New IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon In The Loire Valley, France, Confirmed For The 2025 Season

July 11, 2024

– IRONMAN 70.3 Tours Métropole – Loire Valley will take place on 1 Jun 2025 with registration opening 24 July 2024 at ironman.com/im703-tours

– Age-group qualifying slots for the 2025 VinFast IROMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella will be available

Images can be downloaded: HERE

TOURS, France / LONDON, UK / TAMPA, Fla. /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – IRONMAN has announced that a new IRONMAN^® 70.3^® triathlon will be added to the 2025 European race calendar, with the launch of IRONMAN 70.3 Tours Métropole – Loire Valley set to take place on 1 June, 2025.

Tours, located in west-central France, is a university town, tucked between the banks of the Loire and Cher rivers, just a one hour and seven minute train ride from Paris. Tours, the city of towers, was once the capital of the French kingdom in the 15th and 17th centuries.

The race, which is already an established triathlon in France, is perfect for first-timers and seasoned triathletes alike, and will give athletes a glimpse of everything the Loire Valley has to offer from medieval and Renaissance castles steeped in history, to lush green parks and riverside trails on a course expected to be one of the fastest in France.

Athletes will complete a 1.9km (1.2 mile) looped swim in the River Cher, a tributary of the River Loire. They will then embark on a one-loop 90km (56 miles) flat bike course which takes athletes along the banks of River Cher, passing some of the historical châteaux of the region, most famous of which being the Château d’Ussé, which inspired the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty and is characterised by its French renaissance style and spectacular turrets.

The race culminates with a two-lap run 21.1km (13.1miles) run course along the banks of the Cher River, and through the Honoré de Balzac park, a man-made island, accessible only by a bridge.

The race, which currently operates as ‘Tours’nman’, has been ran by the Indre et Loire Departmental Triathlon committee for the last 5 years. The committee will remain instrumental in the organisation and success of the 2025 edition.

Thibault Vellard, Managing Director, IRONMAN France commented: “We are really excited to add the IRONMAN 70.3 Tours Métropole – Loire Valley to our IRONMAN triathlon family, completing our French IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 calendar for 2025. The Loire Valley aptly named ‘The Garden of France’, is an exceptional location for a race which combines culture and nature thanks to its rich history and abundance of green spaces. With a local airport and close transport links to Paris, we expect this race to be very popular with locals, and those travelling from oversees who are keen to lap up some of the culture and of course, the exceptional French cuisine and wine.”

The IRONMAN 70.3 Tours Métropole – Loire Valley triathlon adds to an already robust 2025 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 calendar in France including the following events:

• IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-En-Provence – 18 May 2025 (Registration Open)
• IRONMAN 70.3 Tours Métropole – Loire Valle – 1 June 2025 (Registration Opens 24 July)
• IRONMAN Les Sables d’Olonne-Vendée – 22 June 2025 (Registration Open)
• Qatar Airways IRONMAN France Nice – 29 June 2025 (Registration Open)
• IRONMAN 70.3 Nice – 29 June 2025 (Registration Open)
• IRONMAN 70.3 Vichy – 24 August 2025 (Registration Opens 18 September)

Registration will open for the IRONMAN 70.3 Tours Métropole – Loire Valley triathlon will open on 24 July at www.ironman.com/im703-tours.

For more information on the IRONMAN^® brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. For more information, media may contact: emeapress@ironman.com

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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, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and City2Surf^®, UTMB^® World Series trail-running events including the Canyons Endurance Runs™ by UTMB^®, Tarawera Ultra™ by UTMB^® and Ultra-Trail Australia™ by UTMB^®, Epic Series™ mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world, providing participants the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Catering to the full athlete experience, the company portfolio also includes FulGaz^® virtual cycling, the most realistic indoor riding experience connected fitness application aimed at preparing athletes for real-world events. 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, and Orkila Capital, a growth equity firm focused on building great brands. 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, and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 14,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.