Pro Start Lists Unveiled: Top Triathletes Head to St. George, Utah for the 2022 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Presented By Utah Sports Commission

October 20, 2022

Defending IRONMAN 70.3 World Champions Gustav Iden (NOR) and Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) headline the pro start list just weeks after IRONMAN World Championship title and second place finish, respectively; Challengers include Taylor Knibb (USA) and Sam Long (USA), 2021 IRONMAN World Champion Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) and 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist Flora Duffy (BER); Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission set to take place in St. George, Utah on Oct. 28 and 29, 2022; Live coverage of both race days of the Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission will air on Outside TV

ST. GEORGE, Utah / TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 20, 2022) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – A strong field of professional triathletes from around the globe will converge in St. George, Utah for the late season Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN^® 70.3^® World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission with women’s professional race on Friday, Oct. 28 and men’s professional race on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. The professional triathletes that will be starting the Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission will be vying for a share of the $350,000 USD prize purse and the title of IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion. In addition to the professional field, over 6,000 age-group athletes are registered to compete in the Land of Endurance as they look to be crowned world champion in their respective age-group divisions. Live coverage of both race days of the Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission will air on Outside TV.

“With the caliber of athletes slated to race and the technical nature of the course, this will be a world championship title that is truly anyone’s for the taking,” said Andrew Messick, President & Chief Executive Officer for The IRONMAN Group. “We look forward to experiencing the action twice, first through the women’s race on Friday and then with the men’s race on Saturday, both of which will feature the stunning backdrop that is Southwest Utah.”

Professional Women’s Field

The Women’s field will take center stage on Friday, Oct. 28, in St. George, Utah, Washington County, and the surrounding areas as they look to close out the world championship racing in the month of October on a high note. Defending IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) looks to defend her crown following an impressive second-place performance at the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship just a couple weeks ago. Top American and Olympian Taylor Knibb will be one to watch as she burst onto the half-distance triathlon scene at the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission triathlon with an impressive third-place finish. 2020 Summer Olympics Gold Medalist Flora Duffy from Bermuda will join a strong group of women as she looks to leave her mark on the IRONMAN 70.3 space after significant success in short course racing. A large contingent of strong contenders will be coming from Great Britain and includes 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion and 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 Word Championship runner up Holly Lawrence, 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship runner up Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR), 2021 IRONMAN World Championship fifth place finisher Ruth Astle (GBR), as well as Nikki Bartlett (GBR). Paula Findlay (CAN), Jackie Hering (USA), and many more will all join in the battle for a spot atop the podium.

A full list of professional women’s field listed below:

*Subject to change

Professional Men’s Field

The professional men will take on the 2022 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission on Saturday, Oct. 29. The field is led by Norway’s Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt as the heavy favorites. Iden heads to St. George after being crowned the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Champion in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i just weeks earlier and the defending IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion. Blummenfelt returns to St. George after earning the 2021 IRONMAN World Champion title this past May. American’s Sam Long and Ben Kanute will look to put together a strong race and capture their first world championship crown. Denmark’s Miki Taagholt and Magnus Ditlev will be a duo of athletes that could be in serious consideration for the title. Additional global contenders will come from Jackson Laundry (CAN) and Eric Lagerstrom (USA), who enters as a dark horse coming in riding some momentum after an impressive win at IRONMAN 70.3 Santa Cruz, along with many more talented professional male triathletes hitting their stride.

A full list of professional men’s field listed below:

*Subject to change

The 2022 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. A challenging 56-mile (91.3km) FULGAZ Bike Course follows and will lead athletes through stunning desert landscapes with 3,201 feet (1003 meters) of elevation gain and an unforgettable climb into Snow Canyon State Park and surrounding Washington County. The 13.1-mile (21.2km) HOKA 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.

The striking Southwestern community of St. George has been a host venue for IRONMAN races since 2010 and will celebrate a large contingent of athletes in hosting their third world championship triathlon in the last 13 months. 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. With breathtaking Southwest America scenery, downtown St. George also delivers athlete support and a finish line like few others are able.

Tune into the two days of live race-day coverage of the 2022 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon presented by Utah Sports Commission globally via Outside TV.

For more information about the 2022 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission event, please visit www.ironman.com/im703-world-championship. To learn more about the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 brands and series of events, please visit www.ironman.com. Media inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.

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About Intermountain Healthcare

Located in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada, Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, the Intermountain Medical Group with some 2,700 employed physicians and advanced care practitioners, a health plans division called SelectHealth, Homecare, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs.

About Utah Sports Commission

The Utah Sports Commission was created to be a catalyst for Utah in its Olympic legacy efforts and to help enhance Utah’s economy, image, and quality of life through the attraction, promotion, and development of national and international sports. Since the 2002 Olympics and Paralympics, the Utah Sports Commission has attracted nearly 900 major events to the state. The Sports Commission works closely with communities, sports entities, and organizations to provide event services ranging from the bid process, on-site logistics, volunteer coordination, sponsorships and promotional opportunities, and other related services. It is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 business league and Utah Sports Commission Foundation, a not-for-profit 501c3 charitable organization, is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees consisting of statewide sports, business, community, and government leaders. For more information, visit www.utahsportscommission.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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. After a year in which the event was not able to take place due to a global pandemic, the race returned in 2021 with over 3,500 athletes competing in St. George, Utah. The event will again take place in St. George, Utah, returning to a two-day format on October 28-29, 2022, before shifting to Lahti, Finland on August 26-27, 2023 and Taupō, New Zealand on December 14-15, 2024. Historically, more than 200,000 athletes have participated annually in a series of qualifying races, consisting of over 100 global events. 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. 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 City2Surf^®, UTMB^® World Series events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, Epic Series™ mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events including Haute Route^®, 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. 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. 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, Warner Bros. Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com