Preparation guide · Club La Santa IRONMAN Lanzarote
Ironman Lanzarote 2027: how to prepare it and what to eat and drink on the bike and run
The next edition is on Saturday 22 May 2027 (provisional date: the organisers haven't confirmed it yet; in 2026 it was held on 23 May. The time of each leg is indicative), starting in Playa Grande, Puerto del Carmen (Lanzarote, Spain) at 7:00. Here you have the three legs of the Ironman Lanzarote: the swim, the bike with its profile and feed stations, and the run with split times, what's at each aid station, how much to eat and drink and the usual weather.
Swim (3.8 km): the swim
Playa Grande, Puerto del Carmen: two laps; water is available in the transition area (historical guide).
Swim keys
- 3.8 km in the Atlantic, in two laps from Playa Grande, in Puerto del Carmen. Check on the map where the turn buoys are.
- It's open sea: swell and current change every year. Train your sighting (lifting your head every 8–10 strokes) and swim at a pace you can hold without going flat out.
- Check in the athlete guide whether wetsuits are allowed that year depending on water temperature, and test yours before the day.
- There's water in the transition area: drink a little before getting on the bike, since salt water dries your mouth.
Bike (180 km): route and profile
2024 edition track; approximate 2026 climbing from the guide (the track measures less).
| Climb | Where | Length | Gain | Average grade | Top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climb at km 26 | km 26–34 | 8.0 km | +260 m | 3.2 % | 425 m |
| Climb at km 82 | km 82–88 | 5.7 km | +227 m | 4.0 % | 392 m |
| Climb at km 90 | km 90–98 | 7.4 km | +367 m | 5.0 % | 697 m |
The climbs and key sections, one by one
| Climb or section | Length | What it's like and how to ride it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Puerto del Carmen → Uga km 0 | 20 km | Out from the coast inland, climbing gradually to Uga (liquid station at km 20). The first 20 km set the day: low watts (65–70 % of FTP), chasing nobody, and start eating after 15 minutes. |
| 2. Timanfaya (Fire Mountains) km 26.3 | 8 km avg 3.2 % | Steady climb between lava flows through Timanfaya park: no shade, reflected heat and gusty wind. Below 75 % of FTP and in a comfortable position. Drink even if you aren't thirsty: the next station (Mancha Blanca, km 43.8) is the first with food. |
| 3. Tinajo → Teguise km 43.8 | 21 km | Plains in the centre and north of the island, open and often into the trade wind. Into the wind, get low and hold your watts, not your speed: this is where most people overdo it. |
| 4. Teseguite km 82.3 | 5.7 km avg 4 % | Climb from Tahíche to Teseguite (full station at km 87). Seated and steady: the island's hardest block is coming. Eat well at the station. |
| 5. Los Valles and Las Nieves km 90.4 | 7.4 km avg 5 % | The hardest climb: through Los Valles (personal nutrition bag, km 93.6) up to Las Nieves, the highest point, with wind on the ridge. Easy gear and no more than 80 % of FTP. Pick up your bag without rushing: it's your food for the second half. At the top, the descent to Haría is technical. |
| 6. Climb to the Mirador del Río km 104.5 | 7 km avg 5.1 % | From Haría, two ramps up to the Mirador del Río (full station at km 113), above the cliff and with strong wind. The last long climb: still too early to push. At the top, drink and eat before the descent. |
| 7. Descent and back along the east km 113 | 23 km | A fast, twisting descent to the coast and a gradual climb back to Teseguite (km 136). On the descent, hands on the hoods and crosswinds: no aero bars. Afterwards, rhythm and food. |
| 8. Masdache and La Geria km 136 | 32 km | Rollers between vineyards on volcanic ash, through Masdache (km 151) and La Asomada (km 168), often into the wind. This is where you see who saved themselves: hold your watts and keep eating until km 165. After that, liquids only. |
| 9. Descent to Puerto del Carmen km 168 | 13 km | Final descent to the coast and T2. Loosen your legs with high cadence over the last 5 km to start the run feeling good. |
Route keys
- 180 km and about 2,550 m on a volcanic island: one of the toughest bikes on the Ironman circuit. The wind matters as much as the climbs, so save your strength and don't empty yourself in the first half.
- There are nine points: full (with gels, bars, banana and orange) at km 43.8, 87, 113, 136 and 151, and liquid only (water and 226ERS Hydrazero) at km 20, 64.9 and 168. Between km 20 and 43.8 you only get liquid: set off with your own food.
- At Los Valles (km 93.6) you pick up the personal nutrition bag you left before the race. It isn't a standard station: what you put there is your plan for the second half.
- Heat, sun and shadeless volcanic rock: sunscreen, glasses and a vented helmet, and salt from the start. Drink at every station even if you're not thirsty.
3 more keys in WinWatts: with the forecast for the days before, the wind and heat section by section, and on which climbs to eat and drink.
