For context, I’ve been training in endurance sports for just about 4-5 years now and running consistently for a little over 3 of those (20-30 miles per week on avg). So I have a decent “base” built but I couldn’t swim 200yds without being gassed and maybe had 100 miles total on my road bike prior.

Creating this because I see a lot of people intimidated (rightfully so) by their first Ironman and many on this sub telling them it’s a bad idea, you need years of training, start with a Sprint, etc. which I can understand the feeling of discouragement from that. And while they are not wrong necessarily, that is a smart way to do things, I’m also here to encourage you to chase the goal that seems obtainable right now because it can be done. It may not be fast but you can and will finish and you can enjoy the entire process at the same time, and normalizing that everyone’s goals and timelines are different. It was the greatest feeling of accomplishment that I’ve experienced in sport and I’m so glad I went for the big goal first. Happy to answer any questions.

Hey everyone,

I’m a few weeks out from my first full IM and I’m still unsure how I should pace the marathon. Do most people run it mainly in Z2 or Z3?

Some background:
36M, 60 kg, 170 cm (if that matters).
Ran my first standalone marathon beginning of 2024 in 3:13 off 4 runs/week (2 quality sessions, 1 long run, 1 recovery run), peaked at ~58 km/week, the rest of the week I was doing cross-training (swimming, cycling, gym).

In 2024 and 2025 I also did a couple of sprints, ODs, and three 70.3 races.

My last 70.3 was 4:22 overall, with a 1:25 HM. I finished with absolutely nothing left in the tank.

This full training block has included a lot of high Z3 work.
Saturday I had the long bike session and Sunday I did 32 km total (2 km warm-up, 3 x 8 km @ Z3 with 2 km easy between).

I finished it, but definitely felt like I could not sustain that pace for the entire marathon.

If all goes to plan, I’ll peak at around 75 km/week.

Right now, I feel faster than in 2024, but I don’t know if I could hold Z3 for the entire marathon, especially after swimming and cycling, the training plan seems to point toward that pace though.

For those with more IM experience, how do you pace the run?
Should marathon pace in training feel “barely manageable” like this?
Does tapering usually make that pace feel much more sustainable on race day?
Or should I hold back I run mid Z2/high Z2?

I know I have to adapt on race day depending on weather, how my body feels and so on, but if all goes well, the race should be better than the training block, right?

Hi Reddit,

Reaching out to the world to nail down the macros while training for my first ironman and trying to lose weight at the same time.

I am 5'-5", 184.4 lbs and 24.1 % body fat.

My current Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is at 1700 calories and currently consuming 1850 calories per day. So far as of January 2026 to todays date, I have lost 33 lbs. I want to get to 170 lbs so that I can be faster.

I want to know how many calories I should consume when adding my workouts throughout the week.

Thank you and hope to get some clarity on this!

I have an entry level endurance road bike and for sh$ts and giggles I bought a tri bike off of Facebook marketplace.

I’m curious which would be more advantageous for this race?

I’m not that fast and the climbs are going to be tough.

If you’ve done this race before or done other hilly courses, what works best?

A little over a month ago, I completed my first Iron Man at IMTX. The entire past month has been recovery/active recovery for me, with only around 10 miles of running logged and roughly 40 miles/wk of easy cycling. I wanted to ensure that my body was completely recovered after the effort, as I dealt with overtraining issues after my marathon in January and didn’t want that to happen again. The first 4 weeks of recovery were rough but I was improving slowly on a week to week basis. However, things completely changed this week (post IM week 5).

This week, my heart rate has been abnormally low. Normally during training, it would be hard to reach the low 50s bpm, which would mostly happen at rest or at work where I’d sit in an office chair all day. However, today it’s been consistently in the low 50s and was in the mid/low 40s for a good part of the morning. I have NEVER seen these numbers before, even in my peak physical shape I’ve never seen a HR in 40s while awake. My overnight RHR last night was the lowest I’ve ever seen. I haven’t changed anything different from my daily routine, besides getting a bit more sleep than normal, and still drink coffee in the morning. For context, I am a 22 year old male, 5’ 11” and 180 lbs. Is this something to be concerned about? I feel like this was such an abrupt change.

Originally planned to do IMLP this year, but am not comfortable continuing because injuries have got me behind.

History:

Rolled ankle bad in jan, couldn't run for ~2 months
Broke wrist in march, couldn't swim for ~6 weeks
Strained hamstring in April, had to go really low volume for ~2 weeks
Starting to feel some IT band, might be related to bike fit or weak glutes but haven't figured it out yet

before I strained my hamstring, my long bike was at 4-5Hrs comfortably and my run was steadily increasing, but since then I've just been plagued with injuries even working from low volume, and it feels like my fitness has really decreased. Originally I planned to transfer to IM Wisconsin, but I'm starting to wonder if even that will be a reach. I'd hope that my fitness would come back quickly, but worried injuries will continue to come my way.

Options I'm considering:

- Transfer to Wisconsin Full (lots of friends doing)

- Buy Wisconsin half (also lots of friends doing) and transfer to IMLP next year

- Transfer to IM Maryland

- Transfer to IM Chatanooga

Thoughts?

