This is a preview of the event – click here to read about terrific wins for American duo Sam Long and Grace Alexender.

Middle distance racing heads to Florida this weekend with IRONMAN 70.3 Gulf Coast.

It’s only been held as a pro race twice before (2019 and 2023) and last time out only featured a male field but this year it’s both men and women.

There are plenty of big names taking part and in our preview below you’ll find everything you need to know about the action down at Panama City Beach.

Start time, course details and how to follow

Racing will take place at Panama City Beach on Saturday 9 May, with the forecast suggesting some cloud cover and temperatures around 24 degees Celsius on the Gulf of Mexico.

They will complete one clockwise ocean lap of 1.9km in the Gulf which can feature strong currents.

They’ll then heading out on the bike for one lap of 90km through the Pine Log State Forest. It’s essentially flat and fast, with the elevation always between sea level and 30 metres.

The run too is one of the quickest around – three 7km laps before finishing at the Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort.

The racing will begin with the pro men at 06:10 local time which is 07:10 Eastern, 04:10 Western, 12:10 in the UK and 13:10 CET.

The pro women head off five minutes later.

It’s not part of the IRONMAN Pro Series so isn’t televised but, as always, the IRONMAN Tracker app on mobile devices is your essential way to follow the action – and we’ll have reports soon after the winners cross the line.

Pro Men – Long the ‘defending’ champ

The last time there was a pro race at 70.3 Gulf Coast it was Sam Long who topped the standings and he’s back again this year in the #1 bib.

It was North American domination that day – Canadians Lionel Sanders and Jackson Laundry joined Long on the podium, with Americans filling the next nine places.

They included Trevor Foley in fifth who looked like being one of Long’s biggest rivals here after making a superb start to 2026 with that hugely impressive victory at IRONMAN New Zealand.

However he’s come off the start list in the last couple of days and that underlines Long’s status as clear favourite, providing he’s recovered from IRONMAN Texas where he was 15th.

The swim here will be interesting – Long (who eventually came fourth) was just a couple of minutes behind quickest in the water at Oceanside Marc Dubrick (USA).

The field is dominated by homegrown athletes and another name which jumps out is Seth Rider who is stepping up again from short course after being involved at WTCS Samarkand a couple of weeks ago.

Pro Women

It’s a much smaller women’s field with just 16 currently on the start list and it’s the top three who stand out.

In #1 is Danielle Lewis who has had a busy start to the season – fifth at IRONMAN New Zealand and top 10 at 70.3 Oceanside before a DNF at IRONMAN Texas.

Just 11 seconds behind Lewis at Oceanside was fellow American Grace Alexander and she didn’t finish outside the top six in her seven 70.3 races last season, taking the win at Chattanooga almost exactly 12 months ago.

Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes is invariably quickest in the swim and has been in her two 70.3 events so far in 2026. A strong end of 2025 in close-to-home races saw her pick up two wins and two podiums and she again looks sure to animate things early on, just as she did last time out at WTCS Samarkand in a swim battle with Bianca Seregni.

Prize Money: What’s on the line?

The prize purse on offer this weekend is $40,000 – with the winners each collecting $5,500.

In addition, there will be two qualifying slots for each gender for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France.

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