Italy
IRONMAN in Italy: which race to choose
4 IRONMAN races in Italy: 1 full distance, in Cervia, and 3 IRONMAN 70.3. The month and the sea temperature separate them more than the courses do.
Where the figures come from
The counts, climbing, months and cut-offs are read from the catalogue and recalculated whenever a race is updated. They come from the race and course pages of ironman.com. The race-day temperatures quoted come from the "Historical weather" table of the same course pages, read on 23 October 2026.
Italy has 12 races in the catalogue in total, including Challenge Family, XTERRA and XTRI: the Italy page lists them all. For dates race by race, use the IRONMAN schedule.
Every IRONMAN race in Italy
Add a month or a distance to narrow the list.
- IRONMAN 70.3 Venice-Jesolo
Jesolo, Italy
- Date
- 24 Apr 2027
- Distance
- Middle
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 17 °C
- Bike
- Flat
- Run
- Flat
- Entries
- Sold out
- IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero
Alghero, Italy
- Date
- 30 May 2027
- Distance
- Middle
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 18 °C
- Bike
- Rolling
- Run
- Flat
- Entries
- Sold out
- IRONMAN Italy Emilia Romagna
Cervia, Italy
- Date
- 18 Sept 2027
- Distance
- Full
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 22 °C
- Bike
- Flat
- Run
- Flat
- Entries
- Sold out
- IRONMAN 70.3 Emilia Romagna
Cervia, Italy
- Date
- 19 Sept 2027
- Distance
- Middle
- Circuit
- IRONMAN
- Water
- 22 °C
- Bike
- Rolling
- Run
- Flat
- Entries
- Opening soon
Cervia in September: the full distance and the 70.3
Cervia holds both races on the same weekend: IRONMAN Italy Emilia Romagna on Saturday and IRONMAN 70.3 Emilia Romagna on Sunday, from the same beach and the same transition. The full distance has been held here since 2017. The swim is one 3.8 km loop along the shore. The bike is two laps through the Romagna countryside and the Cervia salt pans, with a short climb at Bertinoro before the road returns to the coast. The run is four flat 10 km laps through Cervia and Milano Marittima. The cut-off is 16 h.
The 70.3 rides one lap of the same countryside, 264 m of climbing, then runs three flat laps. The 70.3 course page on ironman.com gives the sea at 23 °C on race day in 2024 and 24 °C in 2025.
A flat spring 70.3: Venice-Jesolo
IRONMAN 70.3 Emilia Romagna has the least bike climbing of the Italian IRONMAN 70.3 races that publish it: 264 m. The swim is one loop off the beach in front of the Piave Vecchia lighthouse. The bike is a single 90 km loop of long straight roads around the Venetian lagoon, out to Cavallino, the bridge of boats at Cortellazzo and Eraclea. The run is three 7 km laps, with the finish on the beach.
The race is held in late April, early in the European season. ironman.com measured the sea at 17 °C in 2024 and 2026 and 19 °C in 2025, with morning lows of 7 to 13 °C. Pack warm clothes for the swim exit and the start of the bike.
Sardinia in May: Alghero
IRONMAN 70.3 Emilia Romagna, first held in 2026, has the most climbing of the Italian 70.3 races: 264 m. The swim is one loop in the bay beside the harbour, starting from San Giovanni beach. The run is three laps linking the harbour, the sea walls of the old town and the coast road to the south. On 23 October 2026, the bike course description on ironman.com still read "coming soon".
On race day in 2026 the sea was measured at 17 °C and the air rose from 17 to 29 °C. The organiser gives about 18 °C as the May average for the water. The swim will feel cool and the run can be hot.
Long distance outside IRONMAN
Challenge Family also races in Italy: Challenge Cesenatico, a few kilometres down the coast from Cervia, uses the 100 km format in May. Challenge Sanremo on the Ligurian coast and Challenge Forte Village in southern Sardinia race in October. For mountains, ICON Livigno Xtreme Triathlon is a full distance on the XTRI circuit, covered in the extreme triathlon guide.
