2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission expected to create Total Economic Impact of more than 15 million dollars as Elite Competitors take in The Best Of Southwestern Utah

September 15, 2021

- Athletes, family, friends, volunteers, partners, and staff enjoy all that Greater Zion and St. George have to offer while celebrating the pinnacle in IRONMAN 70.3 athletic achievement - Athletes on average stay more than six nights in the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship host city

GEORGE, Utah / TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 15, 2021) – What arguably may be the most anticipated IRONMAN^® 70.3^® World Championship in history, the pinnacle event in IRONMAN 70.3 racing returns following a COVID-19 induced hiatus. The Southwestern community of St. George, Utah, United States plays host to more than 3,000 athletes from more than 85 countries, regions, and territories. St. George and the surrounding region including, Hurricane, Washington City, Santa Clara, and Ivins, is ready to show off its beauty to a global audience when it joins a short list of elite IRONMAN event communities to also host a world championship race.

A week full of festivities and side events leads up to the single-day 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission taking place on Saturday, September 18, 2021. Athlete feedback from past IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlons show that participants stay an average of more than six nights in the host city. It also shows that athletes seek premium accommodations and a range of additional activities for themselves and their families prior to, and after race day. With athletes, family, friends, volunteers, partners, and staff converging on St. George and the Greater Zion region, organizers expect a total economic impact of $15-20 million USD for the host city and region.

“We are thrilled to be in St. George and active participants in driving positives for the local economy as we return to world championship racing,” said Diana Bertsch, Senior Vice President, World Championship Events for The IRONMAN Group. “The economic impact stemming from the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship goes well beyond race week. Leading up to and after the event, athletes and accompanied travelers will explore the amazing sights that make Greater Zion such an incredible location. Affectionally known as the Land of Endurance thanks to a bounty of events and the natural training ground offerings, athletes and their families will no doubt return for years to come to explore this great Southwestern community’s breathtaking geological features, national parks and local businesses, and it’s our privilege to show this gem off to the world.”

The striking Southwestern community of St. George has been a host venue for IRONMAN races since 2010. St. George’s breathtaking scenery and views of the surrounding red rock canyons have made the community an ideal destination for athletes for years. The city’s walkable downtown area features great local fare and boutique shopping while providing an unmistakable backdrop. The course starts in beautiful Sand Hollow Reservoir, a pristine body of water at the edge of the orange desert sand in the outdoor adventure town of Hurricane, before embarking on a bike course through picturesque Snow Canyon State Park and a run through the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. With breathtaking Southwest America scenery, downtown St. George also delivers athlete support and a finish line like few others are able.

“We live in a land of endurance,” said Kevin Lewis, Director of the Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office, “It’s a ruggedly beautiful place with striking colors and scenic wonders unlike anywhere in the world, but it is the determination and optimism of the people who live here that make this a championship destination.”

St. George is a natural fit for triathlon and adventure enthusiasts alike. With a million-year geologic history and a desert location at the edge of the Pine Valley Mountains and Zion National Park, this moderately sized city is the poster child of the American Southwest. With more than 65 miles of urban trails and easy-to-navigate size, St. George is as welcoming and warm as it is striking and seductive. St. George has that unique blend of small-town feel with big-city energy and amenities – nestled in the heart of all the adventure and scenery you can possibly imagine.

Both the female and male professional races at the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission will be live streamed on the Facebook Watch via the IRONMAN Now channel (www.facebook.com/IRONMANnow), giving millions of fans around the world the opportunity to follow the racing action and experience the sights and sounds of Southwestern Utah, USA on their computers and mobile devices leading to further tourism interest.

The 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission will kick off with a 1.2-mile (1.9km) ROKA Swim Course, which takes place in Sand Hollow Reservoir located in Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah. Next, a challenging 56-mile (91.3km) Ventum Bike Course will lead athletes through stunning desert landscapes with 3,442 feet (1,049 meters) of elevation gain and an unforgettable climb into Snow Canyon State Park and surrounding Washington County. The 13.1-mile (21.2km) HOKA ONE ONE Run Course will take athletes on two loops through the stunning Red Hills Parkway and wind through historic downtown St. George where the finish line is located.

Since 2014, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship has been rotating among premier cities around the globe following its early years in Clearwater, Fla., USA (2006-2010) and Henderson, Nev., USA (2011-2013). The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship has included picturesque locations like Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada (2014); Zell am See, Austria (2015); Queensland, Australia (2016); Chattanooga, Tenn., USA (2017); Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa (2018) and Nice, France (2019). Following the cancellation of the 2020 edition, St. George, Utah, USA will play host to the event in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, the event returns to Europe with Lahti, Finland hosting.

For more information about the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission event, please visit www.ironman.com/im703-world-championship

For more information on the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 brands and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Media may contact press@ironman.com.

###

About the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship

In 2006 the inaugural IRONMAN^® 70.3^® World Championship was held in Clearwater, Florida becoming another test for the world’s elite triathletes. Since that auspicious beginning, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship has grown in stature and popularity moving first to Henderson, Nevada in 2011, where athletes encountered a more challenging terrain and then to Mont-Tremblant, Quebec—its first stop on the new “global rotation” for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. The event reached European soil for the first time ever in 2015, with Zell am See, Austria, hosting an epic and memorable event. In 2016, the race moved from the mountains to the beaches of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. In 2017, the race returned to the United States, taking place in Chattanooga, Tennessee where it became a two-day event for the first time. In 2018, the event reached the African continent for the first time and was hosted in Nelson Mandela Bay in South Africa. Continuing the rotation, 2019 saw the French Riviera and Nice, France play host to the ever-growing IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship event. More than 200,000 athletes register to participate annually in a series of qualifying races, consisting of over 100 events in locations such as Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, North America, South Africa, and Switzerland. Hosting more than 5,000 athletes from around the world, participants in the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship have ranged in age from 18 to 85-plus. In 2021, the event takes place in the Red Rocks of St. George, Utah on September 18 in the United States and again on October 28-29, 2022, before shifting to Lahti, Finland on August 26-27, 2023. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/im703-world-championship.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf^®, Ultra-Trail^® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events including Haute Route^®, and gravel racing like Gravel Epic^®, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group.

About Advance 

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, 1010data and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 17,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.