IRONMAN 70.3: Drones, podiums — and cows on the course: the best photos from Swansea’s day of triathlon drama
From aerial shots of 2,700 athletes at the Prince of Wales Dock to cattle wandering the Gower bike course — the best images from IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea 2026.
Swansea turned pink, green and gold on Sunday as 2,700 athletes took on IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea — and the cameras were everywhere they were.
From first light, thousands of pink-capped swimmers queued the length of the quayside at the Prince of Wales Dock, cheered into the water by crowds packed onto every balcony and railing.
The bike leg took the field past some of the area’s most recognisable views — Oystermouth Castle, Mumbles lighthouse and the open commons of Gower, where the local cattle wandered across the race line entirely unbothered by carbon wheels and aero helmets.
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The heat that made it the hottest weekend of the year forced organisers to declare the swim non-wetsuit — and by mid-morning the run along the seafront and past the Waterfront Museum was being raced in full sunshine.
At the front, Harry Palmer completed his Swansea three-peat and Lizzie Rayner broke what she called her “curse of Swansea” — you can read the full race report here.
Behind them came 2,700 stories: first-timers, club athletes, families on the barriers and volunteers in the water.
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Here are the best images from the day, courtesy of IRONMAN’s photographers. If you raced — see if you can spot yourself.
Thousands of pink-capped athletes queue the length of the quayside as the rolling swim start gets under way at the Prince of Wales Dock (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Into the water beneath the swim arch — with a Welsh flag flying from the balconies above (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Thumbs up before the plunge — 1.2 miles of Swansea dock water await (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Foil blankets at dawn — the professionals keep warm before the earliest start of the day (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)The gun goes — and the water erupts (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Traffic at the turn buoy (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Morning light on the swim course (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Sunrise over the swim — safety crews shadow the field (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)The calm before — a wave of swimmers treads water awaiting the off (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Lizzie Rayner is introduced to the crowd — a few hours later she would be champion (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Harry Palmer greets the crowd before the swim — chasing, and getting, a third straight Swansea title (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Past the walls of Oystermouth Castle — eight centuries of history watching 90 minutes of bike split (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Mumbles lighthouse keeps watch over the bike course (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)All smiles on the aero bars (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Nikki Bartlett powers through the bike leg on her way to fifth place (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Alone with the road — the closed-road bike course sweeps across Gower’s open country (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Only on Gower — the commons’ residents remain unimpressed by carbon fibre (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Hazard on course: cattle exercise their commoners’ rights as riders thread through (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Age-group racing through the lanes (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Kieran Lindars sprints barefoot for transition — the eventual runner-up wasted no time all day (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Fresh from the water, over the Sail Bridge and on to the bike (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)The Sail Bridge, packed to the rails (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Lindars with the whole of Swansea Bay behind him — two weeks after racing in Frankfurt (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Belgium’s Joran Driesen, all smiles on his way to a podium-clinching run (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)The long straight — Rayner called it “super hard”; the view softens the blow (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Grinning through the half-marathon heat (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Past the National Waterfront Museum, where the run course brought the race into the heart of the Maritime Quarter (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Every bib a story — Pawel and Adele grind out the run leg (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Local colours through the arches — an athlete in SVT club kit hits the Maritime Quarter (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)The curse is broken — Lizzie Rayner takes the tape and her first Pro Series win (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)The women’s podium: winner Lizzie Rayner flanked by Anne-Sophie Pierre (second) and Marta Lagownik (third) (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)Pints up: Harry Palmer, Kieran Lindars and Joran Driesen toast the day — with the sponsor’s alcohol-free, naturally (Image: Getty Images for IRONMAN)
Entries for the 2027 edition of IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea open via the IRONMAN website.
