Recording a decade of the Ironman experience in the UK, the organisers of Ironman UK have confirmed that the 2014 event will be held on Sunday 20 July 2014 and hosted once again by Bolton and Lancashire.
Ahead of this weekend’s Ironman UK, Kevin Stewart, Managing Director Ironman UK & Ireland commented, “2014 will be the 10th Ironman UK and is a very special year for the race. We are working with the authorities to make it the biggest Ironman event ever held in the UK and further improve the course and athlete experience to cement its position as the premier UK triathlon.”
With demand for Ironman races at an all-time high across Europe, Ironman UK has over 3,000 athletes on the pre-registration list, gaining advanced access to places, which is free of charge and available via the website www.ironmanuk.com.
Ironman has a strong charity fundraising tradition with Scope being the official charity of Ironman UK; it will provide a significant boost to the charity’s funds and 2014 will expand on the team of over 100 athletes racing for Scope this year.
Leader of Bolton Council, Councillor Cliff Morris, said “Ironman provides a welcome boost to the local economy, particularly the town centre, and showcases Bolton to an international audience. The event has fantastic support from residents and volunteers. We’re delighted it’s coming back to Bolton again next year reinforcing our reputation as a destination for hosting large sporting events.”
Ironman UK 2013 gets into gear
A weekend of world class Ironman racing kicks off with IronKids at 08:00 on Saturday 3 August in Bolton’s Victoria Square. Having doubled in size since its successful inauguration last year, the event is now the world’s largest IronKids event, with a sell-out 2,000 kids aged 3-14 taking part.
On Sunday 4 August, Ironman UK will get underway at 06:00 at Pennington Flash, Wigan, with over 1800 athletes entered from more than 34 countries around the globe. Attracting some of the world’s leading Ironman triathletes, the event also attracts a range of athletes of all ages and abilities each with their own story to tell as to why they’ve entered this ultimate race of endurance.
Consisting of a 2.4 mile swim in Pennington Flash, a 112 mile cycle through the spectacular Lancashire countryside, the event finishes with a 26.2 mile looped marathon course where lots of organised music and entertainment and some 30,000 supporters are expected to cheer all athletes all the way to the finish line in Bolton town centre.
Amongst those entered in this year’s age group field are a range of athletes, from first timers, to serial repeat offenders!
Ironman UK’s Kevin Stewart, said, “We are very much looking forward to welcoming all the athletes and their supporters to Bolton. We have seen a huge surge in athletes wanting to race Ironman this year and we very much hope all the extensive work we have undertaken with the local authorities to improve the course and success of the event makes for an extremely memorable experience.”
In addition to the weekend’s racing, there will be an Ironman Expo at The Reebok Stadium from on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 August, which is free for the public to attend and a great opportunity to view and buy the latest sports equipment.
