Athletes swim, bike and run through Ottawa for the capital’s first-ever Ironman triathlon

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Taking on Ottawa's first ever Ironman

More than 2,500 athletes swam, cycled and ran across Ottawa and Gatineau on Sunday in the 2025 Ironman Canada-Ottawa event.

It was the first ever Ironman triathlon to be held in Canada’s capital.

A hazy, humid day didn’t deter people as downtown streets were lined with spectators, cheering on athletes taking part in one of the world’s toughest tests of physical endurance.

The event began at 6 a.m. at Britannia beach, for a 3.8 kilometre two-loop swim in the Ottawa River. From there, it was onto bicycles for the 180 km bike loop along Ottawa’s scenic parkways. Athletes then take to their feet for a full marathon that ran along the Rideau Canal and through the Central Experimental Farm.

Several roads in Ottawa were closed for the event, with some expected to remain so well into Monday.

• Here are what roads and bridges will be closed for the Ottawa Ironman event

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at what you need to know about the Ironman Canada-Ottawa race on Sunday.

First to cross the finish line

Canadian Luke Evans was the first person to cross the finish line at the first-ever Ironman triathlon in Ottawa.

According to the athlete tracker on the Ironman website, Evans finished with a preliminary time of 8 hours, 40 minutes, and 22 seconds, crossing the line at 2:41 p.m.

Evans told reporters he couldn’t believe he finished first overall.

“It’s a dream come true. I knew I was going to be in the running for this, maybe top 15, top 20, but to finish first, it’s just surreal,” he said.

“Nothing compares to an Ironman. It’s wonderful. Ironman puts on a fantastic show. They’ve got great courses, great support.”

Evans says he started doing triathlons five years ago, with the goal of finishing one.

“To progress to this... it’s incredible,” he said.

Canadian Aliisa Heiskanen was the first woman to cross the finish line, with a preliminary time of 9 hours, 32 minutes and 46 seconds. She crossed the finish line at 3:39 p.m., 17th overall.

Smoke over Ottawa

The Ironman Canada-Ottawa kicked off Sunday morning despite the wildfire smoke hanging over the national capital region.

Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement for Ottawa, warning smoke “is causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility.”

“Smoke from forest fires is expected to continue to affect much of southern Ontario today,” the weather agency said Sunday morning. “The wildfire smoke may persist into Monday for parts of southern Ontario.”

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, The Ironman Group says race officials and local public safety officials continued to monitor the latest developments related to air quality.

“Environment Canada and the Province of Ontario is forecasting that the air quality for tomorrow may enter moderate risk conditions, according to Ottawa’s Air Quality Health Index,” officials said.

“At this time, Ironman officials are moving forward with plans to conduct Sunday’s event in its original intended format, based upon current weather and smoke forecasts provided by public safety officials. Should any event modifications become necessary, it will be communicated in transition, through the Ironman tracker app, and on the event Facebook page.”

What is it?

The Ironman Canada is a long-distance triathlon series, featuring a 3.8-kilometre swim, followed by a 180-kilometre bike ride and a 42.2-kilometre run.

“When you talk about a marathon after a 180 km bike and a 3.8 km swim, people say, ‘Are these people nuts?’ No, they’re not. They’ve trained so far; the commitment level is off the scales,” Dave Holme, race director for Ironman Canada, told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron.

“These athletes are very fit, and they welcome the distance.”

Holme describes hosting an Ironman in an urban venue like Ottawa as a “dream come true.”

People of all ages signed up to take part in the challenge, including 82-year-old Graeme Barber, one of the oldest participants in the event. His family says this is his 10th Ironman.

“Probably his last and so super super proud,” says daughter Sandra Shannon. “There’s about 25 of us here—his grandchildren, his children— all of us are here and we’ll spend the day following him and cheering him on.”

Ottawa City Councillor Theresa Kavanagh is also taking part in the Ironman.

The Ironman Canada-Ottawa triathlon is part of the VinFast Ironman North America Series and will offer qualifying slots to the 2026 VinFast Ironman World Championship.

Course

The 2025 Ironman Canada-Ottawa triathlon begins with a 3.8 kilometre two-loop swim in the Ottawa River at Britannia Park.

The first transition is located at Britannia Beach, where athletes will begin the bicycle portion of the Ironman.

The bicycle course is a 2.75 loop covering 180 kilometres along the parkways between Britannia and Blackburn Hamlet, on Colonel By Drive to Mooney’s Bay and move across the Ottawa River to Gatineau.

The second transition is in Major’s Hill Park in downtown Ottawa, where athletes will transition from the bicycle to the running course.

The 42.2 km course will see runners compete in two loops of the course that includes running along Queen Elizabeth Driveway, through the Central Experimental Farm and around Parliament Hill.

The finish line is located on Murray Street next to the National Gallery of Canada and Major’s Hill Park.

Race schedule for Sunday

• 4 a.m. – Transition area opens
• 6 a.m.  – Start of the Ironman Canada-Ottawa at Britannia
• 6 p.m. – Mandatory bike and gear checkout
• 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. – Magic Hour – Finish Line Celebration

There will be a mandatory shuttle bus to the Britannia Beach swim start between 3:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.

Race timing and cut-offs

All athletes will have 17 hours to complete the entire course once they cross the swimming mat at the swim start.

“Anyone who does not complete the event in 17 hours will be designated as Did Not Finish in the official results,” according to Ironman.

The swim course will close two hours and 20 minutes after the last athlete enters the water via the rolling start. Any athlete that does not complete the 3.8 km swim in two hours and 20 minutes will receive a DNF.

The bicycle course will close 10 hours and 30 minutes after the last athlete enters the water. Each athlete will have 10 hours and 30 minutes to complete the swim, transition one and the bike course regardless of when they start the swim.

The intermediate cut-off on the bike course is 120.5 km at 2:55 p.m., while the intermediate cut-off on the run course is 20.9 km at 9 p.m.

Confederation Park

The Ironman Canada-Ottawa athlete check-in begins at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Confederation Park in downtown Ottawa is home to:

• Ironman Village
• Athlete Check-In and Timing Chip Pick-Up
• Official Ironman Store
• Athlete Briefings

The IronKids Fun Run will be held on Friday at 2 p.m. at Confederation Park.

The welcome ceremony will be held on Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Confederation Park.

On Monday, the Celebration Day Breakfast (8:30 a.m.) and the Ironman-Canada-Ottawa Awards Ceremony and roll down ceremony will be held in Confederation Park (9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.)

Road closures

The City of Ottawa says several roads and bridges will be closed starting at 3 a.m. Sunday, with many roads remaining closed until 1 a.m. Monday.

The Alexandra Bridge will be closed from 9:30 a.m. on Friday, until noon on Monday, Sussex Drive will be closed between Murray Street and St. Patrick Street from 5 a.m. on Sunday until 6 p.m. on Monday, and Mackenzie Avenue will be closed from 6 a.m. on Sunday until 7 a.m. on Monday.

Major roads impacted by the event include:

• Kichi Zībī Mīkan
• Island Park Drive
• Carling Avenue
• Wellington Street
• Colonel By Drive
• Mackenzie Avenue
• Sussex Drive
• Rockcliffe Driveway
• Queen Elizabeth Driveway
• Prince of Wales Drive
• National Capital Commission Scenic Driveway
• Arboretum Roadway
• Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway

Bridges impacted by the event include:

• Alexandra Bridge
• Champlain Bridge
• Chaudière Bridge
• Portage Bridge
• Pretoria Bridge

OC Transpo routes that use these roads will be detoured during the event.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Katelyn Wilson.