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Events · Panama City Beach

IRONMAN Florida race week

Thousands of athletes swim, bike and run 140.6 miles through Panama City Beach on Saturday, November 7. See which roads are closed right now, play through race day hour by hour, and find the best places to watch.

Road closures →All events →Race day is Saturday, November 7, 2026. Times are Central.
Plan ahead and allow extra travel time. Expect heavy event traffic near Pier Park all week. Use Panama City Beach Parkway (US 98) to get around Front Beach Road on race day.

Road closures, hour by hour

From the Panama City Beach Police Department
ClosedBike course delaysOpen now, closes later

Lines are placed on the county street map from the street names, between the cross streets the police named. Tap a road in the list to zoom to it.

Race week schedule

Central time
  1. South Pier Park Drive closes, 6 AMFront Beach Road to L C Hilton Jr Drive, while the finish area and IRONMAN Village go up. It reopens Sunday, November 8 at noon.
  2. IRONMAN Village opens at Aaron Bessant ParkFree and open to everyone for several days before the race: athlete check-in, briefings, gear pickup and the official store.
  3. Practice swim at Russell-Fields PierAthletes get one last swim in the Gulf before race morning.
  4. Front Beach Road and West Park Drive closeFront Beach Road from West Park Drive to Powell Adams Road, and West Park Drive from Front Beach Road to Pier Park Drive.
  5. Swim start at Russell-Fields PierTwo loops around the pier, starting at sunrise (about 6 AM).
  6. Bike course delays beginPier Park Drive to Philip Griffitts Sr Parkway until 11 AM, while athletes ride out.
  7. Runners on Front Beach RoadTwo loops along the beach and through neighborhoods. The leaders finish in the afternoon.
  8. Finish line closesThe last hours at Pier Park are the loudest of the day. IRONMAN's standard time limit is 17 hours; the athlete guide has the exact cutoffs.
  9. Front Beach Road and West Park Drive reopenSouth Pier Park Drive follows at noon.

The course

140.6 miles from the Gulf to Pier Park
2.4mi swim

Two loops around Russell-Fields Pier in the Gulf, with a short run across the sand between loops.

112mi bike

One loop out of Pier Park along the Intracoastal Waterway and coastal back roads. Mostly flat, with some rolling stretches and wind that can build through the day.

26.2mi run

Two loops along the shoreline and through beach neighborhoods, finishing under the lights at Pier Park.

Where to watch and getting around

Where to watch

  • Sunrise swim start. The beach on both sides of Russell-Fields Pier. Get there before 6 AM.
  • Transitions. Transition areas give a close-up look as athletes change from swim to bike and bike to run.
  • Front Beach Road. The run is two loops, so you can see your athlete twice from the same spot.
  • The finish at Pier Park. Music and lights all evening, up to the midnight cutoff.
  • IRONMAN Village. Aaron Bessant Park, free and open to everyone during race week.

Getting around

  • South Pier Park Drive is closed all week. From Nov 1 at 6 AM to noon Nov 8. Reach Pier Park from Panama City Beach Parkway or North Pier Park Drive.
  • Front Beach Road on race day. Closed from West Park Drive to Powell Adams Road, 2 AM Saturday to 4 AM Sunday. Use Panama City Beach Parkway (US 98) to get around it.
  • Bike course delays. From 6:30 to 11 AM Saturday, expect delays on Pier Park Drive up to Philip Griffitts Sr Parkway as cyclists ride out.
  • Plan ahead. Allow extra travel time and expect heavy event traffic near Pier Park. Park once and walk in on race morning.

Make a week of it

Things to do in Bay County while you're here

Beaches and parks

St. Andrews State Park, Shell Island and miles of public beach. Flags, water quality and every access point are on Beaches.

Open →

Where to eat

Every restaurant's latest state inspection, searchable by town.

Open →

More this week

Concerts, markets and festivals from the county, city and visitor bureau calendars.

Open →

November weather

Fall is cooler with lower humidity than summer: good racing weather and a quieter beach.

The police advisory

Panama City Beach Police Department IRONMAN road closures traffic advisory for Saturday, November 7, 2026

The closures on this page come from the Panama City Beach Police Department's traffic advisory. Tap the image to see it full size. Call 911 in an emergency; for anything else on race day, follow the officers directing traffic.

Where this comes from

  • Road closures and times: Panama City Beach Police Department, IRONMAN road closures traffic advisory, Saturday, November 7, 2026.
  • Map lines: Bay County street centerlines, between the cross streets the advisory names. The map is from OpenStreetMap.
  • Race details: Visit Panama City Beach, IRONMAN Florida. The athlete guide on the IRONMAN Florida race page has exact start and cutoff times.
  • Data: event-road-closures · event-guide (CSV on Open data).