ST. GEORGE — The temperatures are heating up, the sun is out and spring is now in full swing as the St. George area prepares for the 2019 Ironman 70.3 St. George North American Pro Championship Race on May 4.
Over 2,500 competitors from all over the world will converge among the red rock vistas, blue sky and sunshine of Southern Utah to compete for the North American Pro title.
Although much of the focus of the race is on the athletes, a press release from the St. George Area Sports Commission cited Colby Neilson, director of volunteers for the race, as saying that it’s the community that makes the experience “magical.”
“Athletes have rated this race in the top 10 the past few years and that has a lot to do with this community and the volunteers that make the experience great,” Neilson said. “The volunteer-to-athlete ratio is nearly one-to-one which says a lot of about the spirit of volunteerism in our community.”
With a little over three weeks until the race and dozens of volunteer positions available, Neilson said they are calling any community members who “want to have an incredible experience and be a part of something magical.” Volunteers can sign up by going to the Ironman 70.3 St. George website.
Recently St. George gathered worldwide attention after being selected as a finalist to host the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championships.
“Being chosen as a finalist for the World Championships is a testament to the incredible community and the volunteers that we have every year without fail,” Kevin Lewis, director of the Office of Tourism for Washington County, said in the press release.
The Ironman 70.3 World Championship selection committee visited the area two weeks ago to determine the final venue for the 2021 race.
Read more: ‘The world is already here’; Crowd gathers to welcome Ironman 70.3 selection committee
A final selection is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, but for now Neilson and Lewis are focused on making the 2019 race the best one to date.
This year over 80 professional athletes and 2,500 competitors from all over the world are expected to test their skills on the North American Pro Championship course. Besides volunteer spots, there are still entries available for those would like to sign-up and be a part of this year’s race.
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