The IRONMAN 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley North America Championship triathlon heads to State College, PA, this weekend. The event brings together a competitive professional field in North America alongside more than 1,700 amateur athletes.
The event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 14, 2026. As part of the 2026 Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series, the race marks the first time Happy Valley has hosted both an IRONMAN Pro Series event and the IRONMAN 70.3 North America Championship. The addition elevates the race on the international triathlon calendar.
Athletes will tackle a 70.3-mile course that begins with a 1.2-mile swim in Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir at Bald Eagle State Park. Participants will then transition to a scenic 56-mile bike ride through the rolling hills of Centre and Clinton Counties. The race culminates with a 13.1-mile run on the campus of Penn State University, featuring a unique finish line experience outside of Beaver Stadium.
The amateur and professional fields represent 43 countries and 44 US states. Highlighting the age range of the competitors, the youngest male athlete is 18-year-old Eamon Drohan from Warriors Mark, PA, whilst the youngest female is 19-year-old Lexie Shultzabarger from Lancaster, PA. The oldest competitors are 77-year-old Graham Lloyd from Harwich, PA, and 80-year-old Natalie Grabow from Mountain Lakes, NJ.
The Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series is now in its third year. The series allows professional triathletes to vie for the title of IRONMAN Pro Series Champion and a share of the US$1.7 million year-end bonus prize pool.
In the 2026 season, the series will be contested over 16 events around the globe. This itinerary features a combination of six IRONMAN and eight IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons, alongside the IRONMAN World Championship and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship events.
At IRONMAN 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley, the pro athlete women’s panel is expected to feature Lydia Russell, Paula Findlay, Hannah Berry, and Grace Alexander. The pro men’s panel will include Matt Hason, Sam Long, Trevor Foley, and Matthew Marquardt.
A separate women’s panel is scheduled for 13:00 EDT on Saturday, June 13, 2026. This session features professional athlete Danielle Lewis, IRONMAN 70.3 North Carolina Race Director Sami Winter, and Natalie Grabow, who holds the distinction of being the oldest female finisher of the IRONMAN World Championship.
The race will be broadcast live and free for international audiences via the internet. Streaming will be available on the IRONMAN YouTube channel, ironman.com/proseries, and DAZN. Additional regional live broadcasts and highlight programmes will be distributed across various international networks, such as L’Équipe Live in France, ESPN via Disney+, SuperSport, hr-Fernsehen, NRD, RTVE, iQIYI, and Outside TV.
The IRONMAN Foundation is also active in the region this week. The non-profit charitable arm is distributing over US$18,000 in give back grants to local organisations within the Happy Valley region. This funding brings the total historical giveback in the area to more than US$61,000.
The event schedule begins on Friday, June 12, 2026, with the opening of the IRONMAN Village at Lot 41 – Jordan East Lot by Beaver Stadium, operating from 14:00 to 19:00 EDT. A shakeout run with the Penn State TriClub is scheduled for 18:00 EDT.
On Saturday, June 13, 2026, the IRONKIDS event starts at 09:00 EDT at the stadium lot, whilst bike check-in runs from 09:00 to 17:00 EDT at Transition 1 in Bald Eagle State Park.
On race day, Sunday, June 14, 2026, athlete and spectator shuttles will depart from Beaver Stadium starting at 04:00 EDT. The professional race start is scheduled for 06:50 EDT at Bald Eagle State Park, followed by the age group athletes at 07:00 EDT. The first finisher is expected outside Beaver Stadium at approximately 10:45 EDT, with the awards and world championship slot allocation ceremonies beginning at 16:30 EDT in Lot 18.
