Data Dive: The Fastest and Slowest Ironman 70.3 Races of 2022

Like our analysis of the fastest and slowest Ironman races of 2022, the distribution of Ironman 70.3 races is also much more even, fairly even split between Europe, North America, and Rest of World (Oceania, Asia, South America, and Africa). This year saw more than 100,000 triathletes make it down the chute at Ironman 70.3 races – half the distance, double the triathletes. But what were the fastest and slowest Ironman 70.3 races of 2022? Let’s dive into the data.

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2022 Ironman 70.3 racing: a snapshot

Below is a snapshot of all the Ironman races that took place around the world sorted by average completion time (x-axis) and total number of finishers (y-axis). We also group those races by region, such that red stands for races in North America, blue for Europe, and yellow for ROW, or Rest of World (South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania).

In terms of the sheer size of the races, 70.3s are more uniformly distributed between Europe and North America, that is, you are more or less equally likely to find a large or small race (in terms of participants) on either side of the Atlantic (on average 1500 triathletes in North America versus 1600 in Europe). Elsewhere, the story is similar to the full distance Ironman scenario: Outside of these two regions races tend to be much smaller (875).

In terms of average finishing time, we see a slightly different situation than with Ironman.

When compared to the Europeans, North American races are still clearly much slower.  However, whereas with Ironman the slowest races were in North America, with 70.3 it is ROW that has quite a few lagging races, with three races (Subic Bay, Goa and Kenting) being so far behind the rest as to almost be considered outliers. Also, some races had their swims shortened or canceled, and they have been removed from this analysis.

If you’re looking to compare this to previous years, take a look at our 2021 analysis of the fastest and slowest Ironman 70.3 times, or even pre-pandemic with our 2019 roundup of the fastest and slowest Ironman courses.

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Fastest/Slowest Ironman 70.3 Races 2022: Average Finishing Time

These perhaps merit some explanation. Kenting, Subic Bay, and Philippines (Cebu) are always tough courses with harsh weather conditions. On top of that, as these countries were easing out of Covid restrictions the number of international athletes who traveled to compete at those races was much more limited, which would have brought the average down.

Still, it is a curious thought that Gustav Iden’s time at Kona was only 30 seconds slower than the average at Kenting.

Slowest Ironman 70.3 Races 2022

On the other side of the rankings we have some well-known fast courses like Florianopolis (Brazil), although none of these races were fastest in 2021 or 2019. This suggests that while the slowest races are more or less established, the fastest ones are harder to predict – less than 3 minutes separate the top three races!

Fastest Ironman 70.3 Races 2022

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Fastest and Slowest Ironman 70.3 Swim Times: 2022

USA is where you can find some of the fastest and the slowest Ironman 70.3 swims. Unsurprisingly, we find Kenting and Goa finishing up the slowest swim ranking. Still, it could be worse – less than 16 minutes separate the fastest swims from the slowest ones.

Fastest Ironman 70.3 Average Swim Times 2022

Slowest Ironman 70.3 Average Swim Times 2022

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Fastest and Slowest Ironman 70.3 Bike Times: 2022

On the bike, you better look outside North America for speedy races – Europe and Brazil are where things get zippy, especially with courses and conditions optimized to help you hit your PR. On the other hand, if you want to enjoy the ride longer, keep going to the climbs in Kenting.

Fastest Ironman 70.3 Average Bike Times 2022

Slowest Ironman 70.3 Average Bike Times 2022

Fastest and Slowest Ironman 70.3 Run Times: 2022

For the run, no better place than Europe, your choice between Germany, Austria, and Poland, to try your luck at a run PR. If you are strong on the run, and you are good at running in the heat, head over to Asia. (As this writer can attest, the tropical temperatures will test the resolve of even the most seasoned triathlete.)

Fastest Ironman 70.3 Average Run Times 2022

Slowest Ironman 70.3 Average Run Times 2022

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