IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana: 2026 Race Report, Tips & Racecation Ideas

IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana is a beautiful but hot race held in the Dominican Republic. Swim in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, bike along a straight, mostly flat highway closed to cars, and end with a flat, scenic run through the Cap Cana Marina.

We’ve now raced a lot of half Ironman distance races, and there are a few things that really stand out about this race. First, the volunteers. These are the best volunteers on the planet. Their smiles, their enthusiasm, and their energy really kept us going on run course, spraying us down with ice cold water, not once, but at every aid station.

The swim is in the Caribbean. If the swim portion of the race makes you anxious, this race is perfect for you. Most of the swim course is so shallow you can walk it, or at least stand up briefly, to adjust your goggles or confirm you’re moving in the right direction.

The bike is relatively flat, with rolling hills and (usually) a pretty good headwind on the second half of the course.

Overall, it’s a beautiful course. Both Tim and I raced this course in 2026, and this is our IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana race report, plus tips we learned from our experience.

IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana: At a Glance

WHERE | Cap Cana, Dominican Republic

WHEN | May

SWIM | Caribbean; beach start, shallow water, one loop, minimal current, not wetsuit legal

BIKE | Out-and-back; rolling hills; hot; usually a headwind on the return

RUN | Out-and-back lollipop with 2 loops through a marina; amazing volunteers; hot and humid

BEST FOR | Those who do well in hot conditions; those who have anxiety about open water swims, since this one is shallow with good visibility

GOOD TO KNOW | The heat and humidity are the biggest challenges and not to be underestimated

What Makes IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana Unique?

Here are five things that set IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana apart from other races.

#1 The Swim is Shallow

The swim starts right on the beach and makes one loop. For the majority of the swim, it’s so shallow that your feet can touch the ground. That makes it possible to sight the next buoy, defog your goggles, or even walk part of the swim. Just beware that there are occasional concrete blocks that you might stumble upon, and that the middle of third of the swim is deeper, but for triathletes that have anxiety about the swim, this swim course is perfect for them.

#2 Don’t Underestimate the Heat and Humidity

When choosing this race, we did a little recon and saw that high temperatures were in the mid-80s. That didn’t seem so hot. But we did wonder why race times were so low.

Once we arrived in Cap Cana, we quickly learned that humidity in May is incredibly high, which pushes the temperatures up to 100°F, if you factor in the heat index. Plus, the sun is scorching. This creates brutally hot temperatures on the course.

#3 The Volunteers are Amazing

If it weren’t for the volunteers on the run course, I don’t know how we, or anyone racing, would have survived. At each aid station, the volunteers doused us with ice cold water, filled our race kits with ice, and made sure we were hydrated. They did this with smiles on their faces and an enthusiasm that was contagious. I dreaded the run (because of the heat) but the world-class volunteers made this my favorite part of the race.

#4 The Bike Course is Harder than It Looks

Again, looking at the course on paper, it didn’t look all that hard. The course is described as flat, with a headwind on the return. But really, it is a series of long rollers, and the headwind that comes on the second half of the bike can really make it feel hard. Factor in the rising heat, and this bike course is deceptively challenging.

#5 It’s a Small Race

We raced Cap Cana in its third year. It is historically a small race, attracting about 750 triathletes, and roughly 170 of them are women.

Pre-Race: What We Did Leading Up to the Race

Open Water Swims

In 2026, race day was on a Sunday. Tim and I arrived in Cap Cana on the Wednesday before the race, to get in some pre-race swims and adjust to the heat.

We stayed at Hyatt Ziva, which is just steps away from the swim start and a short walk to transition. On the days leading up to the race, we did open water swims from the resort, plus a few short bike rides and runs.

In May, seaweed begins to blanket the beaches in Cap Cana and Punta Cana. The first time we went out to do an open water swim, we were greeted with seaweed piled up on the beach and floating in the water. About 100 meters from shore is a fence that is put in place to slow the seaweed from accumating on the beach, but there must be gaps or holes on the fence, because quite a bit still finds its way through.

Seaweed on the beach. This photo was taken from our hotel, looking towards the swim course, which runs near the pier.

