After years of hosting the 70.3, Davao City is ready for the full IRONMAN challenge as registration opened Tuesday, September 8, 2026, for the inaugural race set June 13, 2027.
The event will be the first full-distance IRONMAN race in Mindanao, expanding Davao’s established triathlon program after years of hosting IRONMAN 70.3 Davao.
The new race will challenge athletes with a 3.8-kilometer ocean swim, 180-kilometer bike leg and 42.2-kilometer run. It will be staged alongside the 70.3 event, giving athletes the choice of taking on the full-distance challenge or the half-distance race during the same weekend.
Sunrise Events Inc. President and General Manager Princess Galura announced the registration opening Tuesday morning in a Facebook post. The Manila-based race organizer is in Davao City for a press conference Tuesday afternoon at the Arcadia Lifestyle and Fitness Center, where organizers are expected to discuss the new race and other details of the event.
IRONMAN 70.3 Davao will cover a 1.9-kilometer swim, 90-kilometer bike, and 21.1-kilometer run.
The addition of the full-distance race gives Davao’s established triathlon community a bigger challenge and allows athletes who have built experience in the 70.3 event to step up to the sport’s longest standard distance.
In a press release, Michelle Pepper, managing director for Asia-Pacific of The IRONMAN Group, said Davao has developed into an important racing community in the Philippines, citing its established athlete base, coastal setting and the opportunity to stage both full- and half-distance races during the same weekend.
Galura said the new race will give athletes a fresh challenge while raising Davao’s profile in the endurance sports scene.
“For athletes stepping up from IRONMAN 70.3 or coming to the Philippines to race the full distance, we want this to be a finish line that means something,” Galura said.
The course will be anchored on Davao City’s Coastal Road and Bago Aplaya Esplanade, with athletes completing two loops of the 3.8-kilometer ocean swim before moving into the three-lap bike course.
The cycling route will wind through the Coastal Road, MacArthur Highway, and other major city roads, with the Bucana Bridge over the Davao River among its prominent landmarks. The route will also take cyclists through areas around Inawayan Bridge, Tulip Roundabout, Sta. Ana Bridge, Tulip Drive, Ecoland Drive and Quimpo Boulevard before they return to the transition area at Bago Esplanade.
The marathon will consist of four loops along the Coastal Road between the Tulip Rotonda area and Bago Aplaya Esplanade before runners make their way to the finish line.
Organizers described the course as mostly flat and said athletes will have views of the Davao Gulf and, when conditions are clear, Mount Apo.
The race layout will put much of the competition on Davao’s expanding coastal road network while incorporating established city roads and landmarks, giving athletes a course that showcases both the city and its surrounding landscape.
Beyond the competition, organizers expect the race weekend to draw relay teams, first-time triathletes, TriClubs, volunteers, families and supporters.
Additional activities and community programs are expected to be announced as the event approaches.
Further details on the race, including the event schedule and other race-day information, are expected to be discussed during the organizers’ press conference Tuesday afternoon. MLSA