IRONMAN 70.3 AcapulcoVerified
IRONMAN 70.3 Acapulco: 91 km bike leg, 433 m of climbing. Elevation profile, what the terrain asks of you, the weather this race day usually brings, and how to pace this course.
Course intel
T1 is inside the Marina Cabo Marqués, and the first 600 m out of it are a climb, followed by a bumpy descent via Blvd de las Naciones and the Viaducto Diamante. After that the course goes back and forth between the coastal plain and two sections of hills reaching about 60 m (roughly 18 to 35 km and 60 to 80 km), finishing at T2 in front of the Pierre Mundo Imperial hotel. About 430 m of elevation gain on well-kept pavement. Acapulco is still hot and humid in early November: don't attack the opening climb, and set a power ceiling for the hills.
Source: Adapted from the official course description (the course page on ironman.com)
The terrain on this course
- Flat (±1.2%) makes up 74%
- Main climb 0.0–0.8 km: 51 m of gain (avg 6.4%)
- Main climb 15.8–16.8 km: 25 m of gain (avg 2.8%)
- Main climb 58.9–60.0 km: 29 m of gain (avg 2.6%)
Speed score
Rolling terrain is where you overspend without noticing: 20 extra watts on every little rise adds up and empties your legs for the back half. Let power touch the top of the range on the small stuff and leave it there.
Historical race-day weather (around 11-01): 26.7°C · Wind 1.4 m/s
0 to 100, and the higher it is the easier it is to post a good time. Points come off for terrain, for corners, and for the heat and wind this race has actually had over the last five years at the same time of year. Full explanation in the article “How the course score works”.