2014 will mark the 10th anniversary of Ironman UK on Sunday 20 July, hosted by Bolton and Lancashire. The organisers have seen an unprecedented demand for places, resulting in a new bike course being proposed for the event.
Ironman UK can now confirm that proposals for a new bike course have been approved, which in turn enables the organisers to accommodate 400 more athletes to the event.
From Wednesday 12 March at 12 noon GMT for 24 hours, entries will be available to friends referred by existing Ironman UK entrants. Any remaining places will go on general sale at 12 noon on Thursday 13 March.
Original entries for Ironman UK 2014 sold out in a record 50 hours with athletes coming from over 30 countries. As the organisers note, this reinforces how much Ironman athletes enjoy racing in Lancashire and taking on the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile marathon run.
The aim for the 10th anniversary event in 2014 is not only make the event the biggest Ironman ever held in the UK, but to also improve the course and athlete experience as well as increase the local economic benefit which stands at over £3.5 million.
The new plans will see an extended 2 lap bike course as well as a change of venue of T2 from Rivington School to the Reebok Stadium, which also hosts the event expo, briefings and awards dinner.
The new bike course takes in new villages of Whittle-le-Woods, Croston and Mawdesley so they too can enjoy a world class sporting event passing through their village as well as incorporate the event into community activity and fundraising.
Having tested the proposed course, Ironman UK 2012 bronze medallist Paul Hawkins said “This is a pretty challenging but well-designed circuit in a fantastic location. It will certainly push everyone to the limits as it’s constantly up and down giving little respite. It also offers plenty of spectator spots to watch on race day which is great for the athletes – including a new addition of Hunters Hill to compliment the Sheep House climb which is another belter, offering a shorter but steeper gradient.”
As part of the proposed plans and as a thank you for the phenomenal feedback from athletes on the spectator support along the course, Ironman is offering priority entries for local athletes from Bolton and Lancashire to ensure they can enter their home race. Local athletes should email UK[at]Ironman.com with their home address to receive a priority entry.
Kevin Stewart, Managing Director of Ironman UK commented, ”We have been working hard to keep improving and developing the event. With 2,000 entries from over 30 countries selling out in just 50 hours it reinforces how much Ironman athletes enjoy racing in Bolton and Lancashire and our aim is to ensure they have a hugely enjoyable and memorable experience – which we hope these on-going improvements will achieve.”
Ironman has a strong charity fundraising tradition with Scope being the official charity of Ironman UK receiving record entries. Additionally many athletes support a range of highly worth causes for their own personal reasons with over £500,000 raised from their participation.
