Wilmington gears up for IRONMAN 70.3

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A record 3,500 athletes are expected to compete in the 17th annual IRONMAN 70.3 North Carolina this weekend, bringing thousands of participants to the Wilmington area and prompting significant traffic disruptions Saturday.

Organizers say the race sold out months in advance. The competition includes a 1.2-mile swim in a channel connected to the Intracoastal Waterway, a 56-mile bike ride from Wrightsville Beach into Pender County and back, and a 13.1-mile run down North Front Street, around Greenfield Lake twice and back.

The race begins with a rolling swim start at 7:10 a.m. Saturday near Wrightsville Beach, with the finish line at Water Street Park in downtown Wilmington.

Drivers should expect significant traffic impacts throughout the day. Organizers are urging motorists to avoid Carolina Beach Road and use 17th Street as an alternate route to downtown Wilmington.

Race-day forecasts call for morning temperatures in the lower 60s, with a chance of showers.

IRONMAN 70.3 race director Sami Winter said preparations involve a local team coordinating everything from course operations to crowd planning. The process began after the 2025 race.

“We have a whole team here locally that does it, I mean, and it’s everything from discussing where your porta-potties are going to go, what your trash plan’s going to be, to how many barricades need to come out, but then, once you get all the operational plans in place, then we can work on some of this, which is just awesome, really tried to plan a local crowd for everybody,” said Winter.

A list of road closures and detours is available at ironman.com.