Race Report: Owain Bennett at Ironman 70.3 Türkiye

2 November 2025 – Belek, Antalya

Coach’s Introduction

At the start of the year, Owain and I set one clear objective for 2025: 4 hours 37 minutes at Ironman 70.3 Türkiye — a season-long target we called #Project437.

As training progressed — even with the challenges of shift work and studying — it became clear that he was capable of going significantly faster than that original benchmark. By the final block before race day, the numbers suggested something special was possible. When Owain asked “Coach, what time do you think I’m capable of?” I had to say: “Your fitness has changed so much I’d be BS’ing you if I gave you a number, just use your race experience and back yourself to go hard and hold on!”

What follows is Owain’s race report in his own words — honest, detailed, and filled with tips for any athlete considering Ironman 70.3 Türkiye. He omits one key success of his year so I’ll toot his horn for him: Owain lost an incredible 25 kg in 2025!

Owain’s Race Report

Pre-Race Logistics

Travel & Accommodation

I flew out on Thursday for a 7-night stay at the Innvista Hotel. Everything was easy — all-inclusive holiday, stress-free travel, and a private transfer that I made aware of my bike box.

If you’re doing this race in the future: stay close to Land of Legends. It’s the event base and makes life very simple.

Registration & Pre-Race Experience

Registration was on the Land of Legends stage. Big expo with cheap merch, simple process, and only €15 needed if you don’t have a Welsh/GB race licence. The briefing was on YouTube.

Great pre-race atmosphere — parade of nations, pasta party, Halloween theme, and athletes from all over the world. I met people from Malta, the Netherlands and even… Swansea!

Training, Readiness & #Project437

This was the best prepared I’ve ever been for a 70.3. My goals were:

• Sub-30 swim
• Bike PB
• Run PB
• Overall 70.3 PB

At the beginning of the season, we set 4:37 as the target — #Project437. But in the weeks leading into the race, it started to look like I could go much faster. Confidence was high.

Race Morning & T1 Setup

My routine was the usual: keep calm, stretch, eat, hydrate. Turkey has split transitions, which I actually prefer — only one bag to chase. I added bottles and nutrition to the bike in the morning.

At the swim start my mindset was simple: find feet and get a good draft.

Swim

The swim was good overall. Anti-clockwise loop, Aussie exit, then a smaller clockwise inner loop. I swam the night before and the current was pulling right. On race morning, it pulled left — completely reversed. So on the second loop I ended up fighting a current I thought would be helping me.

Not the sub-30 I wanted, but I didn’t let it affect the race.

Transition 1

Smoothest T1 I’ve ever had. Felt bouncy coming out of the water and ready to ride.

Bike

Flat and fast course with a few rough patches, but once on the bypass it was lovely. The second loop gets very congested. A lot of blatant drafting and peloton-style groups. One athlete sat on my wheel, then moved to the rider in front, refusing to pull through. Refs were out and I saw blue cards given, but unsure if the big groups were penalised.

Nutrition was spot-on: PF&H carb chew every 15 minutes, electrolytes, High5 energy powder, and a salt tablet when I felt a glute cramp coming on — solved the issue immediately.

I rode within power targets and realised on the final return to T2 that a 2:15 bike split was possible. I pushed to make it happen.

Transition 2

Nice and simple. Because of split transitions, you just rack the bike in order of arrival — no searching for numbers.

Run

Flat route, three and a bit laps. I expected the stretch running away from Land of Legends to feel long, but it wasn’t bad at all. Volunteers were incredible all day — proper energy every lap.

Run fuelling: PF&H gel flask (30g every 20 min) + High5 mix with electrolytes in a soft bottle.

I left T2 controlled and patient, letting the legs settle. I was holding PB half-marathon pace comfortably. Used water stations to cool off and top up fluids. Felt strong throughout and overtook lots of people.

I was told I was 16th in my age group, so on the final out-and-back I pushed and managed to run down three more athletes.

Finish

Solo on the red carpet with the Welsh flag. I didn’t know my overall time — I don’t display it on my watch — so seeing 4:25 was unreal. I’d been targeting 4:37.

• 1.9km Swim: 31:46
• 90km Bike: 2:15:30
• 21.1km Run: 1:30:30

#Project437 absolutely smashed.

Course & On-the-Day Logistics

Swim

• Easy to navigate
• Straightforward entry and exit
• Kayak safety support

Bike

• Fast, but field size has outgrown parts of the course
• Heavy drafting
• Clear signage
• Nice feed station in a lay-by

Run

• Flat and simple
• Plenty of aid
• Mist showers
• Volunteers were the highlight of the whole race

Ratings

Would I recommend the race? Yes — simple, fast, and a great experience.

Tips for Future Athletes

• Book a private transfer (Grand Transfers on Instagram) — regular coaches don’t have space for bike boxes.
• Stay near Land of Legends for convenience.
• Expect congestion on the bike — hold your line and stay legal.
• Split transitions make things easier than they seem.
• Volunteers are brilliant — use their energy each lap.