lina María Raga of Colombia won the day, and the Norwegian Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt attended as a special guest.

Race Format, Course and Conditions

The swim covers 1.2 miles (1.9 km) in the protected waters of the Bay of Las Ánimas, and the organiser says spectators can watch it from the Convention Center, the surrounding boardwalks and marinas, or the city walls. The course page expects water of about 80°F (28°C), while the race page lists an average water temperature of 85°F (29°C).

The bike course runs 56 miles (90 km) from the Convention Center and the clock tower to the Vía al Mar, the highway that links Cartagena with Barranquilla. The organiser describes it as a mostly flat out-and-back ride past beaches and mangroves, with high average speeds expected.

The run is a two-loop half marathon of 13.1 miles (21 km) through the Old City, with views of the Caribbean Sea along the western side of the walls. The organiser’s course page has athletes finishing in front of the Torre del Reloj, the clock tower landmark in the historic centre.

The race page lists an expected high of 88°F (31°C) and a low of 77°F (25°C) for race day. Heat and humidity are the main test for athletes from northern winters, and the course page records highs of 84°F (29°C) in 2025 and 90°F (32°C) in 2024.

Entry, Prices and World Championship Slots

IRONMAN’s registration page shows the race as sold out, so athletes without an entry cannot sign up through the organiser as of 19 October 2026. The page says transfers and deferrals are not permitted, and its withdrawal window for a partial refund closed on 30 June 2026.

The last prices listed were US$331.25 for an individual entry and US$458.23 for a relay team captain, both including processing fees. The organiser says pricing rises as capacity fills, and it lists US$10 for the Colombian triathlon federation and US$10 for insurance as non-refundable.

The race offers age-group qualifying slots to the 2027 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, according to the organiser’s registration and qualification pages. Those pages do not say how many slots Cartagena carries.

Slots are claimed in person at the awards and roll-down ceremony, with photo ID and payment by Visa or Mastercard only. Each age-group winner is offered a slot first, and the remaining slots go to the fastest athletes by age-graded time on a first-to-accept basis.

The Race Weekend Schedule

The organiser has not published the 2026 schedule, and its schedule page still shows the 2025 programme running from Thursday to Sunday 30 November 2025. The race-week page says the 2026 information will appear closer to the event.

In 2025 the transition area opened at 4:30 a.m. and the rolling swim start was at 6:15 a.m. from the Muelle de la Bodeguita pier. The awards and slot roll-down began at 4 p.m. that day, so treat all of these times as a guide only until the 2026 athlete guide appears.

The 2025 athlete guide set a swim cut-off of 1 hour 10 minutes after the last athlete starts, a bike cut-off of 5 hours 30 minutes and an overall cut-off of 8 hours 30 minutes. Those limits may change for 2026.

In 2025 the expo, athlete check-in and briefings were held at the Convention Center in the Hotel Estelar Bocagrande, with briefings in Spanish and English. The organiser has not said whether the 2026 race uses the same base.

Where to Watch and How to Follow

The organiser has not named a television or streaming partner for the race, and none of its pages that we opened lists a broadcaster, so no live broadcast can be confirmed for US viewers. The organiser has also not said whether a professional field will race in 2026.

The official way to follow is the free IRONMAN Athlete Tracker app for iOS and Android, which offers live splits, a leaderboard and an interactive course map. The organiser notes that times posted during the race are unofficial until results are verified and posted on the race website.

Getting to Cartagena and Around the Course

The main airport is Rafael Núñez International (CTG), and the organiser’s directions page lists direct routes from Miami on American Airlines, Fort Lauderdale on Spirit, New York on JetBlue, Atlanta and Chicago. The organiser puts the flight from Miami at about 2.5 hours and says Colombia keeps Eastern Standard Time, the same clock as the US East Coast in late November.

The organiser’s accommodation page names the Hotel Estelar Cartagena de Indias, the Hyatt Regency Cartagena and the Holiday Inn Express Bocagrande among its hotel partners, all in the Bocagrande district. Race-weekend demand is likely to be high, since the event drew more than 2,500 athletes in 2025.

