LA28 released the first details of its Olympic and Paralympic triathlon courses on September 23, 2026, confirming that both races will start and finish at Venice Beach. Athletes will swim directly off the sand into the Pacific Ocean, a beach start used only once before in Olympic history, ahead of a loop-style bike and run course through the historic beachfront neighborhood.
What happened
LA28 organizers, working with World Triathlon, unveiled preliminary course maps built around Venice Beach's Ocean Front Walk, with a single transition area and a finish line set against the Pacific coastline. Rather than starting from a floating pontoon, as is standard at most Olympic triathlons, athletes will wade in from the beach and swim through the surf line, a format used only once before at the Olympics.
How the courses break down
The two courses share the same start and finish areas but differ in distance and format:
- 1The Olympic individual events keep the standard triathlon distance: a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike leg, and a 10km run, raced on generally flat routes designed to keep the pace fast.
- 2Paralympic competitors start from a barge positioned beyond the breakwater and swim a single 750m lap before transitioning. The bike leg covers three 6.6km laps (20km total) with two technical turnaround points, and the run covers two 2.5km laps (5km total), finishing at the same Pacific-facing line.
- 3The women's individual triathlon is scheduled for July 15, 2028, the day after LA28's dual-venue opening ceremony at the LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium, with the men's individual race following on July 16.
A course built for spectators, not just athletes
Venice Beach already anchors the marathon and road cycling start lines under LA28's venue plan, and the triathlon courses lean into that same beachfront setting. Our venue guide has more on getting to Venice Beach and what to expect from race-day viewing along the boardwalk.
Venice Beach Boardwalk venue guideWhy it matters for fans
Course routes rarely change much once they're published this far out, so this is close to the actual layout fans will see on race day if they're watching from outside the ticketed transition and finish areas. A beachfront course with a public boardwalk running alongside most of the route also means triathlon joins marathon and road cycling as one of the more accessible LA28 sports to watch for free, even without tickets to the finish-line grandstands.
LA28 venues guideTrack LA28 ticket prices now
General on-sale for LA28 doesn't open until 2027, but secondary-market listings for sessions across LA28 venues are already live. Fans who want to see where prices stand can track current listings through GoalTickets.
See current LA28 ticket pricesSummer Games Insider is operated by the team behind GoalTickets. Ticket links in this article go to GoalTickets listings, a resale marketplace separate from LA28's official face-value sales; prices are listed asking prices and can change at any time.