Bike (180 km): what to eat and drink
How much a typical rider (72 kg) needs depending on their time. From 2–3 hours on, what matters most is eating carbs regularly (every 20–30 minutes) and drinking before you're thirsty.
| Total time | Carbs per hour | Total carbs | Drink per hour | Total drink | Sodium per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 h 15 | 75 g/h | 330 g | 650 ml/h | 3.4 l | 450 mg/h |
| 6 h | 75 g/h | 365 g | 650 ml/h | 3.9 l | 450 mg/h |
| 6 h 45 | 75 g/h | 405 g | 650 ml/h | 4.4 l | 450 mg/h |
| 7 h 30 | 75 g/h | 480 g | 650 ml/h | 4.9 l | 450 mg/h |
More than 60–90 g of carbs per hour only if you've trained it. Don't try on race day what you haven't tolerated in training.
Section by section between feed stations (for about 6 h)
At the feed stations (km 20, 44, 65, 87, 113, 136, 151, 168) you stop, eat something and refill your bottles (the ones at km 20 and 65 and 168 only have drinks). But what matters most is what you take on the move until the next one: this table tells you how much. You can pick it up at the station or carry your own gels and bars; what matters is spreading it out, not eating it all at once when you stop.
| Section | Duration | Carbs to take in the section | Drink in the section |
|---|---|---|---|
| km 0 → 20 | 0 h 49 | 60 g | 550 ml |
| km 20 → 44 | 0 h 54 | 70 g | 600 ml |
| km 44 → 65 | 0 h 38 | 45 g | 400 ml |
| km 65 → 87 | 0 h 40 | 50 g | 450 ml |
| km 87 → 113 | 1 h 09 | 85 g | 750 ml |
| km 113 → 136 | 0 h 41 | 50 g | 450 ml |
| km 136 → 151 | 0 h 27 | 35 g | 300 ml |
| km 151 → 168 | 0 h 28 | 35 g | 300 ml |
| km 168 → 180 | 0 h 14 | 15 g | 150 ml |
The key section is the first one: there's no feed station until km 20, so you leave Playa Grande, Puerto del Carmen with full bottles and about 60 g of carbs on you (for example, 2 gels).
Not going to take 6 h? In WinWatts you set your target time and the feed stations, and you see these sections with your real pace on each climb. You can also compare scenarios: what changes if you go faster or slower.
Bike (180 km): weather in late May
What the weather was like on race day in recent editions (at the start area):
| Year | Low | High | Rain | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 19 ºC | 25 ºC | 0.0 mm | 25 km/h |
| 2023 | 18 ºC | 24 ºC | 0.0 mm | 18 km/h |
| 2024 | 17 ºC | 21 ºC | 0.1 mm | 25 km/h |
| 2025 | 19 ºC | 25 ºC | 0.0 mm | 24 km/h |
| 2026 | 19 ºC | 30 ºC | 0.0 mm | 18 km/h |
Run (42.195 km): route and profile
Official 2024 KMZ; the track has little elevation data (the guide quotes about 228 m of climbing). Three laps along the coast; stations from the official 2026 guide.
No hills that change your pace: what matters is starting under control, and the wind.
Route keys
- Three laps along the coast at Puerto del Carmen, with about 228 m of climbing and wind: it isn't a flat marathon. Split your effort by laps and don't set off at clean-marathon pace.
- There are four fixed stations that repeat each lap. Stations 2, 3 and 4 are full (water, 226ERS Hydrazero, cola, gels and bars, fruit and savoury food); station 1 is liquids only, and your personal nutrition is about 50 m after it.
- At the full stations take water, cola or sports drink and a gel, and walk the length of the station if you need to. Walking through every station is better than stopping to recover later.
- At midday and in the afternoon the sun bites: cap, ice in your kit and sponges if the station has them. Pace by heart rate, not by watch.
1 more keys in WinWatts: with the forecast for the days before, the wind and heat, and your split times at your pace.
Split times
At an even pace (the profile hardly changes anything), with the clock time counted from when you start running (indicative: it depends on how long you take to swim and ride). You start with the bike in your legs: begin below your clean marathon pace. Write yours down or wear them on a pace band: watch GPS usually reads long.