We swam out to the fence, which runs along the entire length of the beach. Race morning, this fence will be open, so you don’t have to swim over it, but be prepared to swim through quite a bit of floating seaweed.

On our open water swims, we climbed over the fence, waded through the thick seaweed, and swam out farther from shore.

PRO TRAVEL TIP: It might seem disgusting, but I recommend doing at least one or two open water swims and crossing the fence. It’s good to know what the seaweed feels like (scratchy, rough) so that when it hits your face and arms on race day, it’s not so alarming.

Race Expo and Transition

In 2026, we had to register for a time slot to pick up our race number and swag. The official race site will send an email to do this roughly one week before the race.

Compared to races in North America, the race expo is very small. Rather than multiple tents with race gear pick up and an Ironman store, this was all held inside one room inside of the Dreams Cap Cana Resort & Spa. We picked up our race numbers, T-shirt, backpack, and timing chip. For sale in the Ironman store were a few T-shirts to choose from. Outside were a few vendors selling gels, jerseys, and bike gear.

Bikes are racked the day before the race. Since it is so hot here, it is advised that you let a little bit of air out of your tires, to prevent them from exploding in the heat. I know that sounds crazy, but the year before we raced IRONMAN 70.3 Louisville in very hot conditions, and we heard two tires explode in transition when dropping off our bikes.

IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana Race Report

Tim and I raced IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana in May 2026. This is my race report, but you’ll see photos of Tim throughout this post, plus tips we both picked up from doing the race.

Race Morning

When we did this, the race started at 6:15 am and transition closed at 5:45 am.

Tim and I woke up at 4:00 am, doing all the normal race prep: breakfast, sunblock, hydration, Nomio, etc.

Our hotel was a 10-minute walk from transition. Even though it was still dark, we worked up a light sweat on the walk over, because of the very high humidity. Both Tim and I were sweating as we set up transition, not a good omen for the rest of the day.

PRO TIP: Bring an extra bottle of water. I used one bottle of water to keep wetting my race jersey to keep me cool as I set up my transition area. It’s also a good idea to drink some water during this time, because you will be sweating.

Tim and I, and most other racers, entered the swim corral around 5:45 am. The swim corral is very short and we were all bunched up. It was very hot (you are going to hear that a lot about this race!), with very little breeze. If you can, get a spot along the fence to get some extra airflow and stay cool.

PRO TIP: There was a station handing out water bottles near the swim corral. Grab one of these, to sip on and to keep pouring on your head and race kit, to stay cool before the race start.

Swim: 1.2 Miles

The swim is one loop, starting and ending at the same spot. It is a very shallow swim, shallow enough that you could walk about two-thirds of it, if you wanted to.

The water is warm (it was 85.5°F when we did this race), so it’s not wetsuit legal. Swim skins are legal. I have one and chose not to wear it because I didn’t want the extra layer that could elevate my body temperature. The warmest swim I’ve done yet was 70.3 Louisville (86.5°F) and felt very warm getting out of the water.

Unless you are one of the very first swimmers, expect slightly cloudy visibility on the swim. Because it is so shallow, the swimmers in front of you will stir up the sand, creating murky visibility. If it is a sunny day, you will be sighting right into the sun, so wear tinted goggles. When we did this, we had some cloud cover during the swim, which made sighting easy on the entire swim.

The seaweed fence is opened up race morning and most of the floating seaweed is pushed out of the way, but they can’t get all of it. We swam through some seaweed, which is scratchy, and might be alarming if you’re not prepared for it.

In our experience, the swim was calm, with little to no current, and one of the easier swims I’ve done. Swim times overall were on the longer side, which makes me wonder if the swim course was slightly long or if there was some kind of current.

I’m not a fast swimmer, and my swim time was 44 minutes, which put my 4^th in my age group.

T1

T1 is tough. Once out of the water, you’ll run on the beach to transition, which is about 300 meters away. However, transition is small, which makes it easy to run through with your bike. You’ll push your bike up a short but steep hill and the mount line is just beyond this.

Bike

The bike is out-and-back from Cap Cana to the Punta Cana Airport and then due west on a highway. It features rolling hills and a tailwind on the way out and a headwind on the way back.

The bike is my happy place. It’s my strength in a triathlon. Usually, I don’t feel great for the first five miles, but if I hydrate, take in some nutrition, and am patient, I feel good around mile 5. Not today.

I felt terrible in T1 and very fatigued and sluggish on the bike. During the first 10 miles, I drank my first bottle (Skratch) and two gels, hoping the calories and elecrolytes would energize me. It did help, but I never felt great on the bike, and the majority of the time I was also nauseous.

The first 8 miles wind through roads connecting Cap Cana to Punta Cana. For the most part, it’s flat and the roads head north, so there might be a slight tailwind, depending on wind direction the day of the race.

Once you hit the highway, the tailwind gives you a nice push. This is a good time to keep a good speed, because once you hit the turn around point, you’ll be fighting against a headwind to get back to T2.

The highway section of the race features long, gradual rollers. I wouldn’t call it hilly, but there are long climbs with a 1 to 3% incline, followed by a long gradual decline on the other side. The road is in excellent condition, clean, with little to no potholes, making it easy to just settle in and pedal.

By mile 20, I felt like I had more energy, but I was constantly dealing with nausea that would build and fade. This lasted most of the bike, and I’m assuming it was from a combination of poor fueling in the morning and the heat.

There were four aid stations along the bike course, handing out Gatorade and cold water bottles. At each of them, I took a water bottle, chugged as much as I could, and then sprayed my head and race kit with the remaining water. This helped keep my core body temperature from rising too much, and briefly helped the nausea subside.

The turnaround is at mile 28, and then we repeated the ride in the opposite direction. The headwind slowed us down, but it didn’t feel as bad as I expected it to. On the day we did this, winds were 10 to 15 mph blowing in from the southeast. I tucked into my aero position and the miles slowly ticked away.

Just before arriving back to transition, I got a look at the athletes on the first part of the run course. I was dreading this hot run and it was just minutes away from starting.

T2

T2 can be fast. It’s a straight shot in with your bike and then out the opposite side, to get on the run course. I really took my time, changing my shoes, putting on my visor and race belt. I had a packet of sunscreen, which I put on my face and arms, and worked on rubbing this in as I ran out of transition.

Run

The run starts with a short but steep hill, and then heads away from transition, next to the bike course. Despite how hot it felt, and my fatigue from the bike, I was able to run at a fairly good pace. But I really felt terrible, and I wasn’t the only one. People were flat out walking, not even attempting to run, even this early on the course.

Around ¾ of a mile, everything changed. I ran through the most amazing aid station. Three men, holding cups of ice water and clear plastic bags of ice cold water, dumped water all over me and filled my race kit with ice. It was a game changer.

Now feeling much cooler, I was able to pick up the pace some more. It hit three more aid stations rather quickly (when we did this, aid stations where spaced out sporadically, sometimes a half-mile apart, sometimes over a mile apart). But hitting so many aid stations so quickly really helped cool me off.

It was almost like entering a car wash. I’d get to an aid station, one or two wonderful volunteers, with smiles on the their faces, would spray me down, give me cold water to drink, and put ice in my jersey, then send me on my way. It took extra time, but it was 100% worth it, to avoid overheating.

The volunteers were full of energy and it was very contagious. These amazing volunteers not only helped the athletes get through the run, but they made it fun. I loved the run, mostly for the energy of the volunteers, but also because of the scenery.

The first few miles of the run isn’t all that exciting, as it’s on a bike path alongside a road. Then there is a “no man’s land,” with a run along the road leading into the marina. All is quiet here, with no aid stations and no energy of the volunteers.

The run course makes two loops through the marina, which is beautiful. There is a short, lovely out-and-back section along the beach, followed by the run through the marina. Running on the red painted pavement is HOT, but you’ll have views of the boats and colorful buildings.

I typically fall apart in hot races. I wanted Cap Cana to be different. I did lots of heat training in preparation for this race, and it really paid off today. Other than the brief stops in each aid station, I ran the entire course, and felt rather good doing it. There were a lot of people walking. By this time of day, the sun was out in full force and the heat index was over 100°F. After 5 or 6 minutes of running, I couldn’t wait to get to an aid station to get cooled off again.

The very last part of the run is thrilling but tough. The course runs back along transition and heads out to the beach, where the day began. The last part of the run is on sand, which makes it even tougher. But the crowd support is excellent, as the course makes a few turns under the palm trees and heads to the finish line.

The finish line chute (post-race)

I had a strong finish, with a run time of 2:07:38 (3^rd in my age group) and a total time of 5:42:52, which was second in my age group.

What We Used on the Run

Tim and I both worth the Omius visor/cap, which has tiny cooling stones that helps keep you feel cool on the run. This was the first race we used this, and it was helpful, but frequent dousings with cold water and ice in the jersey are better.

I carried a small flask filled with a super-concentrated electrolyte concoction, containing ReLyte and Precision Carb and Elecrolyte drink. Gatorade was the hydration on the run course and I don’t think that there are enough electrolytes in that for a hot race like this one. I took small sips off of my flask and primarily drank water on the run course. I do this in hot races and it works well.

I carried a few gels in my race belt. There wasn’t much nutrition offered on the run course – a few aid stations had bananas and Precision gels – so I’m glad I carried a few of my own. The Precision gel with caffeine is a great pick me up mid-run. If you haven’t tried that yet, we highly recommend it!

IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana Race Summary

If you are looking for a beautiful destination race and hot and humid conditions don’t discourage you, this is a great one to add to your race calendar.

This is a deceptively tough race, with its heat, humidity, and windy conditions (so far, it’s the hottest race we’ve done). But it’s a beauty. Swimming in the Caribbean, followed by a relatively flat ride, and ending with a run, helped along by the world’s best volunteers, is definitely a memorable experience.

Before and after your race, you can relax on the beach, go snorkeling, and explore more of the Dominican Republic.

I loved the setting, the smaller size of the race, and the enthusiasm of the volunteers. But you really need to be prepared for the heat. And if you are trying to get a slot for IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, this race had 25 spots for each gender in 2026. 

Things to Do in Cap Cana & Punta Cana

Cap Cana is the kind of place where it’s easy to spend your entire trip at the resort, and many athletes do exactly that, ourselves included. But if you want to venture out before or after race day, here’s what the area has to offer.

Enjoy Your Resort: Don’t underestimate how much time you’ll want to spend right at your hotel. Between pre-race prep, post-race recovery, pools, restaurants, and spas, many athletes find the resort itself is more than enough. We stayed at the Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana and barely left, and had no regrets. A post-race massage at the resort was just what we needed the day after the race.

Juanillo Beach: One of the most beautiful beaches in the Punta Cana area, Juanillo is known for its calm, shallow water and wide stretches of sand. It’s technically a public beach, but access is through the main Cap Cana gates. Non-guests will need to tell the guard they’re heading to the beach and leave an ID at the gate. This is the location of the swim in IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana.

Scape Park: The top adventure attraction in the area and well worth a day. Arrive when it opens to make the most of it (they offer a shuttle service). The centerpiece is Hoyo Azul, a stunning turquoise cenote at the base of a 75-meter cliff. It’s the #1 attraction on TripAdvisor for Punta Cana. Beyond the cenote, the park offers ziplining, iguana and monkey encounters, cave exploration, and swimming in underground caves.

Snorkeling: The reefs around Cap Cana are excellent, with coral, conch, spiny lobsters, and tropical fish. This catamaran tour through GetYourGuide includes snorkeling at Cabo Engaño and a visit to a floating bar at Sandbar Cove.

Marina Cap Cana: One of the most modern and exclusive marinas in the Caribbean, the marina is a nice spot for an evening stroll or a meal. It’s surrounded by a village with gourmet restaurants and boutiques, and the waterfront is lined with impressive yachts. You’ll also run through here twice on the run course.

Saona Island Day Trip: A popular full-day excursion from the area, Saona Island is part of the East National Park and offers palm-fringed beaches, natural pools (including one of the largest natural starfish pools in the world), and coral reefs. Many tours include snorkeling and a beach barbecue. Check GetYourGuide for current tour options and reviews.

Downtown Punta Cana: If you want a night out, Downtown Punta Cana has restaurants, bars, and entertainment including CoCo Bongo, known for its acrobatic shows and high-energy atmosphere.

Punta Espada Golf Club: For golfers, this Jack Nicklaus-designed course has been ranked #1 in the Caribbean and Mexico by Golfweek for over a decade and is consistently listed among the top courses in the world.

Where to Stay for IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana

Hotels & Resorts in Cap Cana

The best place to stay for the race is in Cap Cana. The resorts here are beachfront, making it easy to get in practice swims on the days leading up to the race. Plus, it’s just a short walk to transition.

The view from our room. You can see the swim buoys and the seaweed fence, the brown and white line running through the water.

We stayed at Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana and had a great experience. Just next door is the Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana (adults only). Guests at either all-inclusive property have access to all the amenities of both, including a very long list of restaurants, multiple pools, a spa, a small water park, a theater, and a long stretch of white-sandy beaches lined with palm trees.

We chose Hyatt Ziva since it is the more affordable of the two properties. Hyatt Ziva is geared towards families, whereas Zilara is adult-only. Tim and I frequently hung out on the Zilara side, since it was a little quieter.

The restaurants were good. We spent 8 nights here and only repeated a restaurant one time. Don’t expect Michelin-star quality dining, but the food was better than we expected for an all-inclusive resort. Our favorite restaurants were Shutters, The Chinola, Waves Grill, and Brando’s. We dined at The Blind Butcher, the only restaurant not included on the all-inclusive list, and liked the food and the experience, but I don’t think it is worth the money, not with so many “free” restaurants on the two properties.

If we return to Cap Cana again in the future, we’d stay at one of these two properties again.

Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana

The beach in front of the Hyatt properties

There are a few more resorts to choose from.

In 2026, the Dreams Cap Cana Resort & Spa (a Hyatt property) was the Ironman host hotel. The on-site restaurants don’t get as good of reviews as Hyatt Ziva and Zilara, and people say the beach is not as nice. It was once a Margaritaville property.

Two more properties to consider are Secrets Cap Cana Resort & Spa and Hotel (a Hyatt property) and Sanctuary Cap Cana (a Marriott property).

Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana

Punta Cana is a 20-minute drive from Cap Cana. Punta Cana is more affordable and closer to the airport, but staying here will add on more time to get to transition, not only race morning, but to also check-in and rack your bike pre-race.

Look up hotels, resorts, and apartments on Booking.com.

GETTING TO AND FROM YOUR HOTEL: We booked airport transfers with Amstar, and after traveling with two bike boxes and several suitcases, we’re glad we did. We reserved a van in advance to handle all our gear, and the experience was seamless from start to finish — the Amstar staff were easy to find at the airport, there was no wait for our vehicle, and having a large van took all the stress out of transporting everything back and forth. We’d highly recommend booking their transfer service in advance.

Official Race Website

To register for the race, get detailed course information, and more, visit the official IRONMAN website.

Get Inspired: More Triathlons Around the World

In recent years, we have raced quite a few triathlons around the world. Here are some of our favorites.

In 2026, Tyler and I raced IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside, an epic race featuring a marina swim, hilly bike course through a Marine base, and a run along the beach. This race is usually on the Pro Series and this year, Kristian Blummenfelt, Casper Stornes, Jonas Schomburg, Taylor Knibb, and Solveig Løvseth all raced here.

We frequently race IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman (we live in Maryland) and IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman and IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin are some of our favorite halfs in the USA.

In the full Ironman distance, Tim raced IRONMAN Barcelona and Julie raced IRONMAN Italy and Tim, Tyler, and Julie have raced IRONMAN Florida.

Tyler qualified for and raced the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in 2024, held in Taupo, New Zealand. Tim, Tyler, and I will be racing IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in 2026 in Nice, France.

If you have any questions about racing IRONMAN 70.3 Cap Cana or if you want to share your experience, let us know in the comment section below.

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