The rumor has been buzzing for several months, but the information is finally official: on July 12, Versailles (Yvelines) will host an Ironman label event for the first time. The event, between swimming, cycling and running, will pass through emblematic places of the city.
Indeed, and like the Paris Games, the athletes will exercise in a sumptuous setting. The swimming event, 1.9 km long, will take place in the Pièce d’Eau des Suisses, a 13 hectare pool dug in the 17th century inside the castle park. Next will come “a unique and hilly loop” of 90 km of cycling, “crossing the city of Versailles and its surroundings, in particular the Chevreuse valley and its picturesque villages”, writes the Ironman group in a press release.
Un format « Ironman 70.3 »
The following 21.1 km of running will begin at the foot of the Pièce d’Eau des Suisses, before passing through the King’s Vegetable Garden. Then, the triathletes will race down the historic streets of Versailles, notably Avenue de Paris, opposite the castle, where the finish will be judged.
In its announcement, the Ironman group indicates that registrations to participate in the event will open in six days, on Friday February 12, five months before the race. It will also be an Ironman 70.3 format (for the total distance of 70.3 miles, or 113 km)where the distances compared to a “classic” Ironman are halved.
A “yes” from the City last December
In September 2025, we revealed to you that the royal city had applied to organize this extreme triathlon, following the model of other French cities such as Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), Vichy (Allier), Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), Les Sables-d’Olonne (Vendée) and Tours (Indre-et-Loire).
After visits by the Ironman teams and the adjustment of numerous details, the Versailles municipal council unanimously adopted in December the principle of organizing such a triathlon. At the time, the deputy mayor in charge of sports Nicolas Fouquet was counting on “welcoming around 2,000 people”. Suffice to say that the bibs risk being torn off.
