IRONMAN 70.3 La Quinta: Date, start time, who’s racing and how to follow

Located near Palm Springs, California, and often referred to as Indian Wells, IRONMAN 70.3 La Quinta is the last pro middle-distance IRONMAN event of 2025.

The race starts with a 1.9km single-loop swim in Lake Cahuilla – a protected reservoir which should ensure flat water conditions. The single-loop 90km bike course is flat and fast, while the two-loop run course takes in the Silver Rock Golf Resort.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of the latest renewal…

Start time and how to follow live

The race will take place on Sunday December 7. The professional men will start first, with the gun going off at 07:00 local time. This corresponds to 15:00 in the UK, 16:00 in Central Europe and 10:00 on the East Coast. 

The women’s race will commence five minutes later at 07:05 local time.

There’s no live stream this weekend but the ever reliable IRONMAN Tracker App will provide up-to-date splits throughout the swim, bike and run for the professional and age group races.

Pro Men

Bib #1 in the men’s field is Canada’s Lionel Sanders, who is hoping to make his comeback from injury.

‘No Limits’ is two-out-of-two this season after 70.3 wins at first Oceanside and then St George but he hasn’t raced since the latter, which was way back in May.

However his participation is currently up in the air as he revealed in his latest YouTube video: “Two weeks ago I pulled my glute, so I’ve been in that annoying space where you’re training but not really building.

“It’s a golf course for the run [at La Quinta] and there are tons of corners and ups and downs so I don’t really want to risk a major setback. I will make that decision by next Friday.”

So we probably won’t know until 48 hours beforehand whether he lines up but his great friend and rival Sam Long will definitely be there.

Long of course has been busy over the last couple of weeks, with he and wife Lara welcoming their second child Sebi just after ‘Yo Yo Yo’ booked his 2026 Kona slot with second place at IRONMAN Arizona.

Long turns 30 on December 23 and he said on Instagram this week: “70.3 La Quinta Race Week. Can’t wait to head here for the final race of the season. I got a big goal before I turn 30. Can you guess?”

His current tally of pro wins stands at 19 – so it would round out a special year in style if he can tick that up to 20.

One of those came in this very event in 2022 and he was third on his last visit in 2023 when this season’s IRONMAN World Champions Casper Stornes and Solveig Løvseth really announced themselves on the middle-distance stage by taking the wins.

Long has to be the clear favourite, though fellow Americans Colin Szuch and Matt Hanson will have podium ambitions as will Canada’s Jackson Laundry.

Pro Women

The top two on the women’s side Tamara Jewett and Jackie Hering.

Hering has had a great season with two wins and three other podiums, while Jewett has taken in her first three full IRONMANs in 2025 and beat Hering when the pair were one-two at 70.3 Santa Cruz in September.

They’ve also got form at La Quinta – Jewett was runner-up three times on the trot between 2021 and 2023 while Hering rounded out the podium behind Lovseth and Jewett in 2023.

They are the standout names in what’s a big field, with Jeanni Metzler one of those a little lower down the list with podium potential.

She’s only raced three times this season but has third places at both 70.3 Louiseville (won by Hering) and 70.3 Pennysylvania.

Prize Money: What’s on the line?

The prize purse on offer this weekend is $40,000 – with the winners collecting a $7,500 share of that total.

In addition to money, there will be a total of four qualifying slots for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, with two for the women and two for the men in Nice next year. 

The total funds will be paid eight-deep, as follows:

• 1. $7,500
• 2. $5,000
• 3. $3,750
• 4. $3,000
• 5. $2,000
• 6. $1,500
• 7. $1,250
• 8. $1,000