What are the cutoffs at Cairns 70.3?

Swim — out of the water: 1:10:00 from your start; Off the bike: 5:30:00 from your start; Overall finish: 8:30:00 from your start. These are template figures (last reviewed 2026-06-22) — always confirm in the official Athlete Guide.

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Cairns 70.3

Cairns, QLD · Australia · June · 70.3

A flat, scenic tropical course — warm water, friendly to first-timers.

Build my Blueprint for this race → Check the cutoffs

🏊 Swim

1.9 km

Warm sea swim, usually non-wetsuit.

Strategy: Warm and buoyant salt water; just relax and sight the headland.

🚴 Bike

90 km · 350 m ↑

Flat coastal highway.

Strategy: Easy to go too hard on a flat road — ride your plan, fuel steadily.

🏃 Run

21.1 km

Flat esplanade, some warmth.

Strategy: Flat and honest; even pacing and consistent fluid carry the day.

Course & conditions

Bike climbing

350 m

Likely temp

24°C

Water

23–26°C

Wetsuit: often non-wetsuit — practise without

Climate: Tropical but mild in the dry June season.

Cutoffs

Gate	Cutoff (from your start)
Swim — out of the water	1:10:00
Off the bike	5:30:00
Overall finish	8:30:00

Template cutoffs updated 2026-06-22 basis: rolling Official Athlete Guide ↗

Standard 70.3 cutoff structure shown as a planning template — most 70.3s allow ~8:30 overall from your rolling start, with a swim cutoff near 1:10 and a bike cutoff near 5:30. Mid-bike and mid-run cutoffs vary. Always confirm the exact gates and clock basis in this event’s Athlete Guide for your race year.

Targets by level

Finish-first

Beat every cutoff with margin. Swim relaxed, ride well within yourself, walk-run the climbs, and never stop fuelling.

Sub-6 / strong age-grouper

Hold steady race power on the bike, protect the run, and execute transitions cleanly. The run is won by what you did NOT do on the bike.

Competitive age-group

Sharp swim, disciplined high-end bike to your durability, and a negative-split run. Every transition second counts.

First-timer risks

⚠Tropical warmth on the run despite the dry season.
⚠No wetsuit buoyancy — practise non-wetsuit swimming.

Packing & prep

✓Swim skin if permitted; no wetsuit usually.
✓Warm-weather fuelling and sun protection.

Race-morning timeline

−3:00 h Wake, main breakfast, sip fluid. Familiar food only.

−1:30 h Arrive, body-mark, set up transition, pump tyres, rack bike.

−1:00 h Top-up carbs + fluid. Wetsuit half-on, short warm-up.

−15 min Optional gel, get to the swim corral, find your seed pace group.

Gun Start controlled — the first 300 m of the swim is not the race.

A generic template — adjust to the event’s actual transition close and start times in the Athlete Guide.

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