Hey everyone!
I’m racing Challenge Roth for the first time this year and honestly getting a bit overwhelmed with all the logistics/planning 😅
I’m arriving Friday morning and booked camping at the swim start.
A few questions for people who’ve done Roth before:

• Can I set up/reserve my small tent on Friday and my family arrives later?
• Is the swim start camping actually walking distance to the start on race morning?
• Good places for pre-race dinner/groceries near the swim start?
• Can family/friends stay at the camping area Sunday morning while athletes are already racing?
• How manageable is Saturday without a car? Can I do everything with just my race bike?
• How stressful is bike check-in / bag drop on Saturday?
• Any rookie mistakes to avoid for the weekend logistics?
• Any tips for moving between swim start / finish area / camping?
• How hard is it to get back to the swim start camping after the race?

I feel like the race itself scares me less than the organization right now 😂
Sorry for all the questions - just trying not to mess up my first Roth weekend haha.

I am training for the Ironman Maryland in September. Currently taking protein and magnesium as supplements. Curious what the general consensus is about taking supplements. What do you all take?

My training block is really starting to build in intensity and consistency moving into my first IM. I don’t really have a network of people around me that know too much about the useful gear.

I’m looking at finally getting my first HRM, and see that Garmin has a lot of models.

I was wondering if anyone had particular experiences that swayed them towards one or another? Or if it’s worth getting the HRM-Tri specifically?

Kind of want something that is going to last and provide solid, accurate, in depth stats so I’m open to the Pro or 600.

Cost isn’t too much a factor. I believe in getting solid gear that actually does the job properly.

Churrr ✌🏻

Hi guys, im a highschool runner that just finished his track season. Im racing the ironman lake placid on july 19th, meaning I have exactly 2 months until race day. In terms of training, ive been following my track coach's running workouts while biking and swimming on the weekends.

I dont know how to plan optimal workouts myself, so i was thinking of asking chatgpt to make me a 2 month workout plan. What do you guys think about this? If i do end up going this route, how do i make sure It makes an appropriate workout plan? Thanks!

Hi guys, does anyone know what full Ironman races will take place in the UK 2027? When do they normally release the timetable and how quickly do they sell out? I want to start training but would be a shame if couldn’t end up getting a race booked! Ideally Leeds but not sure if it’s repeating for 2027?

Has anyone stayed (or plan to stay) at the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort for the La Quinta 70.3? This will be my first race and I'm trying understand if this is an acceptable distance from all the action.

BLUF: Truly, anything is possible. I wanted to share my experience training for, and finishing, my first Ironman races.

🏃‍♂️ Background

I would consider myself somewhat of an athlete. I am 29M, 6'2" and about 225lbs. I was as a D1 track and cross country runner and specialized in the 800 so I have experience and am comfortable with with long runs around 12-16 miles. This was almost 10 years ago, and since graduating, I've eased off the athletic pedal (for context, I was racing around 185lbs back then). I sporadically go through training phases focusing on different areas (powerlifting, F45 functional fitness, some time on a Peloton, rucking, running off and on, etc.), but I have never been one to do any consistent endurance training. I have run a single marathon in just under 4 hours back in 2024 with only about 4 runs in the month leading up to the race. I would say I am an okay swimmer, but I've never had any real training, and I had absolutely zero experience biking.

🚴‍♂️ The (Unstructured) Build-Up

Late last year, I decided to start training for a triathlon. I was moving down to Florida, heard they were big down there, and thought it would be fun. I was getting back into running and started swimming at the local pool for maybe 2 months or so before moving. Once I got down to Florida, it was just running, as I couldn't find a reliable pool nearby. Come December, I finally found a bike on Facebook Marketplace and picked up an indoor trainer. I didn't want to ride out on the roads as I wasn't comfortable and didn't want to get hit by a car.

From January through April, almost all of my training was running and biking on the trainer with the occasional strength training. I was getting comfortable going long distances on the trainer, doing maybe 1.5-2 hours. I knew I wasn't the strongest or fastest, but once I got into my comfortable groove, I could keep going for a while.

🤔 The Crazy Idea

At the beginning of the year, I had signed up for the Florida Gulf Coast 70.3 on May 9 since it was just down the road from me. I knew the swim would be a totally new experience as I had no open water swimming experience and no actual road biking time. However, I knew if I could finish those two, I could will my way through a half marathon. As my unstructured training continued, I started gaining more confidence on the bike. I had found a pool nearby, but the hours were pretty bad, so I wasn't going consistently.

During my training, I completed a 3-hour ride on the trainer and felt great afterwards. This gave me a rush of confidence and piqued my curiosity: if I could ride for 3 hours, could I ride for a full 140.6? In the spur of the moment, about mid-way through April, I signed up for Ironman Jacksonville on May 16. All my friends and family thought I was crazy, but all I could think about was, "Let's see what we can do."

