The wait is nearly over, the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Finals are coming up fast and, from 16-19 October, four days of blistering triathlon racing will take over the coast of Wollongong, Australia. 

Headlining the action will be the final stage in the chase to become our men’s and women’s 2025 World Champions. The women go out at 2pm local / 5am CEST, the men at 5pm local / 8am CEST. Here is a taste of what they will face when they line up for the biggest race of the year…

OVERVIEW
Start lists: 65 men + 65 women (maximum)
Course: 1.5km swim | 40km bike | 10km run
Layout: Split transition / finish chute

SWIM
2-lap, 1.5km ocean swim 
Beach start
First buoy at 350m
Aussie exit at 750m

BIKE
7-lap, 40km rolling roads
Up Flagstaff Hill around Wollongong Lighthouse
Technical 90-degree turns through heart of town
Long descent towards Fairy Creek
Punchy 35m climb and descent back to transition

RUN
5-lap, 10km road run
Initial 1.74km loop
4 loops of 2.06km around Flagstaff Hill 
10m climb per lap
Finish chute at corner of Crown & Harbour Streets

COURSE BREAKDOWN

The 1.5km swim begins with a sandy start – always a favourite of the Aussies - on Cove Beach, the athletes launching into Wollongong Harbour for two anticlockwise laps, with 350m to the first buoy just beyond the harbour walls that could get choppy. Between each lap it’s an Aussie exit (what else?) out of the water, round the marker, then back into the ocean.

The bike will comprise a 7-lap, 40km clockwise course through the heart of Wollongong’s spectacular coastline. The athletes must exit transition on Cliff Road and head straight onto a 10m climb up Endeavour Drive. 

They then swoop around the iconic Wollongong Lighthouse on Flagstaff Hill, before a fast downhill and into a quick left onto Marine Drive.

Two right turns and it’s north up Harbour Street with a slight veer to the right, followed by a sharp left onto Smith Street and another 90-degree right-hander onto Wilson Street. After another quick left onto Campbell Street, it’s right onto Corrimal Street. 

From there is a long, grinding climb then down onto Kembla Street. Sweeping down and left onto George Hanley Drive at the roundabout before veering right onto Squires Way, the bike turnaround is located just before Fairy Creek. Then it’s back up and left onto Cliff Road, with another punchy climb and fast descent around the coast back towards transition. 

After 7 laps on the bikes it will be into the run shoes for an initial 1.75km loop again following up and around the lighthouse on Flagstaff Hill, then a further four laps of just over 2km each. The blue carpet finish chute to the tape is located just after the 180 turn at the corner of Crown St and Harbour St, from where it will be a breakneck sprint for the biggest prize in the sport. 

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