The IRONMAN race is widely considered to be the toughest and largest triathlon race series. The distances are the same across all IRONMAN races and you can find those below. The average times and records are a bit more variable due to different race conditions, hills, and distances between transitions. But we will go through the overall averages that you can use for inspiration and to see where you stand.
The race consists of a 2.4 mile (3.9 km) swim, 112 mile (180.2 km) bike, and a 26.2 mile (42.2 km) run. The total distance for a IRONMAN triathlon is 140.6 miles, or 226.3 kilometers. There are also two transitions, known at T1, in between swim and bike, and T2, in between bike and run.
| Split | Distance |
| Swim | 2.4 miles (3.9 km) |
| Transition 1 | |
| Bike | 112 miles (180.2 km) |
| Transition 2 | |
| Run | 26.2 miles (42.2 km) |
IRONMAN Records and Top Splits
The most current record for fastest IRONMAN is 7:21:12 by Kristian Blummenfelt in 2021. His splits were Swim – 39:41, T1 – 1:52, Bike – 4:02:40, T2 – 1:37, Run – 2:35:24. For the women, the fastest IRONMAN is 8:18:13. The record by Chrissie Wellington has stood since 2011. Her splits were Swim – 49:49, T1 – 1:56, Bike – 4:40:39, T2 – 1:17, Run – 2:44:35.
If you’re looking for individual splits, the fastest IRONMAN swim is 38:06 for the 2.4 miles swim by Barrett Brandon in 2014. The fastest 112 mile bike split was 4:01:14 by Andrew Starykowicz in 2017 – thats an average speed of 27.9 mph. Finally the fastest IRONMAN marathon run time is 2:30:32 by Patrick Lange in 2022 – thats a 5:43 minute pace!
Average Overall Times and Splits for IRONMAN
If you’re not looking to break a world record, knowing where you fall compared to the average IRONMAN finisher is a good way to gauge how you’re doing.
Men’s Average Splits for IRONMAN Race in 2022
Here we compare male age groupers in the bottom 25th, 50th and top 25th percentiles. Overall the average finishing time for a men’s IRONMAN race is 12 hours 55 minutes 41 seconds.
The bike is the largest time split with an average of 6 hours 36 minutes, while the run split is 4 hours 52 minutes for the men. The swim takes 57 minutes and the age groupers spend around 29 minutes in T1 and T2 on average.
| Bottom 25% | |
| Swim | 1:02:31 |
| Bike | 7:17:55 |
| Run | 5:42:10 |
| Transition | 0:36:49 |
| Total | 14:39:25 |
| Middle 50% | |
| Swim | 0:57:38 |
| Bike | 6:36:04 |
| Run | 4:52:21 |
| Transition | 0:29:38 |
| Total | 12:55:41 |
| Top 25% | |
| Swim | 0:52:29 |
| Bike | 5:56:19 |
| Run | 4:09:45 |
| Transition | 0:37:37 |
| Total | 11:36:10 |
Women’s Average Splits for IRONMAN Race in 2022
Here we compare female age groupers in the bottom 25th, 50th and top 25th percentiles. Overall the average finishing time for a female’s IRONMAN race is 13 hours 59 minutes 7 seconds.
The bike is the largest time split with an average of 7 hours 13 minutes, while the run split is 5 hours 20 minutes for the women. The swim takes 59 minutes and the age groupers spend around 26 minutes in T1 and T2 on average.
| Bottom 25% | |
| Swim | 1:05:59 |
| Bike | 7:41:32 |
| Run | 5:57:31 |
| Transition | 0:44:27 |
| Total | 15:29:29 |
| Middle 50% | |
| Swim | 0:59:06 |
| Bike | 7:13:53 |
| Run | 5:20:04 |
| Transition | 0:26:04 |
| Total | 13:59:07 |
| Top 25% | |
| Swim | 0:52:19 |
| Bike | 6:38:41 |
| Run | 4:23:54 |
| Transition | 0:52:52 |
| Total | 12:47:46 |
Ironman Cutoff Times
Cutoff times are also important to note. Cutoff times are the maximium amount of time you must have finished each split. The cutoff times do roll over and are always from the start of your individual swim (not the start of the race overall).
2.4 Mile Swim: 2 hours 20 minutes from swim start
112 Mile Bike: Ranges from 10 to 10:30 hours from swim start
26.2 Mile Run: Ranges from 16 to 17 hours from swim start
Cutoff times can be frusterating to a triathlete who has trained for months, but they do exist for your own safety and in order to open streets and areas for the surrounding city in a timely manner.
Largest Ironman Races in North America in 2022
Now that you know the world records and average times, it’s time to find a race!
We broke down the largest races (by active participants) in North America. Obviously the largest is the World Championship in Kona, followed by some of the larger IRONMAN events in California, Arizona, and Texas.
- Ironman World Championship (Kona, HI) 3,366 Participants
- Ironman California (Sacramento, CA) 3,002 Participants
- Ironman Arizona (Tempe, AZ) 2,504 Participants
- Ironman Texas (The Woodlands, Texas) 2,349 Participants
- Ironman Lake Placid (Lake Placid, NY) 2,272 Participants
Ironman FAQ
Overall the average finishing time for a men’s IRONMAN race is 12 hours 55 minutes 41 seconds and for the women it’s 13 hours 59 minutes 7 seconds.
The race consists of a 2.4 mile (3.9 km) swim, 112 mile (180.2 km) bike, and a 26.2 mile (42.2 km) run. The total distance for a IRONMAN triathlon is 140.6 miles, or 226.3 kilometers.
The largest race is the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii with 3,366 participants. Within the continental US, the largest Ironman race is Ironman California in Sacramento, CA with 3,002 participants.
The most current record for fastest IRONMAN is 7:21:12 by Kristian Blummenfelt in 2021.
The cutoff time for the Ironman race ranges from 16 to 17 hours from your individual swim start.
