Triathlon: Preparations underway for 2026 Manx season

New middle distance event introduced for latest campaign

Preparations are well underway for an expanded 2026 triathlon season on the Isle of Man.

This year will see the local campaign feature four main events, which includes the introduction of a new competition - the Middle Distance Triathlon over a Half-Ironman distance.

Manx Tri Club member and 2025 Island Games triathlon medalist, Clara Isaac agrees the sport - along with other endurance disciplines - has seen a surge in popularity across the world in recent years.

She explains why it may be that more people are getting involved in triathlon and other long-distance challenges:

When it comes to the 2026 Isle of Man triathlon season, the first key meeting on the calendar is the Junior Triathlon taking place on Saturday, 25 April at the NSC in Douglas with sign on from 11am for an 11.30am start.

That will be aimed at children aged 8-14 and will be a non-timed, non-competitive introduction to the disciplines of triathlon swimming, cycling and running.

The Sprint Triathlon will then follow on Sunday, 10 May and feature a 750km swim at the Northern Swimming Pool in Ramsey; a 20km cycle route and a 5km run and will be open to both individual and team entries.

Separately the same day will be an individual, non-competitive 400-metre swim event at the Northern Swimming Pool.

Following that meeting will be the new Middle Distance Triathlon on Sunday, 14 June at Mooragh Park in Ramsey including a 1.9km swim in the Mooragh Lake; 90km cycling course and 21.1km run in and around Ramsey town centre.

All entrants for the middle distance must be aged 18 or over.

The fourth main event of the season will be the 2026 Isle of Man Triathlon Championships on Sunday, 6 September, also at Mooragh Park in Ramsey.

There will be two races - standard and sprint distance - with the minimum age to enter being 15 for the sprint and 17 for the standard.

Details on events and how to enter can be found on the Manx Tri Club website.

You can also listen the full, extended interview with Clara Isaac on the Manx Radio SportsCast available below: