Team Parcours Member Will Newbury Takes On Ironman 70.3 Mallorca

Will Newbury won our “Race like a Pro” competition in 2025, which set him up with a ”Pro” set for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Marbella. It included of course a fabulous and speedy set of our Parcours wheels, as well as a custom Argon 18 bike, and Classified gearing system. Another ‘win’ for Will, off the back of this, he joined the Parcours Ambassador team in 2026. Will is also the coach of the 9 Endurance training group.

Will recently headed to Mallorca 70.3 to race, taking with him 17 members of 9 Endurance, which changed his perspective on racing and the pressure going in. Will talks us through his own race, but also the bigger picture, of the team.

Mallorca 70.3 2026

Mallorca holds a special place in my triathlon career. Since first visiting in 2010, when I had the opportunity to work with Joe Friel, it’s probably the place I’ve returned to more than anywhere else - for camps, holidays and racing alike.

In 2025, I raced Mallorca 70.3 with one goal: qualify for the World 70.3 Championships in Marbella. I managed to secure my slot with a role down. In the build-up to Marbella, I then won the “Race Like a Pro” competition,  which introduced me to the incredible people at Parcours and Classified, as the prize was being kitted out with a TT bike, wheels and “pro” set up. The Special Edition Argon 18 was perfectly set up for that course with the Chrono wheels and Classified gearing system and while I never challenged the very front of the race, I absolutely emptied the tank and had one of the best race experiences I’ve had.

 

2026 was always going to feel different.

 

With 17 athletes from 9 Endurance Club (the training group I have started and coach), racing Mallorca 70.3, my focus shifted. I was far more excited about seeing what the team could achieve on such a tough course than worrying about my own race. I’d had a decent winter of run training but swimming had been minimal and most of my bike work had been limited to a couple of turbo sessions a week. I was healthy and generally fit but definitely undercooked by my usual standards - and strangely, that removed a lot of pressure.

We chose Mallorca because it just works. Easy travel from the South Coast, endless accommodation options and usually reliable weather. Alcudia fully embraces the race week atmosphere. With nearly 4,000 athletes racing, the town knows exactly how to put on a show and the organisation is always excellent.

Claire (my partner) and I stayed in Alcudia Old Town, which I actually prefer to staying right on top of race HQ. It’s quieter, more relaxed and still only about a mile from transition, making race week logistics really easy.

 

Swim

Having raced Ironman events since 2010, I grew up with the old mass starts and the chaos that came with them. The rolling starts are undoubtedly safer and still an amazing spectacle but I do miss the adrenaline of the cannon going and everyone charging into the water together. You also knew exactly where you stood in a sprint finish.

With that in mind, I always seed myself right at the front to recreate some of that intensity. This year I was around seventh into the water, found clear space quickly and settled into a good rhythm.

I used the FORM goggles for the first time and found the strokes-per-minute feature genuinely useful. Holding low-70s Strokes Per Minute (SPM) kept me controlled and efficient without blowing up.

When I say my swimming hadn’t matched the rest of my training, I mean it. Aside from a few swims in Australia during a family holiday, I’d probably swum around 10km total between November and early May. Expectations were low.

So to come out in 28 minutes, in fairly choppy conditions, was a huge surprise. I tend to thrive when the water gets rough and it definitely suited me.

6th in age group.

T1

I wonder what some people are doing in transition.

In, out, no drama.

A couple more places gained and onto the bike sitting 4th in the age group.

Bike

Last year I got this wrong. I raced emotionally, hammered the climb too hard and paid badly for it over the final 40km.

This year was completely different.

Reunited with the Argon 18, the bike felt incredible, but the biggest difference was the Parcours and Classified setup. I climbed better, descended with far more confidence and felt significantly smoother across the whole course.

The plan was simple:
Stay controlled until 35km to go, then race.

No chasing early attacks. No panic. Just patience.

Once the final section arrived, it was time to go to work. Nutrition was absolutely nailed thanks to the PF&H plan of 90g carbs per hour and I felt strong all day. Over the final 30km I averaged 244 watts while gradually reeling back in everyone who had ridden away from me earlier.

Last year I averaged around 230 watts over the same sector. The overall bike split ended up similar, but this year we faced a brutal headwind that slowed the entire field considerably.

The Chrono wheels were exceptional all day - fast on the flats, responsive over the punchy climbs and incredibly stable in the crosswinds.

I came off the bike in 6th place.

T2

Another smooth transition.

A few more seconds gained.
Still 6th.

Run

This was where I quietly felt confident.

The legs felt surprisingly fresh off the bike — helped massively by finally listening to Dov’s advice on tyre pressures and running 28mm tyres properly set up. Last year I attacked the run too aggressively and paid for it badly late on. This year the plan was to stay controlled early and build through the race.

After lap one, I’d actually lost a bit of time to the athletes around me but I could already sense people starting to fade.

By the end of lap two, I’d moved into 4th place and was running strongly. Third place was coming back quickly - around 30 seconds per kilometer - and the question became whether I simply had enough road left.

The support around the harbour and through town was unbelievable. The slightly revised run course worked brilliantly in my opinion. Maybe a little busier in places but the atmosphere was incredible and the crowds absolutely carried you along.

The final 2.5km was simply full commitment. No pacing. No caution. Just trying to squeeze every last second out of the body and convince myself the finish line was somehow closer than it actually was.

I came up 11 seconds short of 3rd.

But honestly, that wasn’t really the point of the weekend.

Seeing all of our athletes out on course, racing hard, supporting each other and genuinely enjoying the experience made me unbelievably proud. Every single one of them was out there giving everything.

 

More Than A Race

Personally, I was over the moon with the result. Finishing 4th in the 45–49 age group, off the back of a far-from-perfect build, wasn’t something I’d really considered possible this year.

The bonus was securing a World Championship slot for Nice - one of my favourite races anywhere - and I genuinely can’t wait for that challenge.

But the real highlight of the week was the club.

To finish 3rd in the team standings at one of the biggest races in the world outside of a World Championship honestly blew me away. Walking onto that stage with our small club from the middle of the New Forest was a moment I’ll never forget.

Everyone contributed. Everyone mattered.

And finally, none of this happens without Claire. She’s the foundation of everything we do as a club. Whether she’s supporting athletes all day with endless energy or telling me to stop overthinking and just get out and train, I genuinely couldn’t do any of this without her.

Massive thanks as well to Jonny (PF&H) for all his encouragement – no one rocks a budgie better - and the PF&H team, to Dov, Amy and everyone at Parcours, and to Argon 18 for producing an absolutely phenomenal bike.

Nice next and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships!