Triathlon

For the Gibraltar 2019 NatWest International Island Games the Triathlon Event will be held over the Standard Distance of 1500m sea swim, 40km non-drafting bike and 10km run. The event will take place in the morning of the first day of competition on Sunday 7th July and will see all the athletes line up on Eastern Beach for the start and then run into the sea to complete two laps of 750m with an Australian exit at the end of lap one (athletes will exit the sea for a short run and then run back into the sea to start the second lap).

The 40km bike course will be held on closed roads and the course is best described as “beautifully brutal” as it will follow the east side coast line all the way up to the Mosque and back for five laps. The bike course will have two significant climbs per lap and is also very technical with some steep descents, sharp turns and a long tunnel through the Rock to contend with. Having completed the bike section the flat 10km run will be four laps and will take the athletes along Eastern Beach road where there will be plenty of support from all the people at the beach.

• The water temperature is expected to be between 15 and 18 degrees celsius, so wetsuits will be permitted.
• Temperatures are likely to reach the high 20 degrees celsius with high humidity so this will also undoubtedly have an impact on the athletes.
• The swim start will be on the beach and is planned to be 2 laps of 750m with an Australian exit at the end of lap 1.
• The distance from swim exit to Transition is around 150m.
• All roads for the bike and run courses will be totally closed to traffic.
• The males will start at 08:00 and the Females at 08:40.
• The 5 lap bike course contains two climbs per lap, one 400m long and gradual the other 200m long and very steep.
• The bike course is technical with two 180 degree turns at either end, some speed bumps (they will be smoothed out for the Gibraltar 2019 Games) and some narrow sections.
• The road surface is generally good.
• Choice of bike will be up to each competitor – for the Test Event we had equal number of Time Trial and Road Bikes.
• There will not be any bike aid stations so each athlete will need to carry their own fluid on the bike section.
• The 10km run course will be 4 laps plus 700m to finish. It is completely flat.
• There is very little shade on the run course but there will be plenty of water available on every lap (500ml recyclable water bottles will be supplied).

Download the Triathlon Course Description (as of 30/05/19)

Download the Road Closures for the Triathlon Course