CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — The rich history of Ironman races in Greater Zion began over 14 years ago.
Over that time, the land of endurance emerged as a prime destination for athletes worldwide, leading to the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare Ironman World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission. The race will occur May 7, beginning with the early morning swim at Sand Hollow Reservoir.
History of Ironman in Greater Zion
2008: Community leaders begin negotiations with World Triathlon Corporation to bring an Ironman to Greater Zion.
2009: A press conference is held to announce that each year for the following five years, an annual Ironman race will be facilitated on the first Saturday of May.
2010: Inaugural Ironman St. George takes place on May 1. Michael Weiss of Austria and Heather Wurtele of Canada become the inaugural champions. The course gains an instant reputation as one of the toughest Ironman events in the world.
2011: Year two of the race brings temperatures in the mid-90s. The heat, combined with the terrain, adds to the difficulty and reputation of the event.
2012: Ten minutes after the race starts, a microburst storm hits Sand Hollow Reservoir creating swells ranging from 2- to 4-feet high. Hundreds of athletes are pulled from the water. Fortunately, all athletes are safe, but the number of athletes who do not finish is one of the largest of any Ironman event.
Following the event, officials announce that the next two races in St. George will be changed to Ironman 70.3 races. The St. George race will be designated as the U.S. Pro Championship, one of five regional championships around the world.
2013 – 2019, 2021: St. George hosts an annual Ironman 70.3, specifically the North American Championship, quickly becoming one of the most iconic races around the world.
2019: St. George wins the bid to host the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. At the same time, officials announce they will bring back the Ironman St. George race in 2020.
The 2020 full-distance race is slated to be the Ironman North American Championship and will rotate with the Ironman 70.3 North American Championship in St. George.
2020: The highly anticipated return of Ironman St. George in 2020 race is postponed, then eventually canceled, due to the global pandemic. Officials restructure the five-year race agreement: Ironman 70.3 races will be on odd years starting in 2021, and Ironman races will be held on even years beginning in 2022.
2021: St. George hosts the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in September. Ironman officials also announce that St. George will host the 2022 Ironman 70.3 World Championship (originally scheduled for New Zealand).
They also announce that the postponed 2021 Ironman World Championship will move from Kona to St. George in 2022, marking the first time this event will be held outside of Hawaii, and scheduled to take place May 7, the date previously planned for the return of Ironman St. George.
2022: With the Ironman World Championship on May 7 and the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in October, Greater Zion will host three Ironman championships in 13 months, a feat without precedent in Ironman history.
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