A great event with a challenging bike course and good run course. BUT a high risk one at this stage, as the swim was cancelled twice in three years and frankly it being in September the weather is often going to be an issue. The organisers didn't handle the weather super well, the swim was cancelled and the run course got really slippery and had lots of flooded potholes. Wouldn't do it again.

Ironman is the gold standard.  Its pricey, but you feel like you're in a genuine event, with a lot of professionalism.  Weymouth was my first one for a few years and it didnt disappoint.  

I'll just briefly list the things the could have been better, but these are minor in relation to all the good

• Registration - Car park at the pavilion was packed.  Not just with athletes but tourists too.  If you're heading there by car, with intention of going onto transition a few miles away, best you have someone with you who can drive the car around while you register, as getting a space was nigh on impossible.  I'd suggest the same for transition at Lodmoor Country Park and racking - you'll need someone very patient to support you with both!  
• Transition floor - Very tough on the feet, so if you're a barefoot type of person running to and from change tent, with your cycle shoes attached to your bike, its going to hurt a little and slow you down.  Would be incredible if Ironman could put some matting down
• Sighting Buoys - Just needed a few more of them out there.  Thankfully the ocean was calm but there was a little bit of chop and needed a helping hand to make sure I was going in the right direction.  Its an easy route to navigate, but just a few extra buoys would really help
• Aid Stations - Needed one extra aid station on the run for me.  There was three in total, and a Red Bull stop, but felt there was an extra stop missing.  Its helpful for the mental break and there's a long stretch out beyond Lodmoor Country Park and back with no aid stop, and limited support, which is tough mentally.

Aside from that, loved EVERYTHING.  Great pre-race atmosphere, from expo to transition in the morning and queueing for the swim.  Always love that part as the music is loud and everyone is excited.  Very quick on the swim start too, with six swimmers every six seconds.   

The bike course is a UK countryside beauty, with only one real climb that's a bit of a grind around 36 miles.  Doesnt look it and you wonder why you've slowed so much and cant get out of the small ring for ages, even when it flattens out.  But from the summit, there is wonderful descent and opportunity to put your foot down for 15 miles or so.

Run wise, Im still buzzing from the promenade crowds.  Roughly 50% of the run course was full of people shouting encouragement and cheering, including a great section in the harbour where the pubs were open - put a big smile on my face each time I ran past.  And the finish line was packed, that memory wont ever leave me, the famous red ironman carpet, absolutely the best buzz in triathlon.  

Its a great race for your first half iron, enough challenge in there but very doable for anyone making the step up.  Weymouth also a great spot for a long weekend, and plenty to enjoy for all the family.  

Great location for a 70.3, the swim start / transition area is close finish,just up the esplanade . My second time doing this event. As you know weather in UK is a bit unpredictable at best of times & September was no different, the sea was so choppy that swim had to be shortened, the weather was very wet & windy on the bike course, the route however was decent, undulating. It brightened up lovely at the end of the bike which made the run along the sea front with the mass crowds a real moral booster. Plenty of selection at the aid stations. Dominoes pizza a cool T-shirt & medal to finish again. A good race but can be hit and miss with the weather , I think the swim was actually called off one year,but if that doesn’t bother you go for it.

Excellent pack collection and briefing although the registration hall lacked a little excitement. A little more info on options for parking would have been good. We were kept well-informed about the delayed start. Challenging condition meant a shorter swim (1km). Excellent swim safety, plenty of kayaks in tough conditions. Good transition, although a lot of surface water. Bike route scenic and reasonably well marked, a few additional signs and marshals would have been appreciated. Nice run course with great opportunity for spectators. Overall would recommend!

