IRONMAN has announced today that Marbella, Spain, has secured the rights to host the 2025 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon.
Marbella will follow Lahti, Finland, which hosted last year’s event, and Taupō, New Zealand, which will host the 2024 edition.
Marbella will become the fourth city in Europe and the first in Spain to host the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship (following Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria, in 2015; Nice, France, in 2019; Lahti, Finland, in 2023).
The 2025 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship race will continue with a two-day format that was first adopted in 2017, with the professional women and age-group women racing on Saturday, November 8 and the professional men and age-group men racing on Sunday, November 9, with over 6,000 athletes anticipated to hit the start line across the two days.
“Marbella, Spain joins an exclusive group of worldwide locations that have demonstrated a history of successfully hosting IRONMAN and/or IRONMAN 70.3 events, and offers the perfect backdrop for an exciting and memorable race week experience for athletes and their supporters,” said Andrew Messick, President & Chief Executive Officer of The IRONMAN Group.
“Marbella has consistently shown that it can offer a racing experience with a host venue worthy of a world championship event. Steeped in culture, and a well-reputed holiday destination, Marbella is internationally accessible and will undoubtedly make for an incredible trip for athletes, their family and friends alike.”
Marbella receives a high number of tourists throughout the year and is known as an international destination for sporting events thanks to its diversity of offerings, warmth of climate, and tourism activities. The city has numerous sports facilities, including world-class golf courses, tennis courts, soccer fields and several marinas and has hosted multiple national and international sporting events.
Marbella has been hosting IRONMAN 70.3 events since 2018, and last year it played host to the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 European TriClub Championship. Many other prominent sporting events have also been held in Marbella, such as the various Davis Cup qualifiers, World Padel Tour tournaments, Ladies European Tour golf, International Rhythmic Gymnastics Grand Prix, ATP tennis tournaments, and the Marbella Crossfit Championship.
In addition, Marbella is also known for its wide range of water sports, such as surfing, kitesurfing, paddle surfing and sailing, among others.
José María Arrabal, General Secretary for Sport of the Andalusian Government, said “We are really excited that Marbella has been chosen for this important international competition.
“Major sporting events are a huge draw for our region, thanks to the endless possibilities they bring. Having the 2025 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship is aligned with our mission to bring to Andalusia the best sporting events in the world that also generate positive economic impact, international tourism opportunities and the promotion of sport at the same time.”
Mayor of Marbella, Angeles Muñoz, said “Marbella is a perfect destination to host an internationally renowned event like the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon and we are elated to be selected to welcome the world for this pinnacle IRONMAN 70.3 event.
“It is a great tourist destination that has become a benchmark for world tourism without having lost any of its typically Andalusian flavour and its historical essence. Sea and mountains, tradition and modernity meet in this Mediterranean town to provide athletes and their friends and family with an environment rich in hues, both multicultural and cosmopolitan, open to progress, and a way of life based on co-existence and the welcoming nature of its people. We look forward to bringing the world’s best triathletes to Marbella in 2025.”
Located on southern Spain’s Costa del Sol, Marbella is flanked by the ocean and the mountains. The Andalusian city offers up Mediterranean seafront promenade views. The annual average temperature is around 18.5ºC / 65.3ºF, with 320 days of sunshine a year. The city is 35 miles from the international airport of Malaga.
The VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon is the culmination of over 120 global IRONMAN 70.3 qualifying events which see approximately 200,000 registered athletes every year competing for age-group slots. The event now shifts to Taupō, New Zealand on December 14-15, 2024.
The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship debuted in Clearwater, Florida, in 2006; and since that time, has toured destinations around the world – with stops in Henderson, Nevada (2011-13); Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada (2014); Zell am See-Kaprun, SalzburgerLand, Austria (2015); Queensland, Australia (2016); Chattanooga, Tennessee (2017); Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa (2018); Nice, France (2019); St George, Utah (2021-2022); and Lahti, Finland (2023).
