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Race IntelligenceDa Nang, Vietnam

IRONMAN Vietnam

Know your day before you race it.

Enter four numbers you already train with. You get a likely finish range, target paces and watts, and how I would race this course.

Race day
9 May 2027
Swim
3.8 km
Bike
180 km
Run
42.2 km

Published route evidence. Final 2027 route pending. Checked 19 Sept 2026.

01 Race Card

Build my Race Card

Your first range uses conservative assumptions. Add optional evidence to make it more specific. It is calculated in your browser and saved only on this device.

Your numbers
Distance unit
Weight unit
You and this race
Sharpen your range with more detailOptional. Recent swim, bike and run results, equipment and transitions.

Add only the evidence you have. Every control changes a discipline range, its uncertainty, or an execution-risk explanation.

Swim evidence

Replaces the broad pool-to-open-water assumption.

Bike and equipment

These replace broad mass, aerodynamics, tyre, and power-to-speed assumptions.

Run evidence

A recent effort and honest durability/acclimation answers refine the post-bike run.

Race execution

Transition proficiency changes the T1/T2 range and how wet conditions are treated.

02 The course

What Vietnam actually gives you

You swim a two-lap triangle course at East Sea Park, ride a flat, fast 180 km course along the Vo Nguyen Giap coastline and the Han River, out through Quang Nam's Lac Long Quan Road, over the Cua Dai Bridge and two 54 km loops before crossing it again on the way back, then run four flat out-and-back loops along the beachfront to the finish. The organiser markets this as a fast, fair course, and it genuinely is. The one thing that decides how much of that speed you actually collect is extreme tropical heat, with air near 34C and water near 29C among the hottest conditions in this project's entire queue.

Show distances in

Swim

3.8 km

Ocean, Triangle Course, Two Laps

Layout
2 laps, rolling start
Setting
East Sea Park (Bien Dong Park)

A two-lap triangle swim with a rolling start at East Sea Park is straightforward to navigate, but the water itself, near 29C, is already warm enough to matter.

Source: 2027 current route

Bike

180 km

Flat, Coastal and Riverside, Two Loops With a Bridge Crossing

Layout
2 loops of 54 km, plus the Cua Dai Bridge crossed twice
Setting
the Vo Nguyen Giap coastline, the Han River, Quang Nam's Lac Long Quan Road and the Cua Dai Bridge

A flat, fast two-loop course along the coast and river, crossing the Cua Dai Bridge twice, offers speed with almost nothing to check an effort building in extreme heat.

Source: 2027 current route

Run

42.2 km

Flat, Beachfront, Four Out-and-back Loops

Layout
4 loops of 10.5 km, each an out-and-back to a 5.9 km turnaround
Setting
Vo Nguyen Giap Road along Da Nang's beachfront

A flat, four-loop beachfront run with nowhere to hide from the sun makes heat management the entire subject once the bike is done.

Source: 2027 current route
Where these course facts come from

These facts come from the organiser’s latest published material: swim, 2027 current route; bike, 2027 current route; run, 2027 current route. They describe the character of the course. They do not confirm the final 2027 route.

03 Race plan

How I’d want you to race it

One job for each part of this course. The distance markers tell you when the job changes. The course tells you why.

Swim

A warm, straightforward triangle swim

  1. 0–3800 m

    Two laps at East Sea Park

    Settle into already-warm water

    A rolling start into a two-lap triangle course is straightforward to navigate. At near 29C, the water is already warm enough to be part of the day's heat load, so settle rather than race the first lap.

    • Settle by 400 m
    • Pace by effort, not by the easy rolling-start entry

Bike

Flat and fast, in genuinely extreme heat

  1. 0 km–45 km

    Coast and riverside to Quang Nam

    Set a heat-aware ceiling on fast, flat roads

    Along the Vo Nguyen Giap coastline and the Han River's eastern bank, the flat, fast terrain invites a power number the extreme heat won't let you hold. Set the ceiling now.

    • Cap power before the heat peaks
    • Start fluid and electrolyte intake early

  2. 45 km–90 km

    Lac Long Quan Road and the first Cua Dai Bridge crossing

    Treat the bridge as a real effort, not just scenery

    The 16.5 km Lac Long Quan straightaway leads to a genuine ascent over the Cua Dai Bridge. Ride it under control rather than pushing to hold speed on the climb.

    • Hold your power number on the bridge climb
    • Stay on the fuelling schedule

  3. 90 km–144 km

    First 54 km loop past the A2 turnaround

    Fast, traffic-free roads still need a plan

    The uninterrupted straightaways here are built for speed, and built for overspending in the day's rising heat. Ride to your plan, not to what the fast road allows.

    • Recheck power against the heat, not the terrain
    • Drink on a schedule, not on thirst

  4. 144 km–180 km

    Second loop, second bridge crossing, back to East Sea Park

    Finish the flat bike still owing the run nothing

    Repeating the loop and crossing the Cua Dai Bridge once more, the heat is now at its worst. Protect the run by holding your number rather than chasing time back.

