Paula Findlay’s recap of Ironman 70.3 Boise. I don’t normally post about professional triathlon racing, but I enjoyed Paula Findlay’s race recap from Ironman 70.3 Boise on the That Triathlon Life podcast. It’s interesting, and sometimes validating, to hear about I race I did from a pro’s perspective: The swim was choppy, and long; the buoys were hard to sight—I’m glad it wasn’t just me.
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Ironman 70.3 Boise
The Ironman 70.3 in Boise, Idaho: a split-transition race with a Lucky Peak Reservoir swim, a bike around the Idaho countryside, and a run along the Greenbelt.
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Race Report: 2025 Ironman 70.3 Boise
A couple of years ago Kate and I spent a long weekend in Boise, Idaho. She came to get a new tattoo, and in the meantime I hung out and explored the city. Boise is a cool town and we had a great time, but I fell in love with the Boise River Greenbelt, a gorgeous tree-lined pathway running along the banks of the Boise River. I ended up running over 50 km that weekend alone. I’ve been itching to go back ever since.
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What’s the water temperature at Lucky Peak Reservoir in July? Ever since the return of Ironman 70.3 Boise was announced, I’ve been wondering what the water temperature would be like on race day. I know in the previous iterations of this race, when it was in early June, it was a very cold swim: In 2011 the water temperature was 11°C, and in 2012 it was so cold, people wore wetsuits on the bike, which was shortened to 24 km. So far I haven’t been able to find a reliable source of historical water temperatures at Lucky Peak Reservoir to look up what it might be like in late July, but today I got an email from Ironman that states (emphasis mine):
The IRONMAN 70.3 Boise 2025 swim course offers athletes a refreshing and scenic 1.2-mile swim in the pristine waters of Lucky Peak Reservoir. Starting and finishing in the easily accessible Barclay Bay area, this single-loop course provides a calm and clear environment, ideal for both seasoned swimmers and first-time triathletes. The reservoir’s typical water temperatures in late July range from 64°F to 70°F (18°C to 21°C), making it comfortably wetsuit-legal for most participants.
That’s not so bad, that’s downright pleasant! Anyway, just thought of dropping that here in case anybody else needs to Google it.
Update: The water temperature on race day in 2025 was 19.6°C.
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Ironman 70.3 is coming back to Boise. Ironman just announced the return of Ironman 70.3 Boise, which ran from 2008 through 2015. This would be the closest race to me, and Boise is such a nice town, I’m very tempted to sign up for next year’s race—running along the Greenbelt is so pleasant.
I’ve been reading some race reports from back then, such as this one from DC Rainmaker in 2011, and it sounded like a tough race, starting with a swim in 11°C water. It might be tough in a different way next year, though: the high in Boise in late July is usually above 38°C and by then smoke season is in full swing. I’m still tempted.