Weymouth 2018 had a shocker weather wise so I will attempt to not let this influence my review :) Registration: Usual for a IM brand, straight forward and reasonably convenient next to the finish line. Plenty info available about the course and helpers were chatty & really friendly. Pre-Race: Info brief was as normal though incredible annoyed that it was briefed no covering of bikes of any kind will be tolerated. Guess this was garbage as in T1 there were covering of pedals, cranksets ect. I get no full bike covers but they should change that part of the brief to allow for electronic parts to be covered. Just disappointing that the brief and actual policy was different. Race: Due to conditions the swim was cut to 950m, this was communicated late (I received a text while racing) which left us hanging around in the rain. Swim otherwise was fine and in the sea so if interested be prepared for currents and possibly a slow one. As stated weather was shocking so the bike was interesting. People pulled over everywhere with punctures or just trying to get warm. Plenty marshals on the course and no chance to get lost. Aid stations really well manned and everybody really helpful. Even in that weather there was some local support. Its a rolling bike course with only one serious climb so would be pretty quick if the weather was kind. Run course is 3.5 laps along the seas front. Non racers can and did walk on the course which isn't ideal and to be honest its not the most interesting of run routes though its flat which is always nice. Aid stations well manned & plenty of options. Decent support out there on the course as well which was really good. Post race T-shirt & medal and loads of food which was nice. Usual IM post race & they know what they are doing. Good race despite the weather and has potential to be quick. I think i would go back.

No racking for tri clubs or different colour swim hats Other wise a cracking event. The swim safety team did an amazing job in tough conditions. The bike course is rolling with 1 steep climb but its not that bad. The run is nice and flat. Done this race twice now. Doubt i'll do it again as its pretty dear

I had heard lots of good things about IM Weymouth 70.3 and was hoping it was a course to get a PB. Ironman cannot be faulted for the quality and breadth of information available prior to their races, and overall organisation is very good. As always, the downside to participating in IM-branded race is the price! 

Ahead of the race itself, the briefing was excellent, but the location of transition away from the finish line, and a significant lack of parking close to the venue, meant there was a lot of walking between locations all weekend! Transition set-up was excellent however, with plenty of space to hang bags and get changed. 

The course is good, but not spectacular. The sea swim was reasonably warm (thankfully as the air temperature was freezing!) with favourable tide; the bike course felt hillier than the ~800m elevation advertised and I felt like it was a constant uphill battle for the first 30-40miles! The run course is 3.5 laps along the sea front, which is lovely and flat and amazingly well-supported by locals, but as far as half-marathons go it is incredibly boring, with not a lot to look at except concrete and the sea (Disclaimer: my personal opinion, I may be less enamoured by the seaside, having grown up in Cornwall!)     

I would recommend Weymouth 70.3 as a good beginner race for people stepping up to middle distance, but a good support crew is essential to reduce stress both before and after race day! 

I had previously done this race when it was Challenge Family in 2014. The sea was not to kind that year.

This year a different story. The sea was choppy but not too bad. The water temp when entering was quite a shock to my system. But as you continued to swim the water got warmer and so the chop did get rougher. Overall though swim was fine. It's a stoney beach and you run through transition on the bitumen. Feels like a long way. It is. Lol.

The bike is undulating but wow what a bike course. Outside of having several asthma attacks, I absolutely loved it. So many cool descents. There is one really bitey hill, but bike leg totally doable on a TT bike.

Run course is different to what I experienced when it was with Challenge. Completely in front of spectators. So many spectators cheering. No where to really hide. Flat along promenade.

Overall great course in my opinion. 

I WILL be back.

Registration, race briefing and the sponsors stash tent are at the finish, whereas transition and bag racking is at the start - which are just over a mile apart. This is fine if you plan ahead an allow plenty of time to do everything but isn't ideal race prep if you have to dash between the two. Being a small coastal town parking doesn't allow for much driving and easy parking at transition, although seemed to be ok at the finish, at least on the Friday.

The race itself was really well organised. They had specific cut offs for registration/ racking/ race morning bike check etc which some complained about but it was only hassle if you were late..

