Weymouth on England’s south coast is getting ready for the inaugural IRONMAN Weymouth and IM 70.3 Weymouth this weekend as some of the finest IRONMAN athletes prepare to put on a show in the county of Dorset.
In just 4 days, approaching 3,000 athletes aged 18-73 will be part of the action, as Weymouth welcomes IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 racing for the first time on Sunday 11 September.
The event gets underway at 06:50 when the athletes take the plunge in Weymouth Bay, in a rolling start up until 07:20 and will run through to the finale at The Pavillion in Weymouth’s town centre, up to 16½ hours later.
Almost 2,000 athletes will be tackling the IRONMAN 70.3 event, with its 1.2 mile (1.9km) swim, followed by a 56 mile (90km) bike ride and then a 13.1 mile (21.1km) half-marathon – whilst a further 900 athletes will be tackling the full IRONMAN distance. This is the first time in European IRONMAN history that both events will be held concurrently on the same day.
Leading the way will be some of the finest IRONMAN pro triathletes, battling it out for the US$15,000 prize purse, in the 70.3 race only, whilst also looking for qualifying points towards their IRONMAN World Championship Pro rankings. The first pro athlete is expected to cross the finish line from 10:45am.
From the 2,800 entries, 57 countries will be represented with athletes from the age of 18 to 73 from all walks of life, each with their own story to tell as to why they’ve entered such a challenge. Losing weight, battling health problems, marking milestone birthdays and charity fundraising are just some of the inspirational reasons why competitors are taking part, with a notable 52% embarking on an IRONMAN 70.3 and 38% for an IRONMAN for the first time.
Thousands of spectators are expected across the route, which starts from Weymouth Bay. The athletes then mount their bikes to travel up the Jurassic coast and through the Dorset countryside for a 1 or 2 lap cycle course.
Once the athletes have completed the looped bike course back into transition, which is located in Lodmore Country park, the race concludes with a multi lap run course in the heart of Weymouth and historic sea front. Lined with over 40 cafes, restaurants and bars, it promises for a bustling atmosphere and organisers are encouraging as many local residents as possible to watch and cheer the athletes along.
Cllr Peter Finney, the county council’s cabinet member for environment, infrastructure and highways said, “We’re really looking forward to welcoming IRONMAN together with all the thousands of competitors and spectators from around the world to Dorset. We are thrilled that IRONMAN have chosen our county to stage such a prestigious sporting event and we look forward to developing the relationship and the economic opportunities this brings to the area, for many years to come.”
Kevin Stewart, Managing Director for IRONMAN UK & Ireland added, “We are delighted to be staging IRONMAN in Weymouth for the first time. We have seen a fantastic response from athletes wanting to come and experience racing at this fantastic venue that has everything to offer for them and their supporters. With two races running concurrently and world class pros in action, we’re very much hoping we’ll see a big crowd turn out to support the athletes all the way to the finish line.”
IRONMAN 70.3 Weymouth is sold out, but late entries for IRONMAN Weymouth will be available for any last minute athletes looking for a challenge on-site. Alternatively, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved as a volunteer, across all aspects of the event weekend.
