For the first time since 2012, the IRONMAN Group has announced that the city of St George, Utah, will once again play host to a full-distance IRONMAN triathlon – with the event scheduled for May 7, 2022 and then again in 2024.
In addition, the new IRONMAN St George will be designated as the 2022 and 2024 IRONMAN North America Championships.
St George will continue to host IRONMAN 70.3 events in the years that a full-distance event is not on the calendar, giving athletes the chance to prepare on the same courses and increasing the appeal of the destinations within the triathlon community.
The 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship takes place in St George, Utah, on Saturday, May 1.
“We are excited to bring a full distance IRONMAN triathlon back to St George in 2022,” said Paul Huddle, Senior Regional Director for The IRONMAN Group. “While we were prevented from bringing the full-distance IRONMAN race in 2020, we can’t wait to see this race make its return to St George next year.
“With the longstanding history the events have built over the years here in Southwest Utah, [including] an upcoming IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship event, we know our athletes will be excited to once again race 140.6 miles across this breath-taking and challenging course in the southwestern United States for the first time since 2012.”
Kevin Lewis, Director of the Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office, said “We are thrilled to bring such an epic event back to a place known as the Land of Endurance.
“In its first three years, IRONMAN St George gained a reputation as one of the toughest IRONMAN events in the world. The terrain and conditions here demand the ultimate level of commitment and determination. This event symbolizes the core attributes found in our heritage, and the communities involved genuinely appreciate the athletes that are willing to rise to it.”
The southwestern USA community of St George has been a host venue for IRONMAN since 2010. St George’s scenery and views of the surrounding red rock canyons have made the community an ideal destination for athletes for years.
The city’s walkable downtown area features local fare and boutique shopping. It is also only a two-hour drive from the nightlife of Las Vegas. The course has historically begun in the Sand Hollow Reservoir before embarking on a bike course through Snow Canyon State Park prior to a run through the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.
The new Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN North American Championship St George will begin by taking athletes along a 2.4-mile two-loop swim in the waters of Sand Hollow Reservoir. The 112-mile bike course will take athletes through Snow Canyon and along red rocks of Southwestern Utah. To finish, the 26.2-mile run course will consist of two laps through Red Cliffs Reserve before finishing in the historic Town Square of downtown St George.
General registration for the event will open on Monday, May 10 at midday ET. As it will be designated the IRONMAN North American Championship, the event will have an elevated professional prize purse and offer age-group qualification slots to the 2022 IRONMAN World Championship.
