The 2021 IRONMAN North American season is officially underway following a kick-off with IRONMAN 70.3 Texas in Galveston on April 11 and IRONMAN 70.3 Florida in Haines City on April 18. IRONMAN racing in North America continued this past weekend at the Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship in St George, Utah, on Saturday, May 1.
‘The successful execution of the events under The IRONMAN Group’s Safe Return to Racing protocols marks the first of over 50 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events scheduled to take place on the 2021 North American race calendar.’
Extra 70.3 race in Florida later this year
IRONMAN also announced that after a successful event in April, IRONMAN 70.3 Florida will host a second event in 2021 set to take place on Sunday, December 12. General registration for the IRONMAN 70.3 Florida taking place in Haines City, Florida will open on Monday, May 17, at www.ironman.com/im703-florida.
‘Haines City which has historically hosted an early season event will now see IRONMAN 70.3 Florida add a new event date in December 2021, giving athletes an additional racing opportunity to close out the 2021 North America IRONMAN season.’
“For nearly a decade, the IRONMAN organization, Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing and the City of Haines City have been a well-oiled machine,” said Mark Jackson, the director of Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing.
“This is yet another example of PCTSM partnering with an industry leader as we strive to lead the state in both the quantity and quality of sports tourism events.”
Nestled in between Orlando (approximately 35-miles northeast) and Tampa (approx. 60 miles west) Haines City provides plenty of activities in the area. Athletes will take on their 70.3-mile IRONMAN journey by starting with a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Eva.
Once out of the water, athletes will embark on a rolling 56-mile bike ride traversing through eastern Polk County on rural roads that will pass by scenic orange groves, lakes and golf courses. After returning to transition at Lake Eva Park, athletes will begin their 13.1-mile, two-loop run on a paved trail and roads surrounding Lake Eva. Athletes will be crowned an IRONMAN 70.3 finisher as they run down the finisher chute located back at Lake Eva Park.
Early season racing gets under way
“It gave us great satisfaction to see our athletes return to racing at Moody Gardens and Lake Eva Park to kick off the North America IRONMAN season,” said Keats McGonigal, Vice President of Operations, North America for The IRONMAN Group.
“While events may look and feel a bit different, our Safe Return to Racing guidelines provided the path for us to work with the host communities in Galveston and Haines City to provide a safe and positive race experience in a manner consistent with local community objectives.
“Seeing thousands of athletes doing what they love is incredibly meaningful and we will continue to work hard and fine-tune as events take place throughout the remainder of the 2021 season.”
As designed and implemented in the year leading up to the races, the two events followed The IRONMAN Group’s Safe Return to Racing protocol, a set of industry-leading guidelines prepared in accordance with standards for open-air endurance events from the World Health Organization (WHO) and guidance from the IRONMAN Global Medical Advisory Board. According to the event organiser, the protocol builds on the pillars of enhanced hygiene, screening and education, density reduction, touchpoint minimization and athlete self-reliance.
“We were absolutely thrilled to welcome the IRONMAN 70.3 Texas event back to Moody Gardens for its tenth year on Galveston Island,” said John Zendt, Moody Gardens President/CEO.
“It has been a challenging year for everyone, and this race and the IRONMAN athletes are a true inspiration as they demonstrate the strength, endurance and perseverance to us all. Congratulations to all who participated and IRONMAN for planning such a safe and outstanding event.”
Racing continues this past weekend with live broadcast coverage on Facebook Watch via the IRONMAN Now channel of the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship. The event is a preview of what could come for the Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission which will also be taking place in St. George later in 2021.
