This is a preview of the race – click on the names to read about emphatic victories for Kristian Blummenfelt and Taylor Knibb.

Oceanside is often heralded as the real start of the middle / long distance pro triathlon season – but 2026 feels a little different.

That’s because we were treated to an epic showdown between the three best middle-distance men at 70.3 Geelong just last week as Kristian Blummenfelt’s extraordinary run saw him get the better of Jelle Geens and Hayden Wilde. Not to mention another classy and dominant display from Kat Matthews in the women’s race.

But the fields are still stacked in California and include not just Blummenfelt but also the brilliant Taylor Knibb, who began her campaign with victory at T100 Gold Coast the day before Geelong.

Read on for all you need to know – and the good news is that this is the third race in the IRONMAN Pro Series so there’s live coverage which is embedded below. And kudos to the M-Dot brand for a big leap forward on various levels with the filming and tracking in Geelong.

Start time and how to watch live

IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside gets underway on Saturday 28 March at 06:40 local time (PST) with the professional men setting off first, slightly ahead of the women.

That’s 09:40 on the eastern seaboard of the United States while in Europe this corresponds to 14:40 CET, with the race starting at 13:40 in the UK.

The race will be broadcast live and for free across multiple platforms for viewers around the world including proseries.ironman.com, DAZN, iQIYI, L’Equipe Live, and YouTube among others. 

And the YouTube coverage is embedded below so you don’t have to leave this page.

As always, the ever reliable IRONMAN Tracker is the perfect data addition to support your viewing – though the most detailed splits (including for the swim) can now be found on the live coverage.

Pro Men’s race

One big name missing this year – and synonymous with Oceanside – is Canadian star Lionel Sanders.

Last year ‘No Limits’ bagged a fourth victory here – and an eighth podium in eight starts at the race but he’s being careful not to over-exert himself early this season having won 70.3 Dallas-Little Elm two weeks ago before he tackles IRONMAN Texas in the middle of next month.

So long as jetlag isn’t an issue then Kristian Blummenfelt has to be the big favourite – and he also has some unfinished business at Oceanside after a puncture wrecked his chances last year, though he still clocked a 1:07:19 half marathon.

He’s joined by fellow Norwegians Casper Stornes – the reigning IRONMAN World Champion – and Gustav Iden, both of whom bypassed a trip to New Zealand and Australia because of injury niggles.

Sam Long and Rudy Von Berg lead the home defence. It’s a seasonal reappearance for Long, who won three Stateside 70.3s last year, while Von Berg was runner-up here 12 months ago but a slightly disappointing seventh behind Sanders in Dallas recently.

And watch out for Jonas Schomburg as the German has the ability to shake things up, especially in the swim and bike.

Pro Women’s race

Taylor Knibb looked to be on cruise control for much of the T100 opener on the Gold Coast last week but the big question mark against her is the same as Blummenfelt – how much impact will the long-haul travel have?

As multiple 70.3 Worlds and T100 Championships underline, the American star remains the woman to beat at this distance and she’s two out of two (2022 and 2024) at Oceanside.

She’ll have to be on her game though as Paula Findlay (CAN) is back to defend her title and also after a third Oceanside crown.

The only one of her five 70.3s that she didn’t win in 2025 was the World Championship in Marbella and this could be the year that we see her step up to full distance.

And that move up was carried off in sensational style last season by Norway’s Solveig Løvseth – the fastest time on debut when third at IRONMAN Hamburg and then victories at Lake Placid and the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii.

This is her season opener as she builds up to IRONMAN Texas, with the Pro Series a real focus in 2026.

Those three are bibs #1, #2 and #3 and are the most likely to be on the podium but Jackie Hering (USA), just run out of here by Findlay last year, and the winner on her return in Dallas a fortnight ago has to be respected – and there’s also plenty of strength in depth further down what is a 31-women field.

Oceanside 70.3 course

A rolling start will see the athletes venture out onto the single loop 1.9km saltwater swim course that takes competitors into Oceanside Harbour.

Following T1, the bike course takes athletes through the Oceanside Harbour towards Camp Pendleton – an active military base – as competitors get sight of California’s countryside. Following a 32km jaunt along the coastline, athletes will venture inland facing a trio of climbs including San Mateo Hill. The single loop ends with T2 in the vicinity of the harbour.

It’s a hilly and challenging bike course and it will be fascinating this year to see how the ‘new’ 20-metre draft zone impacts things.

A two loop, out-and-back style run, along the harbour front ends proceedings – a relatively fast and frenetic end to the race.

IRONMAN Pro Series 2026

The IRONMAN Pro Series will see athletes competing for a piece of the $1.7 million USD season-ending bonus prize pool.Professionals racing at 70.3 Oceanside will also race for a share of a $50,000 USD event prize purse.

The Pro Series is 16 events in total – six IRONMANs and eight IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons around the world in addition to the IRONMAN World Championship and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.

The best five scores (up to three IRONMANs) count and the winners of full-distance events will be allocated a maximum of 5000 points for winning, with 2,500 awarded in 70.3 races. Those totals go up to 6,000 and 3,000 respectively for the World Championships.

Points for all remaining professional finishers will diminish based on the time deficit to first place at a rate of 1 point per 1 second to the first place finish time.  There is no points minimum, or “floor”. Points will accumulate throughout the season.

A cool $200,000 is on offer for the series winner on both the men’s and women’s side, with second earning €130,000 and third receiving $85,000.