The four Italian IRONMAN races on the same rows
Month, water, climbing and cut-off, side by side.
IRONMAN Italy Emilia Romagna
IRONMAN 70.3 Emilia Romagna
IRONMAN 70.3 Venice-Jesolo
IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero
- Race 1 IRONMAN Italy Emilia Romagna
- Race 2 IRONMAN 70.3 Emilia Romagna
- Race 3 IRONMAN 70.3 Venice-Jesolo
- Race 4 IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero
- Circuit
- IRONMANIRONMANIRONMANIRONMAN
- Distance
- Full distanceMiddle distanceMiddle distanceMiddle distance
- Terrain
- RoadRoadRoadRoad
- Swim
- 3.8 km1.9 km1.9 km1.9 km
- Bike
- 180 km90 km90 km90 km
- Run
- 42.2 km21.1 km21.1 km21.1 km
- Date
- 18 Sept 202719 Sept 202724 Apr 202730 May 2027
- Country
- ItalyItalyItalyItaly
- Registration
- Sold outOpening soonSold outSold out
- Swim venue
- OceanOceanSeaOcean
- Average water temperature
- 22 °C22 °C17 °C18 °C
- High air temperature
- 24 °C23 °C18 °C28 °C
- Low air temperature
- 15 °C16 °C10 °C16 °C
- Bike profile
- FlatRollingFlatRolling
- Bike elevation gain
- n/a264 mn/an/a
- Run profile
- FlatFlatFlatFlat
- Run elevation gain
- n/a32 mn/a109 m
- Overall cut-off
- 16 h8 h 30 min8 h 30 min8 h 30 min
- Altitude
- 4 m5 m6 m7 m
- First edition
- 2017201920212026
- Swim start
- Rolling startRolling startRolling startRolling start
What the averages leave out
Cervia's sea, measured at 23 to 24 °C, sits just under a rule threshold. Under the 2026 IRONMAN Competition Rules, age-group athletes may wear a wetsuit up to 24.5 °C and must wear one below 16 °C. A warm September can push the water past 24.5 °C, so train to swim without one. Jesolo and Alghero, at 17 to 19 °C, stay well inside the range where a wetsuit is allowed. The wetsuit rules guide sets out every threshold.
On 23 October 2026, ironman.com showed IRONMAN Italy Emilia Romagna, IRONMAN 70.3 Venice-Jesolo and IRONMAN 70.3 Alghero as sold out for 2027. Registration is always done on the organiser's site.
Questions about IRONMAN in Italy
How many IRONMAN races are there in Italy?
The catalogue lists 4: 1 full distance, IRONMAN Italy Emilia Romagna in Cervia, and 3 IRONMAN 70.3, in Cervia, Jesolo and Alghero.
Which Italian IRONMAN suits a first 70.3?
IRONMAN 70.3 Emilia Romagna: a flat bike with 264 m of climbing, a flat run and a cut-off of 8 h 30 min, like every 70.3. Its water is cool, measured at 17 to 19 °C. For warmer water, choose Cervia in September. The 70.3 distance guide explains the format.
When is the IRONMAN season in Italy?
From April to September: Venice-Jesolo in late April, Alghero at the end of May, then the Cervia weekend in September.
Is IRONMAN Italy a wetsuit swim?
Usually, but not by much. The sea at Cervia was measured at 23 to 24 °C on the 70.3 race days of 2024 and 2025, and the age-group limit is 24.5 °C. The decision is announced on race morning.
Is IRONMAN Italy a good first full distance?
The 180 km bike is rated flat, the run too, with a cut-off of 16 h. The first IRONMAN page compares it with other flat courses.
Pick the month, then the race
Open the finder on IRONMAN races in Italy, or answer a few questions to get a shortlist.