YMCA Wrightsville Beach Sprint Triathlon

Saturday, September 18, 2027 · Registration opens November 1

The East Coast's oldest triathlon, racing since 1979. Spots are limited in every event and the Sprint price goes up as the field fills, so don’t wait.

Why 2027 Looks Different

The major bridge project at Wrightsville Beach changes almost everything about race morning. To keep the triathlon approved and running through the construction, we are reducing the size of the field, increasing traffic control, adding more police and emergency protocols, shuttling athletes and spectators to the race, and changing parts of the course.

A smaller field and the added costs of police, traffic control and shuttles mean registration fees have gone up, and pricing is now tiered. That is what lets us keep putting on one of the oldest and best triathlons in the world, racing at Wrightsville Beach since 1979. Thank you for being part of it.

New for 2027

Time-trial swim start. No more age-group waves. You'll seed yourself by your 100m swim time at registration, line up with swimmers your speed, and enter the water a few at a time starting at 6:50 AM.
Mandatory Friday bike check. Every bike is racked in transition on Friday, September 17. Pick your time slot when you register: 1–3 PM, 3–5 PM or 5–7 PM. There is no Saturday bike drop.
Very limited beach parking. Because of the bridge project, only 300 VIP Beach Parking Passes ($20) are available for Wrightsville Beach Park, the Bluewater lot and Salisbury Street. Pass holders can't leave until after 10:00 AM. Everyone else, including spectators arriving separately, rides the shuttle in.

Pricing

Sprint Triathlon (800 spots): price goes up as the field fills

First 300 athletes	Next 300 athletes	Final 200 athletes
$150	$160	$175

Event	Spots	Price
Aquabike	50	$120
Youth Triathlon	100	$120
Relay	25 teams	$300 per team

Events

$150

6:50AM EDT 5:00PM EDT

Increases to $160 after the first 300 people register. (300 spots left) Registration Opens November 1, 2026 at 12:00am EDT

Open to ages 10+.

$300

6:50AM EDT 5:00PM EDT

75 spots left. Registration Opens November 1, 2026 at 12:00am EDT

Open to ages 10+.

$120

7:00AM EDT 5:00PM EDT

50 spots left. Registration Opens November 1, 2026 at 12:00am EDT

Open to ages 10+.

$120

7:30AM EDT 10:00AM EDT

100 spots left. Registration Opens November 1, 2026 at 12:00am EDT

Open to ages 7 - 15.

Schedule

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17: PACKET PICKUP & MANDATORY BIKE CHECK
Wrightsville Beach Park (321 Causeway Dr, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480)

1:00pm–7:00pm: Packet Pickup. Friday only. There is no Thursday or race-morning packet pickup in 2027.
1:00pm–7:00pm: Mandatory Bike Check in your registered time slot (1–3pm, 3–5pm or 5–7pm). Every bike must be racked in transition Friday.
5:00pm: Youth Triathlon Walkthrough
6:00pm: Pre-Race Q&A Meeting

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18: RACE DAY

Before 6:00am: VIP Beach Parking Pass holders parked. Everyone else arrives by shuttle.
5:00am–6:45am: Transition open for final setup (your bike is already racked)
6:45am: Transition Closes
6:50am: Time-Trial Swim Start. Line up by your seed time; swimmers enter a few at a time, fastest first.
Approx. 8:00am: Youth Triathlon Start, once the last sprint swimmer is out of the water
9:00am: Lighthouse Beer & Wine open for post-race beer
10:00am: Awards Ceremony
After 10:00am: Roads reopen; parked vehicles may leave

About the Event

1200m Swim - 11 mile Bike - 5K Run

Founded in 1979, as the Pepsi Triathlon, the YMCA Wrightsville Beach Sprint Triathlon is a favorite event among locals and triathletes near and far. This event creates a lot of excitement and enthusiasm within the race community because of its scenic location in beautiful Wrightsville Beach. The course is flat and the distances are short, making it a great first event for new triathletes, and a great time trial for more experienced racers.

In recent years, the YMCA has added a Youth Triathlon event in addition to the traditional Sprint Triathlon, increasing the participation in younger athletes.

Today the event includes the traditional sprint triathlon, an aquabike, relay teams and a youth triathlon.

Race History

The YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina's Wrightsville Beach Sprint Triathlon first held in 1979, was the brainchild of Karl Sutter, a then resident of Wrightsville Beach. Karl was competitive by nature and had been college swimmer. A few years after college, Karl had taken up running to get back in shape, and one day sprained his ankle and then turned to cycling as an outlet for fitness while his injury healed. When reading Sports Illustrated in the spring of ‘79 he noticed a small article about the first Ironman triathlon with it’s 12 participants that was held in Hawaii the prior fall. Karl approached the local YMCA which was under the direction of Jack Morris at the time, and a new event for the area was born. This triathlon originally named the Pepsi YMCA Triathlon would become the first and longest running triathlon on the east coast of the US with its start of 99 participants that September, 1979.