It looks like a record year for the IRONMAN Poland race series. Even though the first event is still a few months away, places are already starting to run out. This year, IRONMAN 70.3 races will take place in four cities.
He talked about this during the conference announcing the full IRONMAN Poland season. The race director, Michał Drelich, also shared how many athletes he expects on the start list for Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw.
In Warsaw, 2,500 people will start. This is an absolute record in the history of the IRONMAN 70.3 series in Poland. There were not this many participants at this distance even in the best years in Gdynia, when it was the only event like this in Poland.
Michał Drelich – IRONMAN Poland race director
Michał Drelich emphasized that it is not only Warsaw that will make this year’s season special.
It is also very likely that all of this year’s events will sell out completely. The current registration trend for the races in Gdynia and Poznań points to this. There have been no places left for Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Kraków for many weeks already.
Michał Drelich – IRONMAN Poland race director
He explains this with the still growing popularity of triathlon and the increasing number of young people on the start lists. It is also thanks to the commitment of the whole community in Poland gathered around the IRONMAN brand. It also matters that top Polish triathletes are on the start lists, and racing against them attracts people like a magnet. This year, you will also be able to compete with them.
Race plans often change, but I would like to take part in all four IRONMAN Poland races this year. I think I have never had a season where I did not race in Poland.
Robert Wilkowiecki – triathlete, Polish record holder in the full IRONMAN distance
I hope that I will show up at IRONMAN Poland events at least twice this season.
Kacper Stępniak – triathlete, Polish record holder at the 70.3 distance, winner of IRONMAN 70.3 Kraków 2025
4 weekends full of sporting excitement
In the 2026 season, there will be as many as four IRONMAN 70.3 races in Poland – in Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, and Gdynia. The last location, in particular, has sparked a lot of emotions. Gdynia returned to the IRONMAN Poland calendar after a one-year break.
This is one of the most important events in Gdynia’s calendar. We are coming back to where we belong. The story of IRONMAN races in Poland began in Gdynia, and we have many years of great cooperation behind us, plus a lot of wonderful memories. I am very happy that Gdynia will again be part of the IRONMAN Poland family.
Paweł Brutel – Director of the Gdynia Sports Center
Representatives of the Kraków local government are also not hiding their enthusiasm. Although IRONMAN 70.3 Kraków made its debut in the capital of Lesser Poland only last year, it still received excellent feedback from participants.
For years, Kraków has been associated with tradition, history, culture, and legend… A few years ago, we came to the conclusion that it would be worth showing that our city has even more to offer. When we started talks with the organizers of IRONMAN Poland, we felt that this was exactly it.
Katarzyna Stępniewska-Walaszczyk – Deputy Director for Marketing and Event Organization, Sports Infrastructure Authority in Kraków
Triathletes felt the same, as they quickly bought all the entry packages for this year’s Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Kraków. In their reviews of last year’s edition, many of them highlighted the special atmosphere on the bike course. This was thanks, among other things, to the official cheering zone on the main square in Bochnia.
We know that the athletes felt our support on the main square in Bochnia, and this year we will be even louder. I am happy that you are in Bochnia, and as long as I am the mayor, I will not let you leave Bochnia!
Magdalena Łacna – Mayor of Bochnia
Representatives of Poznań and Warsaw also spoke yesterday about the importance of hosting IRONMAN Poland races in their cities. Although they could not attend the conference in person, they recorded special videos. The Mayor of Poznań, Jacek Jaśkowiak, stressed that triathletes are welcome guests in the city and that events like this promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle among residents. Marcin Kraszewski from Warsaw City Hall encouraged people to register as well, talking about a unique course that goes through the historic part of the city.
It pays off!
There is no doubt that host cities are the main beneficiaries of organizing these events. A recent Deloitte report on the impact of IRONMAN Poland races on local economies clearly showed that sports events of this level are a strong driving force for the local economy.
Over PLN 40 million in added value growth for the economies of the host cities. This amount is generated mainly by visitors, largely from abroad, because they are the ones who spend money in hotels and restaurants, and in this way they boost the local economy.
Aleksander Łaszek – Deloitte
IRONMAN is a strong brand. Being associated with it also brings real value for partners and sponsors. In this year’s season, the title sponsor of all events in the IRONMAN Poland calendar will be Enea.
