IRONMAN 70.3 Port MacquarieVerified
IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie: 90 km bike leg, 968 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
Out of transition along Clarence Street onto the rollers of Ocean Drive, around the Tacking Point lighthouse, south to the U-turn at Lake Cathie, north to another U-turn at Greenmeadows Drive, then the famous steep climb of Matthew Flinders Drive. About 980 m of elevation gain with many short steep climbs. Mid-October on Australia's east coast is spring, and the wind is strong.
Source: Adapted from the official course description (the course page on ironman.com)
The terrain on this course
- Flat (±1.2%) makes up 51%
- Main climb 38.9–39.9 km: 58 m of gain (avg 5.8%)
- Main climb 42.6–43.2 km: 34 m of gain (avg 5.6%)
- Main climb 82.2–83.2 km: 56 m of gain (avg 5.6%)
Speed score
On a climb-heavy course, few people lose to the hills; most lose to attacking them. Hold your range going up, relax and recover going down, and save your legs for the run.
Historical race-day weather (around 10-18): 19.0°C · Wind 3.8 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”.