SPORTS EVENTS

Pembrokeshire is the ideal location for outdoor sports and activities with plenty of sporting events taking place. Whether you compete for fun, spectate or are a serious athlete, there is something for everyone.

TheSaundersfoot Triathlon is made up of a 750m swim, a 20K bike ride, and finished with a 5K run. With a mass start on the beach, the athletes head straight to the water with an anti-clockwise swim around the course. This is followed by the bike course, a 1 lap route heading out of the village to Templeton and Ludchurch, circling anti-clockwise back round into Saundersfoot. The event finishes with the run course heading back to the centre of the village for the red carpet finish passing through the short tunnels along the seafront.

This triathlon is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a race with an enclosed stunning sea swim; sea views, and fantastic village support, topped off with one of the most breathtaking scenic runs. The Saundersfoot Triathlon course is simply in one of the best locations in the UK. With its calm, safe and spectator-friendly swim, picturesque ride and fast, flat run.

We recommend getting to Saundersfoot early to make sure you don’t miss out on parking. There are two car parks in the village or there’s one a 10-minute walk away in Coppet Hall. This is a flat path suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs through the short tunnels and further on is Wisemans Bridge.

The Wisemans Bridge Inn is a particularly good spot to show your support. The pub there serves food and drink with fantastic views of the sea and there’s a great beer garden that welcomes dogs. Here you can watch the cyclists come speeding down the hill and it’s only a short walk from Saundersfoot where you can watch the swim take place. The cycling route for Ironman and Long Course Weekend also passes through Wisemans Bridge so it’s a great spot to show your support at all these events.

The Saundersfoot Triathlon takes place annually in September. For full details, see saundersfoottriathlon.com

Long Course Weekend

Beginningat the end of June and rolling into July, Long Course Weekend is the biggest multisport event in Europe. Based on the Pembrokeshire Coast in West Wales, the popular event attracts over 12,000 athletes and 36,000 supporters to compete over three incredible days to remember. You can enter 1, 2 or all 3 events over the weekend or you can do half of each!

Kicking off the event on a Friday is The Wales Swim. Competitors of both the 1.2-mile and 2.4-mile swim events all start at North Beach in Tenby, at the same time. Those tackling the full 2.4-mile distance will go on to do a second lap.

This day there is also a children's event, the LCKinder. This is the opening event for Long Course Weekend, where children aged 4-11 can take part in their very own competition tackling a surf run followed by a run across North Beach to the finish line. If your children are budding athletes or sports lovers, then the LCKinder might be ideal, where all children are given a medal after finishing.

The next day will be The Wales Sportive. There are three different distances with 40-mile, 70-mile and 112-mile options for the bike ride, depending on entry level.

Cyclists competing in each of these categories have a staggered start. For those athletes wanting to push their limits with the 112-mile course, they will start first, with the 40-mile competitors leaving last.

The final day of the weekend is The Wales Marathon, a 26.2-mile marathon run, with Half Marathon, 10K and 5K options. Entrants of the full marathon will start and finish the race at Tenby’s Tudor Square, with crowds of supporters cheering them on.

All along the route there are spectators cheering, but a particularly great watch spot is at the finish line where there’s a wild atmosphere on the red carpet with massive crowds showing their support for the athletes. If you get there early enough you can watch the pros run to victory, celebrating with another firework display along with some of the biggest cheers of the whole event. This is followed by the prize ceremony and of course the well-deserved after party!

Long Course Weekend takes place annually in June. For full details, see lcwwales.com

Holiday Cottages For Long Course

Ironman Wales is one of the most famous endurance events in the country, attracting around 2,500 athletes from Pembrokeshire at the beginning of September from all over the world. Athletes test their fitness on the mammoth course in Tenby, which has even earned the name ‘Iron Town’.

The whole three-part course has to be completed within 17 hours. The race starts with a two-loop 2.4-mile sunrise swim at Tenby's famous North Beach. Followed by a gruelling two-loop 112-mile bike course through Pembrokeshire's scenic countryside. Finally, the race finishes with a four-loop 26.2 mile, marathon-length run through Tenby’s buzzing town centre, packed with event supporters.

The fastest athletes will finish the enduring course in around 9 hours. It’s an achievement in itself to complete such an event, but Ironman Wales also serves as a qualifier for the world championships in Hawaii.

Ironman Wales boasts some of the most enthusiastic crowds in endurance sports. It’s certainly worth experiencing once, if only from the sidelines, just for the electric atmosphere it creates.

Kicking off early at North Beach, the athletes start the race at 7 am in the choppy waters of Carmarthen Bay. Crowds of supporters rise early to watch the sunrise and cheer on the athletes, zigzagging up the cliff and along the road just to watch. We recommend getting to Tenby early before the roads close at 8:30 am to guarantee a parking spot, otherwise, it’ll be a struggle to get there Next is the cycle ride which passes through some of the most beautiful parts of Pembrokeshire. It’s a hilly course, lined with spectators all along the route. Great hotspots for spectators are Narbeth and Carew where the route directly passes through. A particularly good spot to watch from is in Saundersfoot on St Brides Hill which has been given the nickname ‘Heartbreak Hill’ as it’s one of the most intense climbs on the course.

Competitors finish with the 4-lap marathon run through the cobbled streets of Tenby to New Hedges and back. Like the cycle, it’s a hilly course but the cheering crowds definitely help. A great watch spot if you’re not one for large crowds is in New Hedges or the top of Saunderfoot where people line the pavements cheering on the athletes as they pass by. For electric atmosphere, anywhere in Tenby is a great spot to watch from, but the finish line, in particular, creates a buzz with the music blaring and large crowds cheering.

Whether you’re a participant or a spectator, it’s worth sticking around Tenby for the great post-race atmosphere. With three stunning sandy beaches and pastel-coloured houses rising up from a picturesque harbour, Tenby has plenty to offer – and makes the perfect base to explore Pembrokeshire.

Holiday Cottages For Ironman

Challenge Wales

Wales, hosted by The Wales Triathlon, is a fairly fast course that’s ideal for both new and experienced athletes. Kicking off in June, Challenge Wales is based in Fishguard with the cycle heading off to St Davids and back.

Challenge

The swim is a 1.2-mile course made up of 2 laps which take place within the harbour. This is followed by a 56-mile cycle with the route going to St Davids and circling back to Fishguard. There will be a huge reception as the cyclists go around the square in St Davids, with supporters from all over creating a motivating atmosphere. The event finishes with a 13.1-mile run made up of 4 laps around Fishguard and Goodwick.

Challenge Wales is the ultimate event for athletes of all capabilities, packed with sea views, breathtaking scenic runs and fantastic support.

Similar to Long Course Weekend and the Saundersfoot Triathlon, there’s a red carpet finish at The Parrog in Goodwick. Fishguard and Goodwick are both great locations to stay near for the event with the good selection of small shops and places to stop for a bite to eat.

A hotspot for supporters craving a great atmosphere to watch the cyclists is in St Davids where there’s a huge reception for the athletes. There’s a welcoming triathlon festival feel for the entire weekend offering something for everyone.

Challenge Wales takes place annually in June. For full details, see challenge-wales.com

Stay On Course

Places to Stay

See overleaf for fantastic cottages located right on some of these routes.