Everything you need to know about the first Réunion Tri Tour on September 5, 2026

A closer look at a brand-new triathlon with multiple race options, including a breathtaking XXL distance, coming to Réunion Island on September 5.

Gaël Mainard has more than one trick up his sleeve. Based for the past few years on “l’île Intense,” the former long-distance triathlete didn’t need long to dream up a new event after running the Ironman Vichy organization and helping make Yotta XP a success. Enter the Réunion Tri Tour, where the XXL format promises a proper sufferfest: 3 km of swimming, 233 km on the bike, and 30 km on foot, to (somehow) make it to the line…

To kick off this big, long day of sport at sunrise with Grand Bénare in the background, you’ll have to complete three 1,000 m swim laps in the Saint-Leu lagoon. Then it’s off on the bike for the island’s iconic 233 km loop and 2,000 m of elevation gain, riding between ocean and mountains. In a single day, you’ll get the privilege of taking in the Sud Sauvage, the Route des Laves, Sainte-Rose church surrounded by a lava flow, sugarcane and lychee fields, the Route du Littoral, Cap Lahoussaye and, to wrap it up, the coastal road along the beaches.

The run is made up of three 10 km loops. Each lap starts with a long 2.3 km straight along the seafront toward Pointe au Sel. Athletes then duck under the main road for an out-and-back toward the cemetery via La Savanne. On the way back, you’ll pass under a second short tunnel to rejoin the Pointe au Sel neighborhood, then loop around the visitor center for the Pointe au Sel salt marshes. From there, it’s back onto the bike path along the departmental road to return to Saint-Leu...

For anyone who still hasn’t had enough and is within the time limits, there’s the option to add a short extra out-and-back on the TEMOR (for Test en MOntagne Régulier) aka the Sentier Boites aux Lettres: 4.2 km for 850 m+. Then comes the final paved wall: 330 m and 90 m+, with several pitches over 30%. And then it’s all back down again, to become an Ultimate Finisher and ring the gong sitting on the finish line.

More accessible formats are on the menu, too

XXL duathlon: 7.7 km / 220 km / 30 km (and relay)
Swimbike: 3 km / 220 km (and relay)
Bike and run: 220 km / 30 km (and relay)
Short-distance triathlon: 1.5 km / 47 km / 10 km (and relay)
XS triathlon: 0.4 km / 10 km / 2.5 km
Short-distance swimbike: 1.5 km / 47 km (and relay)
Short-distance bike and run: 47 km / 10 km (and relay)
Kids aquathlon

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