More than 3,000 of the world’s top athletes are registered to compete in St George, Utah on Saturday, September 18 at the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission.
The IRONMAN Group has produced this event since 2006, with host cities rotating globally beginning in 2014.
“We are thrilled to host the 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship race in St George, adding this city to a select list of other top-tier IRONMAN championship locations,” said Diana Bertsch, Senior Vice President, World Championship Events for The IRONMAN Group.
“Bringing athletes to compete in a hotbed of endurance sports in St George is exactly what our community needs after the difficult past year – to get back to our roots and celebrate what we do.
“We look forward to providing the best possible race experience to our athletes and beginning a tradition of championship racing in scenic St George.”
With athletes hailing from over 85 countries, regions and territories, North America leads the way with 76% of those registered to race in the 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. Following North America, Latin America accounts for 10%, while Europe accounts for 9% percent of the field.
The USA is the most represented nation, followed by Mexico, France, Canada, Colombia and Germany. Other athletes from countries as far as Taiwan, India, Morocco, Kenya,and the Philippines are traveling from around the globe for their shot at the championship.
The 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission will kick off with a 1.2-mile (1.9km) ROKA Swim Course, which takes place in Sand Hollow Reservoir located in Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah.
Next up is a challenging 56-mile (91.3km) Ventum Bike Course that will lead athletes through desert landscapes with 3,442 feet (1,049m) of elevation gain and a climb into Snow Canyon State Park and surrounding Washington County.
The 13.1-mile (21.2km) HOKA ONE ONE Run Course will take athletes on two loops through the Red Hills Parkway and wind through historic downtown St George where the finish line is located.
In order to qualify for the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, more than 50,000 age-group athletes competed to earn slots at over 45 IRONMAN 70.3 events held worldwide.
The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship originated in Clearwater, Florida in 2006. Since that time, it has toured destinations around the world with stops in:
Since the series began in 2006, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship has been led by Australia and Germany with six champions each, followed by Switzerland (five champions) and Great Britain (four champions). The United States and Spain have had two winners each, while Canada, New Zealand, and Norway each have one winner.
2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission, by the numbers:
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- 64% of registered participants are male; 36% of registered participants are female.
- 42 is the average age of all registrants.
- Manfred Klittich (DEU) is the oldest male and overall participant at 84, while Jacob Wolmer (USA) is the youngest at 18.
- Cherie Gruenfeld (USA) is the oldest female participant at 77, while Arron Goldman (USA) is the youngest at 18.
- 11 athletes will be celebrating their birthdays on event weekend.
- All 50 US states are accounted for, with the greatest number hailing from California, Florida, Texas, Colorado, and New York.
- 51 IRONMAN Virtual Racing athletes earned their way to the start line of the 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.
- More than 3,000 volunteers will be on hand, aiming to help make the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship a success.
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www.ironman.com/im703-world-championship
