ST. GEORGE — For the third time in 13 months, world-class Ironman athletes will swim in the water, bike through the streets and run on the pavement of the Greater Zion area.
Over $30 million in direct economic impact is expected from the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, which will be staged Friday and Saturday mornings in and around St. George.
Local fans might find it a bit unusual that the event is divided into two days; the women’s race will be Friday while the men’s race will be Saturday.
“Years ago Ironman established the fact that 70.3 would be held that way, with the women on the first day and the men on the second,” Kevin Lewis, director of Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office, told St. George News Monday afternoon on the telephone.
“Then we had that little thing called the pandemic, and that had to change last year,” Lewis added. “All the participants just couldn’t get here, so it didn’t make sense from a community perspective. The numbers didn’t support a two-day event.”
Now that the international field of athletes can travel a little easier, Lewis said, it made sense to go back to a two-day event this weekend.
“Over 6,000 of the best athletes from around the world will be here,” he said.
Lewis noted that with the two-day event, the need for volunteers becomes even more critical.
“We need almost twice the amount of volunteers since basically it’s double the workload,” Lewis said. “We feel that this is really an opportunity for you to throw your heart and soul into your community and showcase to the world what we’re like here.”
Anyone interested in more information, reading about traffic impacts or about volunteer opportunities can click on the Ironman link at the Greater Zion website.
Lewis said volunteers have told him about what a thrill it is to be that one person who makes the Ironman special for athletes and visitors.
“Many of these athletes wait and train their whole lives for this race,” Lewis said. “You might be that one component that makes a difference for them. Volunteering gives you that kind of energy and enthusiasm about the good things in life.
“You get to make a stamp of who we are and what we’re about that resonates throughout the world. It shows the world what a great community we have and we’re proud of it.”
The professional class of racers, women and men respectively, begins at Sand Hollow Reservoir at 7:30 Friday and Saturday mornings.
After a 1.2-mile swim, the athletes transition to a 56-mile bike race through Hurricane and Washington City. The last leg is a 13.1-mile run to the finish line in downtown St. George.
Friday and Saturday’s races are historic: Greater Zion is the first region in the world to host three Ironman events in 13 months.
In September 2021, Greater Zion hosted the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. And last May, the postponed 2021 Ironman World Championship was staged here, marking the first and only time in that event’s history that it wasn’t held in Kona, Hawaii.
“We’ve put on quite a show and the world is really paying attention to this community and the capability we have here,” Lewis said. “Greater Zion is a premier destination in the arena of endurance sports, and the race this weekend helps seal that reputation.”
St. George News will feature coverage of the Wednesday pre-race press conference from the Electric Theater, where the professional men’s and women’s favorites are expected to be introduced.
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