Leading up to the race, I would say I had maybe 5 swims total since the beginning of the year with my longest swim being about a mile in an hour last fall. I also only took my bike out for a real ride outside once, going for about 90 minutes. Running was the most consistent training I was doing, but my longest runs were about 8 miles a few weeks ago and a casual 13-miler in February. Nothing anywhere close to a full marathon. I was unsure how the events would go, but I was confident in my ability to push myself through most obstacles.

🌊 Race 1: Gulf Coast 70.3

The day of the 70.3 called for choppy water and rain, so the swim was cut to about 800m. Thankfully it didn't go any longer because that was probably one of the worst experiences I've ever had swimming. It felt like I was drowning, I couldn't focus on my breathing, and I spent half the swim on my back jellyfishing. A grueling 17-ish minutes before starting the bike.

For it being only my second-ever bike ride outside, I really enjoyed it. I was cruising at my desired speed, making good conversation with others, and finished in about 3 hours. I recognize that's a bit on the slower side, but again, I met my expectations considering all the newness and had a good time. Then I jogged it in for just under 2 hours for the half marathon in a torrential downpour that started during the run. Overall, I finished just under 6 hours and was happy and eager to see how the full 140.6 would go. I spent a few days recovering (active recovery walking around Disney World for a few days to celebrate) and got a single 3-mile run in on Friday before the full.

💀 Race 2: The Full 140.6 (One Week Later)

The day of Jacksonville, I was once again nervous, especially given how the swim started the week before. I jumped in and this swim was butter smooth. I finished in just around 70 minutes (granted the current did most of the work), had very controlled breathing, and aside from continuously drifting off course, I really enjoyed it while setting a PR in longest swim.

Now comes the darkest part of it all. I knew the bike would be the biggest factor, but I could not have been any less prepared for the dark place I went to on this one. Around mile 25-30, I was already 2 hours in and facing the daunting 90 miles ahead of me. My pacing was slower than anticipated and I will never know if it was due to my body still recovering, the road not being as fast as Panama City, or the wind. Either way, I chugged along at around 14mph the entire time.

The first 50 or so miles weren't bad as there were folks completing their second loop of the course nearby, but once I turned for my second loop, I was in no man's land. I hardly, if ever, saw anyone nearby, and the hours crawled by. Miles 50 through 80 were agonizing as this was the farthest I have ever ridden beyond 56 miles a week prior and I was alone with my thoughts as the fears started creeping in if I would finish in time. I had made the cutoff time for the second loop with about an hour buffer, but that window slowly started closing. I was taking small breaks at aid stations to ice down, refill, and stretch a bit. I also took time around mile 70 to stop and help an athlete who was suffering from heat exhaustion. I gave her spare water and called her an ambulance, which used up maybe 5-10 minutes. Once I made the turn at 80 miles back towards the city, I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The wind was at my back and I started moving again. I had maybe a 15-20 minute buffer before I had to be back at transition to start the run. I ended up finishing just over 8 hours which absolutely blew my mind what I had just accomplished that and my body was in the saddle for that long and I just doubles my longest ever bike distance on my 3rd ever outdoor ride. I was nervous, but the confidence was growing that I could make it.

Once I made it back, I started the run, and that's when the confidence that I could actually do this started building after each mile. For the first 8-mile loop, I was shaking the legs out and jogging/shuffling most of it. Come the second loop, I knew I would finish barring any unexpected injuries, so I played it very safe and walked/shuffled most of the second and third lap, taking in the experience and talking with other athletes. There was only a minor panic when I heard someone talking about the cutoff time to start the final lap and when I had to finish the race. I thought we had to be done by 2 AM but was unaware of the 17-hour rule. However, once I started the final lap, I knew all I had to do was be faster than a 20 min/mile pace. I ended up finishing right around 16:30 and was declared an Ironman.

🏆 Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a humbling and incredible experience, and I definitely learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of. All things considered, I'm suprised I limped off with only a knee that feels like it's about to pop and general soreness. Sure, I could have had a more structured training plan and attacked this better, but my biggest takeaway was to just keep pushing. I was nowhere near being a fast swimmer or biker, but as long as I kept doing what I was doing, I only had to beat my own mind to finish.

I am grateful for the experiences and the folks I met during my races. I am unsure if I will ever do another full (maybe a half if I get bored enough), but I hope that this ramble serves as an example that you are more capable than you think you are, and the biggest hurdle is often yourself.

For context, my wife and I did our first open water swim with a group last week. We did about 1.2 miles along the coast line (about 40 yards from shore). We did it with a group of 40ish people. Everyone had those inflatable buoys attached while we swam.

I wanted to try going again next weekend, but it would be without a big group (just me and my wife) since it will be while we are on vacation (Southwest Florida). Similar situation in terms of along the coast line. Is this safe?

Now that IM Jax has been tested I’m curious if anyone who has raced both can weigh in on the differences. I’m aiming for a full distance IM next year (my first) and I know it’ll be one of the two, just having a hard time deciding which one.

Saw a video of an athlete crossing the IM Jacksonville finish line with a “Jesus Is King” banner. Is this allowed? The video was posted by the IM Americas Instagram account. Just don’t want to risk a DQ in the future.