    • Finish nutrition before T2
    • Prioritise core temperature over splits

Run

Four beachfront loops with nowhere to hide

  1. 0 km–10.5 km

    First loop along Vo Nguyen Giap Road

    Open conservatively in full afternoon heat

    The run's flat, out-and-back beachfront loops offer no shade and no terrain to slow you down, in conditions already among the hottest this project has modelled. Start well under the pace the flat road invites.

    • Use aid stations every 1.3-1.4 km fully
    • Hold effort, not pace, from the first kilometre

  2. 10.5 km–21 km

    Second loop to the 5.9 km turnaround

    Use the turnaround as an honest heat check

    Reaching the familiar 5.9 km turnaround a second time, reassess pace against how the heat actually feels, not against the flat course's reputation for speed.

    • Reassess goal pace against the heat
    • Cool at every aid station

  3. 21 km–31.5 km

    Third loop, peak heat

    Protect core temperature over splits

    This is where extreme heat and a fast-but-flat course combine to punish an early pacing mistake most. Ease pace before form breaks down.

    • Use ice or cold sponges at every station
    • Keep drinking on schedule regardless of pace

  4. 31.5 km–42.2 km

    Final loop to East Sea Park

    Spend what honest heat management left you

    The finish back at East Sea Park, among Da Nang's electric beachfront crowds, rewards a day paced to the heat rather than against it.

    • Decide the finish honestly
    • Keep hydrating even in the closing kilometres

04 Race week

What I would keep an eye on

There is no useful 2027 forecast this far out. For now, past race dates give us a point of reference. Closer to the race, the forecast will tell us whether the plan needs changing.

Forecast statusToo early for a forecast

A race-day forecast is not meaningful yet; check back closer to the event.

Temperature
26.2–31.8°CDew point centred on 25.0°C
Wind and gusts
11.1 km/hGusts up to 39.2 km/hPrevailing direction ESE
Rain likelihood
Up to 80%Wet-surface uncertainty retained

Historical baseline, 2019–2025 · Open-Meteo historical archive · Updated 2026-09-19.Historical comparison only. This is not a forecast for 2027.

05 Method

What goes into your range

Your CSS, FTP, weight and run threshold create the first range. Open-water, bike, run and execution evidence can replace broad assumptions. Course data and the historical conditions baseline shape every simulation.

  1. Your numbersCSS · FTP · weight · run threshold
  2. This raceDistance · water type · elevation · exposure
  3. Your Race CardFinish and discipline ranges, with target paces and watts

Confidence is built from four inputs

Athlete evidence
Builds with recent open-water, bike and run efforts
Bike setup
Builds with equipment, mass, aero and tyre detail
Course evidence
Partial while the 2027 route is unconfirmed
Race-week conditions
Historical baseline until a forecast is useful
How the model works

It starts with the targets in your Race Card, then samples the parts of a full distance that vary: open-water pace, transitions, bike speed at the planned power, and the drop in run performance after the swim and bike. Repeating that calculation produces a likely range rather than a single heroic number.

The current time calculation uses this race’s published distances, or standard full distance distances where none are published, with the available course headings, elevation and exposure evidence. Weather scenarios vary temperature, dew point, wind, gusts, rain and water conditions together. Unknown route detail stays visible as uncertainty rather than false precision.

It is not predicting your exact finishing time, placing, or race-day weather. It answers a narrower question: given the plan and the information we have, what range of day is plausible, and where is the uncertainty coming from?

Confidence is not a permanent “low”. It is recalculated across four separate inputs:

  • Your evidence: consistent inputs and recent race-like swim, bike, and run results.
  • Bike setup: measured or specified aerodynamics rather than a broad prior.
  • The course: verified distance and route character, including elevation and technical sections.
  • The conditions: a current forecast is more useful than a historical comparison.

It starts low when those inputs are broad. It can become moderate or high as the evidence improves. A narrower range means better information, not a guarantee.

06 Next steps

If Vietnam is your race

Your range is built on today’s numbers. The months of training before race day decide what those numbers become.

The work from here.

Self-guided routeFull-distance training plansTraining plans for the heat resilience this course asks for.See the plans Personalised routeWork with me on the whole buildCoaching when you want the plan, feedback and race decisions joined up.See coaching

Further reading

ArticleHeat adaptation strategies for triathletesEssential preparation for Da Nang's extreme tropical heat and humidity.ArticleFull-distance race strategy: calm execution beats chaosThe pacing discipline a fast, flat, two-loop bike course demands.

Evidence

Sources and verification

Course status: Partially verified. The organiser’s descriptions and latest published route profiles are in use. The final 2027 route is not yet confirmed. Last checked 19 Sept 2026.