| Point | 3 h 30 | 4 h 15 | 5 h | 6 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average pace | 4:59 /km | 6:03 /km | 7:07 /km | 8:32 /km |
| km 5 | 0:24:56 14:54 | 0:30:17 15:00 | 0:35:37 15:05 | 0:42:45 15:12 |
| km 10 | 0:49:51 15:19 | 1:00:32 15:30 | 1:11:13 15:41 | 1:25:28 15:55 |
| km 15 | 1:14:42 15:44 | 1:30:43 16:00 | 1:46:43 16:16 | 2:08:04 16:38 |
| km 20 | 1:39:37 16:09 | 2:00:58 16:30 | 2:22:19 16:52 | 2:50:47 17:20 |
| Halfway | 1:45:05 16:15 | 2:07:36 16:37 | 2:30:07 17:00 | 3:00:08 17:30 |
| km 25 | 2:04:26 16:34 | 2:31:06 17:01 | 2:57:45 17:27 | 3:33:18 18:03 |
| km 30 | 2:29:24 16:59 | 3:01:24 17:31 | 3:33:25 18:03 | 4:16:06 18:46 |
| km 35 | 2:54:09 17:24 | 3:31:29 18:01 | 4:08:48 18:38 | 4:58:33 19:28 |
| km 40 | 3:19:06 17:49 | 4:01:46 18:31 | 4:44:25 19:14 | 5:41:18 20:11 |
| Finish | 3:30:00 18:00 | 4:15:00 18:45 | 5:00:00 19:30 | 6:00:00 20:30 |
Aid stations: what's there and how much to drink
For a typical runner finishing in about 4 h 15: sip without stopping and take each gel just before an aid station, to wash it down with water. The organisers hand out gels at km 1, 3, 5, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 26.5, 28.5, 30, 32, 35, 37, 37.5, 39 and 41: if they match your plan, those are gels you don't need to carry.
| Where | What's there | Time (for 4 h 15) | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| km 0.2 | water, sports drink | 14:31 | ~100 ml |
| km 1.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 14:36 | ~100 ml |
| km 3.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 14:48 | ~150 ml |
| km 5.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 15:00 | ~150 ml · gel: theirs or yours |
| km 15.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 16:00 | ~300 ml |
| km 17.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 16:12 | ~150 ml · gel: theirs or yours |
| km 19.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 16:24 | ~150 ml |
| km 20.4 | water, sports drink | 16:33 | ~100 ml |
| km 21.0 | water, sports drink | 16:37 | ~100 ml |
| km 22.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 16:43 | ~100 ml |
| km 24.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 16:55 | ~150 ml · gel just before |
| km 26.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 17:07 | ~150 ml |
| km 26.5 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 17:10 | ~100 ml |
| km 28.5 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 17:22 | ~150 ml |
| km 30.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 17:31 | ~100 ml · gel: theirs or yours |
| km 30.4 | water, sports drink | 17:34 | ~100 ml |
| km 31.0 | water, sports drink | 17:37 | ~100 ml |
| km 32.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 17:43 | ~100 ml |
| km 35.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 18:01 | ~200 ml · gel just before |
| km 37.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 18:13 | ~150 ml |
| km 37.5 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 18:16 | ~100 ml |
| km 39.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 18:26 | ~100 ml |
| km 41.0 | water, sports drink, cola, gels, fruit, solid food | 18:38 | ~150 ml |
| km 42.0 | water, sports drink | 18:44 | ~100 ml |
How many gels and how much to drink
What a typical runner (68 kg) needs depending on their time, with 35 g gels. When running the stomach tolerates less than on the bike: more than 60 g of carbs per hour only if you've trained it. Gels alone don't reach that figure (the first one comes around 45 minutes and none are due in the last half hour): the rest comes from drinking sports drink instead of water at a few aid stations.
| Time | Carbs per hour | Gels | Total drink | Sodium per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h 30 | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 2.4 l | 600 mg/h |
| 4 h 15 | 60 g/h | 6 × 35 g | 3.0 l | 600 mg/h |
| 5 h | 60 g/h | 7 × 35 g | 3.5 l | 600 mg/h |
| 6 h | 60 g/h | 9 × 35 g | 4.2 l | 600 mg/h |
Nothing new on race day: gels, breakfast, shoes and socks, all tested on your long runs. Vaseline on your feet, groin and armpits, and protect your nipples. If it's cold at the start, wait in your corral in old clothes you can throw away.
Run (42.195 km): weather in late May
What the weather was like on race day in recent editions (at the start area):
| Year | Low | High | Rain | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 23 ºC | 25 ºC | 0.0 mm | 28 km/h |
| 2023 | 22 ºC | 24 ºC | 0.0 mm | 21 km/h |
| 2024 | 22 ºC | 23 ºC | 0.0 mm | 25 km/h |
| 2025 | 23 ºC | 25 ºC | 0.0 mm | 24 km/h |
| 2026 | 28 ºC | 30 ºC | 0.0 mm | 14 km/h |
When running, heat slows you down: allow roughly 2 % more time for every 5 ºC above 12 ºC.
Your Ironman Lanzarote, tailored to you
This guide uses a typical triathlete. In WinWatts we calculate it with your data:
- Your time on each leg, from your FTP and pace, and your finish time.
- The race-day forecast and what to wear on the bike and on the run.
- Your food and drink plan for the bike and the run, with your gels, bars and bottles.
- Your training plan until Saturday 22 May 2027, adjusted every week to how you're doing.
WinWatts is not affiliated with the organisers of the Ironman Lanzarote. Dates, routes, schedules and registration: official website. Aid stations from the official 2026 athlete guide; swim and run measured on the official 2024 KMZ files (the bike isn't loaded yet); weather from past editions (Open-Meteo). For guidance only: it doesn't replace advice from a health professional.