We have been with IRONMAN Poland races for 12 years, so the decision to become the title sponsor of the whole series is a natural step for us and a result of Enea’s strong commitment to triathlon in Poland. We want to support events that promote sport and inspire people to be active. The IRONMAN brand combines global status with local involvement, and its values – perseverance and consistency – are especially close to us. As Enea, we want to be a source of good energy for athletes, fans, and host cities, supporting them at every stage of this special sports journey.
Berenika Ratajczak – Enea press spokesperson
An extremely active and equally loyal sponsor is Citi Handlowy, which plans to enter several dozen company relay teams at each race. Some of the bank’s employees are also preparing for individual starts.
For 9 years, we have been a partner and an active participant in the Polish edition of IRONMAN. With each edition, we grow stronger – today our team includes over 30 relay teams and a hundred athletes: our employees, clients, and Paralympians. We race together as #NiezwykłaDrużyna, and the kilometers we cover give children with disabilities access to sports training.
Maciej Kowalik, Live Well at Citi ambassador, Citi Handlowy
In some of last year’s relay teams, Citi Handlowy employees raced together with Polish Paralympians. The Polish Paralympic Committee appreciated the opportunity for athletes with disabilities to take part, and awarded the Sport Evolution agency – the organizer of IRONMAN Poland races – the Friend of Paralympic Sport prize.
What happens at IRONMAN Poland races is full inclusion, because even with different mobility levels, para-athletes cover the same distances and compete alongside able-bodied athletes. The atmosphere is amazing, and you can feel that everyone can find a place for themselves there.
Łukasz Szeliga – President of the Polish Paralympic Committee
Łukasz Szeliga said during the conference that para-athletes are already preparing for starts in this year’s IRONMAN Poland races. He also asked people to keep their fingers crossed for those who will compete at the Paralympic Games in Italy in a month.
Partner sounds proud!
New partners of the series were also introduced during the conference: Makarony Czanieckie, Wessper and 226ers. Joanna Karbowiak from Makarony Czanieckie announced a range of limited-edition products, and Grzegorz Wojciechowski from Wessper said he believes IRONMAN will help his filtering bottles stand out from the competition. Alicja Szopińska, CEO of Sports Wonderland, the exclusive distributor of 226ers products in Poland, shared that triathlon is coded into the brand’s name.
We hope this will be our year. Our brand name matches the year 2026 really well, and I am happy that we are joining the group of IRONMAN Poland partners right now. What’s more, 226 is simply the number of kilometers that athletes have to cover in the full IRONMAN distance.
Alicja Szopińska – CEO of Sports Wonderland, the exclusive distributor of 226ers products in Poland
Addicted to sport
Special guests at the IRONMAN Poland conference were also sports influencers – Karolina Filipkowska, Maciek Duda, and Minimajk. Karolina works as a weather presenter on Polsat TV, but she spends every free moment on sports activity. This year, she decided to race in Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw.
For me, IRONMAN means pushing my limits and a healthy addiction. Warning – once you get into it, it is hard to stop.
Karolina Filipkowska – weather presenter, sports influencer
Maciek Duda is a student who looks for excitement and his own limits. He rides his bike in an extreme way, runs marathons, and now he has decided to take on the full IRONMAN distance in Tallinn. Before that, we will see him at the start in Warsaw.
When I do something, I like to do it 100 percent. I love challenges, I love doing new things, it really excites me. And when you tell someone about an IRONMAN race, it immediately earns respect.
Maciek Duda – sports influencer
Minimajk’s start also looks especially interesting. He is a little person and an internet star. He has tried many sports, including MMA, but now he has fallen in love with triathlon. He is not afraid of the bike course or the run.
Swimming will definitely be the biggest challenge for me, but I can’t wait to start cycling outdoors. I know that several short people around the world have already completed such competitions. I hope that I will also succeed and thus show that if you have the will, you can do anything.
Minimajk – influencer
The first IRONMAN race in Poland this year will take place in Warsaw on June 7. You can still register, although the slots are going very fast.
The next races in the IRONMAN Poland calendar are:
- Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Gdynia – July 19
- Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Kraków – August 2
- Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań – August 30