The Transcaribe bus rapid transit system charges about 1,700 to 1,800 Colombian pesos a ride (about US$0.54 to US$0.57) and needs a prepaid card, according to the organiser. The official representative market rate was 3,174.67 pesos per US dollar, in force from 17 to 19 October 2026.

Taxis in Cartagena are yellow with Servicio Público on the doors and have no meters, so the fare is agreed upfront, and the organiser says Uber and InDrive are widely used. The State Department separately warns US citizens not to hail taxis on the street.

For the 2025 race, the maritime authority Dimar restricted navigation in the Bay of Las Ánimas from 4 a.m. until the event ended, with the swim expected to finish by about 9 a.m., El Universal reported. Cartagena media also published road closures, contraflows and detours for that Sunday, and no 2026 traffic plan has been announced yet.

Entry Rules and Safety for US Visitors

US citizens need no visa for tourism or business stays of 90 days or less, or up to 180 days in total in a calendar year, the State Department says. Travellers can request a 90-day extension from Migración Colombia before the stay ends.

Colombia’s free online Check-MIG form is recommended, and the department advises completing it 1 to 72 hours before the flight. A passport valid for the whole stay with at least one blank page is required, and the department recommends six months of validity.

The department rates Colombia at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, in an advisory issued on 31 March 2026, citing crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping. Its Level 4, Do Not Travel, areas are Arauca, Cauca except Popayán, Valle del Cauca except Cali, Norte de Santander and the strip within 10 km (6 miles) of the Venezuelan border, and the list does not include Bolívar department, where Cartagena lies.

The department also urges caution on small tourist boats between Cartagena and the nearby islands, where it says seas can be dangerous in December and January. Anyone planning an island trip around the race should check the operator and the life jackets before boarding.

Our Cartagena City Guide for Expats and Visitors covers neighbourhoods and costs, and What to Do in Cartagena in October 2026: Guitar Masters, Independence Preludes and Caribbean Art lists current events in the city. Colombia Security 2026: Hotspots, Safer Cities, US Advisory explains the advisory in more detail.

What Is Not Known

The 2026 schedule, athlete guide, start times, traffic plan, television coverage and number of World Championship slots have not been published. The organiser’s own pages also differ on the swim start and the finish, with one page naming the Muelle de la Bodeguita pier and the Plaza de la Aduana and the spectator page naming the Convention Center and the Torre del Reloj.

A tourism presentation by Cartagena’s promotion bodies in February 2026, reported by PrimerTiempo, gave only December 2026 for the 70.3 race. The organiser’s race page gives Sunday 29 November 2026, and this guide follows the organiser.

The prices quoted are the last ones shown on the registration page, and entry is now closed. The course page says maps are subject to change, so the exact routes may differ from earlier years.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the IRONMAN 70.3 Cartagena in 2026?

The race is on Sunday 29 November 2026 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, with the swim in the Bay of Las Ánimas and the run through the Old City. The organiser has not yet published the 2026 start time.

Can I still enter the IRONMAN 70.3 Cartagena 2026?

IRONMAN’s registration page shows the race as sold out, and it says entries cannot be transferred or deferred. The last listed price was US$331.25 for an individual entry.

Do US citizens need a visa to watch IRONMAN 70.3 Cartagena?

No visa is needed for tourist stays of up to 90 days, but the State Department recommends the free Check-MIG form 1 to 72 hours before the flight. The department rates Colombia at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, in an advisory issued on 31 March 2026.

Sources: IRONMAN, IRONMAN 70.3 Cartagena race page, read 19 October 2026; IRONMAN, registration page, read 19 October 2026; IRONMAN, course page, read 19 October 2026; IRONMAN, event schedule page, read 19 October 2026; IRONMAN, race week info, read 19 October 2026; IRONMAN, World Championship qualification, read 19 October 2026; IRONMAN, directions page, read 19 October 2026; IRONMAN, spectator info, read 19 October 2026; IRONMAN, about host city, read 19 October 2026; IRONMAN, accommodations, read 19 October 2026; IRONMAN, 2025 athlete guide (PDF); El Universal, 30 November 2025; El Universal, 28 November 2025; PrimerTiempo, February 2026; US State Department, Colombia entry requirements, read 19 October 2026; US State Department, Colombia travel advisory, issued 31 March 2026; Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia, representative market rate, 17 to 19 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief