Santos Beach to De Bakke Beach
Swim economically and prepare for the different exit
The calm, rolling-start sea swim rewards an honest, controlled opening before the real work begins.
Seed honestly. Settle into rhythm.
Race Finder IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay.
Race Intelligence · Mossel Bay, South Africa
IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay.
Race Mossel Bay on your terms.
Mossel Bay starts with a beach-to-beach swim, then moves from the coast towards hills that demand respect. By the time you return to the harbour run, average bike speed will matter much less than how well you managed the climbs.
Mossel Bay, a view of the coastline and ocean.
- Race day
- 22 Nov 2026
- Course
- Swim 1.9 km · Bike 90 km · Run 21.1 km
- Historical air
- 17–23°C
Your day in Mossel Bay
What could you race?
I’m Tom, the coach behind Sense Endurance Coaching. Tell me where you are now and I’ll show you what a strong day in Mossel Bay could look like.
The course behind your race
The hills decide whether the harbour run is a race.
The 2026 route moves between Santos and De Bakke beaches, then rides a single loop towards the Gouritz valley before a run past the harbour and Dias Museum. The run lap count differs between older accounts, but your task is the same: climb within your limits and leave energy for a long stretch on foot.
Mossel Bay roads, first climb towards Gouritz
Hold a ceiling before the steep sections
The outbound leg to Uitkyk carries the bulk of the course's 1,020 m of real climbing. Pace it by effort rather than pushing to make time.
Cap opening effort. Fuel early.
R327 and coastal return, later bike
Let descents reduce strain rather than buy speed
Use the return leg to recover and finish planned nutrition before the undulating run.
Stay patient. Finish planned nutrition.
Mossel Bay harbour, initial run
Keep the first town kilometres conservative
Let the first undulating harbour lap feel easy, not fast.
Easy first aid station. Check posture.
Dias Museum and The Point, run middle
Stay organised through changes in gradient
Repeat the first lap's effort rather than letting it drift.
Stay tall. Keep fuelling.
Cape Saint Blaize area, late run
Finish strongly only after the uneven course has been managed
Only progress on the final lap once the first two have held together.
Choose the last move late.
What to check in race week
Confirm the Santos-to-De Bakke swim, bike roads and final run lap count. Existing descriptions differ between two and a half and three run loops. Check the actual mapped half-marathon distance, harbour and museum turns, transitions and aid before setting split markers.
Forecast statusToo early for a forecast
A race-day forecast is not meaningful yet; check back closer to the event.
- Temperature
- 16.6–23.2°CDew point centred on 12.3°C
- Wind and gusts
- 15.6 km/hGusts up to 51.1 km/hPrevailing direction SSE
- Rain likelihood
- Up to 75%Wet-surface uncertainty retained
Historical baseline, 2019–2025 · Open-Meteo historical archive · Updated 2026-09-14.Historical comparison only. This is not a forecast for 2026.
Make your finish prediction and I can send this plan to you in race week.
Your plan, in race week
Prepare for Mossel Bay
Build the legs.
Practise the decisions.
A finish range gives you something to work towards. The preparation is specific to this race: a controlled point-to-point beach swim, hilly riding and patient running across changing town gradients are rehearsed together.
I’m Tom. With Sense Endurance Coaching, I’ll build that preparation around your life, follow how you respond and adjust the work as you get closer to Mossel Bay.
Explore coachingTrisutto certified80/20 Endurance certifiedBrett Sutton’s Coach the Coach programme
Training on your own? See half distance plans
Method