The sea swim was choppy and felt like you were travelling further vertically than forward with each wave meaning it was a bit of a struggle, but was by no means anything too taxing to a competent swimmer able to cover the distance. This was my first sea swim and I found it odd to get used to but manageable. My only gripe with the swim was the sharp pebble beach entry and exit, which I was directly assured was going to be addressed for this year, so i'm not sure what happened there..

Transition areas are clearly laid out with plenty of space no crowding issues there.

The bike course is a great tour of the local countryside and had some decent climbs and flat n fast stretches too. The aid stations were really well managed and full of enthusiastic and encouraging people handing out bottles/ gels/ bars/ bananas. They always seemed to come just at the right time too which was welcomed.

The run is a 3 1/2 loop course on the sea front with massive crowds the entire way round. If you fear struggling to keep the foot on the gas for the full 13.1 then having constant crowds the whole way certainly gives a kick up the backside! Nice and flat with a finish run-in just off one end of the loop, you get to stroll down the magic carpet all the way to that finishers medal and a beer.

Personally the swim did me in for a bit in T1 and early on in the bike, so I'm keen to come back and set a better time. You can go harder than you'd expect on the bike as you don't need as much left in the legs for a run as flat as this which is a lesson learned for next time.

This was my first 70.3 and my first Ironman event but hopefully not the last! Fantastic organisation from start to finish although I would recommend arriving on the Friday if you can (more in this later.)

Ironman events do cost more than others but to be honest, I felt that it was worth every penny. Everything from the briefing to racking and bags provided, tons of marshals on the course (never seen so many marshals on a bike course before) amazing volunteers at all the aid stations (with tons of encouragement on the run course when you are having to dig deep and so many safety craft etc for the swim course.

The finish line (and registration/briefing area) is a couple of miles from transition so if you arrive on Saturday, it’s going to be very busy and quite a trek going from registration/briefing, packing bags and then taking bags/bike to transition. I arrived on Friday so had a very relaxed briefing and registration, relaxed walked round the expo and then just got up the next day and racked my bike. This then meant I had a very easy no stress Saturday which I needed as a novice at this distance.

The swim was a rolling start with times marked out so you knew roughly where to stand if you were say a 35 min swimmer or a 40 min swimmer etc. Shortly after the pros went off they started the first age groupers but from where I was standing (around 45 min swim time) it took what felt like ages to get in the water (they did warn us in the briefing that it would take 50 mins to get everyone in.) They had turnstiles and a count down beeper so 6 people go every 5 seconds. This made for a much more relaxed swim start which was great for me as a novice sea swimmer.

Sea was quite choppy with a fair swell so most people were slower than usual and every time I tried to sight I was slightly off from where I thought I was going. My girlfriend (who was supporting) said that quite a few people didn’t finish the swim as conditions were a bit too tough for them. I was just happy to finish as it felt much tougher than my last sea swim of this distance (my only previous proper sea swim!)

Bike course was an undulating, very scenic and closed roads route with several small hills and one fairly long hill towards the end of the course. 3500 ft of climbing for the 56 mile course with some very fast downhill sections as well. I really enjoyed the course and the scenery was stunning. As I said before, there were marshalls at every turn and it was incredibly well managed.

Run was 3.5 laps up and down the esplanade with fantastic support and aid stations every mile so ample opportunity to take on drinks/gels etc whenever you needed them. I found the run pretty tough going as the month leading up to the event was pretty awful for me with virtually no training due to several injuries. The amazing support and fantastic marshals made such a difference and loads of kids putting their hands out for high fives.

After what felt like an eternity I eventually rounded the final turn point with about 500m to go. I was so lucky to go down the finishing straight on my own and will never forget the cheers from the crowd as I grinned inanely and windmilled my arms to get them to cheer louder! I loved this event and hope to come back again with hopefully better prep next time! I would recommend Weymouth 70.3 to anyone, it really is a fantastic event.