Sunday - August 9, 2026NIANTIC BAY TRIATHLON

1/2 mile swim, 11.4 mile bike, 3.2 mile run. The Niantic Bay Triathlon is a flat, sprint distance race.

Swim a rectangular course around buoys in the Niantic Bay – a calm, salt water bay with no waves and little current. The swim is a point-to-point course, beginning and ending on sandy beaches.

Bike an 11.4 mile loop through rural sections of East Lyme and through the charming village of Niantic with long straight-aways along rolling, shaded roads. Popular with experienced riders and beginners, the course is well-monitored by police and volunteers.

Run 3.2 miles through the beach community of Niantic along the oceanfront with a spectacular beach finish to cap off a perfect race.

COURSE

The swim start will take place at the Hole in the Wall Beach, which is located on the east side of the McCook Point Park (opposite the transition area). All participants are required to be at the pre-race safety briefing at 7:20 AM.

The event will begin with a wave start. All participants will be notified by email the week of the event or at packet pickup of their respective start wave and all other need to know event updates.

Click here for a detailed, downloadable Bike Course Map
Click here for a detailed, downloadable Run Course Map
Click here for a detailed, downloadable Transition Map

COURSE SUPPORT

MARKINGS:

• Yellow signs with blue arrows mark all turns on the bike & run courses
• All run course mile points will be marked with signs at each mile
• Split mats between all segments

AMENITIES:

• Hydration: Water & UCAN Hydrate

  • Pre/Post Race
  • Transition Area
  • Run Course (3 locations)
  • No fluids offered on bike course
• Portalets: Race Start/Finish
• Course bicycle support
• Motorcycle and medical support
• Event alert system notifications in the pre-race area and at each water station. More...

DIVISIONS & AWARDS

EVENT RECORDS:
Male: 55:59 – set by Luke Anthony in 2021
Female: 1:04:11 – set by Amy Rice in 2002

DIVISIONS:

• Top 3 Overall Male and Female
• Male Age Group – 16-19, and 5-year age groups from 20-80+
• Female Age Group – 16-19, and 5-year age groups from 20-80+
• Clydesdale (men 220+lbs.) More…
• Athena (women 165+lbs.) More…

• Nonbinary/Genderqueer More…

• Aqua Bike (Overall Male and Female)
• Teams (Male, Female, Mixed)

AWARDS:

• Commemorative Awards to the Top 3 in each Division
• Commemorative Awards to Top Overall Team in each Team Division (each member of the team will receive an award)
• All awards based on chip time
• No “double dipping”

• To collect an award after race day, click here

This event is timed by Bay State Race Services and uses the Chronotrack Timing Chip system – 5 splits and finish time recorded – the chip is worn on a velcro strap on the ankle and will be distributed at packet pick-up. Chip must be returned at the finish line. $30 fee for unreturned chip.

USA TRIATHLON RULES

The race will be officiated by USA Triathlon. All rules will be enforced. NOTE, bar ends must be plugged (plugs are readily available at bike shops). Any bike without bar ends plugged will not be allowed to race. It is the participant’s responsibility to know the rules for an event sanctioned by USA Triathlon. More…

PREPARING FOR THE RACE

Find more triathlon information including training tips in HMF Support Hub.

AQUA BIKE

Athletes who participate in this division will complete the swim and the bike but will not complete the run. The division is designed to appeal to those athletes for whom running might be painful, or to injured athletes who still want to compete.

TEAM RELAY

The Niantic Bay Triathlon can be entered as a relay team of 2 or 3 members; each completing 1-2 of the event legs. Team members exchange the timing chip inside the transition area.

COURSE LIMITS & REQUIREMENTS

Course limit is 2 hours and 30 minutes for the Niantic Bay Triathlon. Swim time limit is 35 minutes. The swim and bike legs need to be completed in 1 hour and 45 minutes. More…

Participants must be at least 16 years of age to compete in the swim portion.

Participants must be at least 14 years of age to compete in the bike portion.

Participants must be at least 12 years of age to compete in the run portion.

To register anyone under 16 years of age to compete on a relay team, please contact registration@hartfordmarathon.com

The Niantic Bay triathlon is sanctioned by USAT, and follows USAT rules for “age up” which calculates an athlete’s age based on December 31 in the year he/she was born.

USA TRIATHLON MEMBERSHIP:
The Niantic Bay Triathlon is a USA Triathlon sanctioned event. In order to participate, individual and relay participants are required to be a member.

USAT Adult 1-Day membership (Bronze) – $14.99 (Triathlon) or $9 (Relay), USAT Adult Annual memberships (Silver) – $69.99, USAT Youth Annual memberships – $10. Purchase an annual membership here. 1-Day memberships must be purchased during the registration process.

Note: Baby Jogger/Strollers are NOT permitted in the triathlon, please see details on the stroller policy HERE.

NATIONAL SENIOR GAMES QUALIFIER

Through partnership with the Connecticut Masters’ Games, the Niantic Bay Triathlon is a National Senior Games – Connecticut Qualifier. Click here for more information.