Don’t panic! The 2025 UK race season is practically upon us. But if you can’t wait that long – and who can blame you when the pro season is already up, running and looking incredible – then here we’ve listed several races from around the globe, including the UK, that should whet your multisport appetite, purge that competitive urge and satisfy that longing for Lycra.
Our choices include races with incredible locations – hello desert island with its own nature reserve. Exciting courses – did we mention the one with its own nature reserve? And events with more pros in the line-up than you can shake a track pump at.
There are also ones with record-breaking peaks, award-winning courses, mud, transition on an F1 circuit and the best finish-line atmosphere you might ever experience on your triathlon journey. If we were you, and had the cash, we’d sign up for them all.
Challenge Sir Bani Yas
New for 2025, Challenge Sir Bani Yas will be like nothing you’ve ever raced before – or ever will again.
Bucket list destination? Check. Racing on a desert island that’s home to 17,000 animals, including Arabian oryx, gazelles, giraffes, hyenas and cheetah? Check. The first long-distance triathlon to take place in the UAE? Check. Options to race a middle- or an Olympic-distance triathlon? Check.
Beyond the race course there’s plenty to keep you occupied, too, including sunset DJ sessions and horseback riding through the aforementioned nature reserve. In short, it’s a fantastic early-season race option that will suit the whole family.
Singapore T100
They don’t come more star-studded than a T100 race! While you won’t be racing at the same time as the pros, the amateur races at the first T100 of the year in Singapore take place on the morning of the pro men’s race day, giving you ample opportunity to complete your event, recover and then enjoy the elite action.
Race options include a standard and long-distance duathlon as well as the full 100k triathlon. You’ll also get to race on part of the already-legendary F1 track.
The 100k distance is a great introduction to long-course racing, and Singapore is also well-suited to beginners thanks to a non-wetsuit, reservoir swim, an undulating bike and a flat run.
XTERRA Weston Park Triathlon & Duathlon
If you fancy a spot of off-road action to kickstart your 2025 season then you need to head to the mud maestros – XTERRA.
Their one and only UK race takes place in Weston Park, Staffordshire, and boasts a 100% traffic-free, off-road triathlon and duathlon experience.
Open to athletes of all ages and abilities there’s a super sprint, sprint and a full-distance triathlon (1.5km swim, 28km bike, 10km run – which also offers 58 age-group World Championship slots), plus a sprint- and full-distance duathlon. There’s also a chance to watch the pros in action in the Elite World Cup race on the Saturday.
A lake swim kicks off the triathlon proceedings before you take to the purpose-built mountain bike course. A trail run through the stunning grounds of Weston Park concludes your off-road challenge.
The ROC Wales
Join in the 10th birthday celebrations at Challenge Salou in mid-May and you’ll also get the chance to race Challenge’s best bike course; the traffic-free highway proving a hit with voters in last year’s Challenge Family awards.
Warm temperatures, several race-distance options plus the usual Challenge family-focused atmosphere are also huge draws to this popular event on the north-east coast of Spain.
Race choices include the middle distance (1.9km swim, 80km bike, 21km run), a middle relay, a short distance (1.9km swim, 54km bike, 11km run) or a 2km family run.
For the main attraction, the middle-distance race, athletes start in shallow waters that provide spectacular views of the Delta de l’Ebre and the Serra de la Mussara. The three-lap bike leg is both flat and fast, but make sure you pace it perfectly so that you can enjoy the crowd-filled, beachfront run to the finish line.
Challenge Salou
Join in the 10th birthday celebrations at Challenge Salou in mid-May and you’ll also get the chance to race Challenge’s best bike course; the traffic-free highway proving a hit with voters in last year’s Challenge Family awards.
Warm temperatures, several race-distance options plus the usual Challenge family-focused atmosphere are also huge draws to this popular event on the north-east coast of Spain.
Race choices include the middle distance (1.9km swim, 80km bike, 21km run), a middle relay, a short distance (1.9km swim, 54km bike, 11km run) or a 2km family run.
For the main attraction, the middle-distance race, athletes start in shallow waters that provide spectacular views of the Delta de l’Ebre and the Serra de la Mussara. The three-lap bike leg is both flat and fast, but make sure you pace it perfectly so that you can enjoy the crowd-filled, beachfront run to the finish line.
IRONMAN Lanzarote
As one of the many jewels in the M-dot crown, Lanzarote has been welcoming long-course athletes from around the globe since 1992. In fact, it’s the oldest Ironman in Europe.
With its year-round warm temperatures, epic volcanic landscape and some of the toughest terrain on the planet, for many Lanzarote is also the cheaper – and only – alternative to racing Kona. Some would even argue that it’s a greater challenge than the hallowed Big Island course.
This iconic event also attracts the world-best pro athletes (Anne Haug, Lucy Charles-Barclay and Nikki Bartlett have all won here), and has witnessed some of the most memorable moments in elite long-course racing.
Outlaw Half Nottingham Weekend
‘Fast, flat and fun’ pretty much sums up this popular weekend of multisport, and provides a little something for everyone, including a sprint, a middle-distance triathlon and aquabike, and a fun run (1.2 or 2.4 miles) for ages 4-15.
The main and final event of the weekend is the Outlaw Half on the Sunday. First up is the out-and-back lake swim, which involves a time-trial format start, then it’s a 56-mile, relatively flat bike course that covers rolling Nottinghamshire countryside and passes the resplendent Holme Pierrepont Hall.
The final 13.1-mile flat run follows Regatta Lake, taking in views of the River Trent and White Water rapids. The iconic orange carpet then awaits, where, as with all Outlaw events, you can scoop up to two family members or friends – preferably your own – to run through the finisher’s gantry.
