Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Approximately 350 athletes took part in the 2026 MayanMan Triathlon and Duathlon on Sunday, July 26, bringing competitors from Mexico, the United States, Canada and Europe to Cozumel for a series of swimming, cycling and running events.
Mayor José Luis Chacón Méndez gave the starting signal at Chankanaab Park, where the swimming portions of the competition were held. The cycling and running courses extended primarily along Cozumel’s southern coastal highway.
Although organizers called Sunday’s event the fifth Cozumel edition, it was the ninth MayanMan competition held in Quintana Roo. The event began in Tulum in 2017 before moving to Cozumel, according to the MayanMan organization’s history.
Race director Genaro Montiel said about 20% of the field consisted of international competitors. Most participants were Mexican athletes traveling from different parts of the country.
The competition offered several distances intended for athletes with different levels of experience. The official 2026 race listing included:
- A middle-distance triathlon consisting of a 1.9-kilometer swim, a 90-kilometer bicycle course and a 21-kilometer run.
- An Olympic-distance event with a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40 kilometers of cycling and a 10-kilometer run.
- A sprint triathlon covering a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bicycle course and a five-kilometer run.
- A super sprint with a 400-meter swim, 10 kilometers of cycling and a 2.5-kilometer run.
- A sprint duathlon consisting of a 2.5-kilometer run, 20 kilometers of cycling and a five-kilometer run.
Sprint relay teams could include two or three athletes, allowing participants to divide the swimming, cycling and running stages.
Organizers also introduced a MayanKids division for children ages 10 to 12. That course included a 100-meter swim, five kilometers of cycling and a one-kilometer run. The category was intended to introduce younger athletes to the sport under shorter and more manageable race conditions.
Chacón welcomed the competitors and described Cozumel as the “Island of Sport,” a name promoted by local officials because of the destination’s established calendar of triathlons, cycling races and open-water swimming competitions.
He was joined at the start by state legislator Jorge Arturo Sanén Cervantes; Montiel; municipal Tourism and Economic Development Director Elías Farah Ceh; and Juanita Alonso Marrufo, director general of the Cozumel Parks and Museums Foundation, which administers Chankanaab.
Municipal officials estimated that the event generated more than 4 million pesos in local economic activity. That figure was presented as an estimate rather than an independently audited total. Spending connected to destination races generally includes lodging, restaurant visits, ferry or airline tickets, bicycle transportation and other services purchased by athletes and accompanying family members.
The MayanMan also marked the beginning of Cozumel’s main endurance-sports season. The island is scheduled to host the IRONMAN 70.3 Cozumel on September 20, followed by the full IRONMAN Cozumel on November 22. The latter will host the 2026 IRONMAN Latin American Championship, according to the official event calendar.
Cozumel’s warm Caribbean waters and coastal highway allow organizers to stage all three triathlon disciplines close to the hotel zone. The island’s experience hosting large international competitions has also produced an established network of race officials, medical personnel, transportation providers and tourism businesses accustomed to receiving athletes traveling with specialized equipment.
Organizers have not yet released complete results for each MayanMan category following the competition.
