Russell-Fields City Pier, Panama City Beach

The beach at Russell-Fields City Pier is where IRONMAN Florida swims its two-loop, 2.4-mile course around the pier each November, which makes it the natural rehearsal spot for Panhandle triathletes. The pier gives you an easy sighting line out and back. Conditions swing from smooth to choppy with the wind; check the flags first, since a double red closes the water with a $500 fine.

Directions

Russell-Fields City Pier, Panama City Beach

Photo: Scott Long · CC BY 3.0

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Latest reading · SwimScore 85/100 (Get in) for a typical swimmer: air 32°C, wind 14 km/h, waves 0.2 m, UV 4. Updated 23 Sept, 22:00 UTC.

Know before you go

Best conditions: Wind-dependent: race-day conditions have ranged from fairly smooth to very choppy.
Getting in: Public Gulf beach at the Russell-Fields City Pier, beside the Pier Park shopping district where IRONMAN Florida sets up transition.
Water quality: Florida Department of Health Healthy Beaches Program samples the 'PCB City Pier' site for enterococci bacteria every 1–2 weeks depending on county (Good 0–35, Moderate 36–70, Poor 71+ per 100 mL); an advisory is issued when a sample and its resample both exceed 70.
Season: Race-morning water in early November is typically low-to-mid 70s°F, so the IRONMAN swim is wetsuit-legal most years.
Who swims here: IRONMAN Florida (next edition Nov. 7, 2026) swims a 2.4-mile, two-loop clockwise course around Russell-Fields Pier with a short beach run between laps; Panama City Beach also hosts IRONMAN 70.3 Gulf Coast (May 9, 2026).
Watch for: Double red flag closes the water to the public: $500 fine, $1,000 for a second offense
Current, chop and jellyfish are possible; IRONMAN Florida athletes have met swarms of small jellyfish
Red flag signals high surf and/or strong currents