Build your IRONMAN Kona plan
Your coach opens with the IRONMAN Kona set for October 9, 2027, asks about your week and your fitness, then writes every session of your full-distance (140.6) triathlon plan. Free, and you can start as a guest. About 48 weeks to go.
Start your IRONMAN Kona plan- Formats
- 140.6
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Taper starts
- September 21, 2027
IRONMAN Kona distances
- 140.6 2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, 26.2 mi run
Course
The IRONMAN Kona course
The 2.4-mile swim is an out-and-back in Kailua Bay with an in-water start. The 112-mile bike runs from Kailua-Kona to the Hawi turnaround and back on the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway, with a climb to Hawi, exposed lava fields and strong crosswinds.
Read the full course notes
The 26.2-mile run goes out and back on Ali'i Drive, then up Palani Road to the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway and the Natural Energy Laboratory, finishing on Ali'i Drive.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Formats
- 140.6
- Race-day conditions
- The site lists air temperatures from 75 °F to 86 °F and describes small swells and warm swim conditions; no water temperature is listed.
What to train for
Build aerobic endurance across all three sports and practice race-day fueling in long bricks, since nutrition often decides the second half of the marathon.
Rehearse pacing so the bike effort leaves enough in reserve for a steady run.
Heat acclimation and riding steady in crosswinds are key, as is pacing the climb to Hawi so the marathon in the heat stays steady.
Sample week
A sample IRONMAN Kona training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Swim, 1 h 15 min: drills and technique
- Tuesday Key session
- Bike, 1 h 30 min with threshold intervals
- Wednesday
- Swim, 1 h 15 min: steady intervals at race effort
- Easy run, 1 h
- Thursday Key session
- Run, 1 h with tempo segments
- Friday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Saturday Key session
- Long ride, 5 h, then a 45 min run off the bike
- Sunday
- Long run, 2 h 15 min easy
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the IRONMAN Kona
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Trim the volume in all three sports, keep short race-pace efforts in each, and do one last short brick so running off the bike still feels familiar. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on October 9, 2027, your taper starts around September 21, 2027.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add Athlete Space to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a full-distance (140.6) triathlon season for the IRONMAN World Championship on October 9, 2027. I train about [hours] hours a week, [days] days a week.
IRONMAN Kona training questions
How long should I train for the IRONMAN Kona?
Most athletes give a full-distance (140.6) triathlon twenty-four to thirty weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The coach counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
What is the IRONMAN Kona course like?
Rolling. The 2.4-mile swim is an out-and-back in Kailua Bay with an in-water start.
How cold is the water at the IRONMAN Kona?
The site lists air temperatures from 75 °F to 86 °F and describes small swells and warm swim conditions; no water temperature is listed.
When should I start tapering for the IRONMAN Kona?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Trim the volume in all three sports, keep short race-pace efforts in each, and do one last short brick so running off the bike still feels familiar. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on October 9, 2027, your taper starts around September 21, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a IRONMAN Kona training plan?
Start as a guest and save a free account later. Your coach writes your full-distance (140.6) triathlon plan and adapts it every week as you log your training. No card.