Taupō To Host 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship

September 28, 2021

New Zealand set to host event in December 2024 after originally selected to host 2020 event

TAUPŌ, New Zealand / TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2021) – IRONMAN today announced that the 2024 IRONMAN^® 70.3^® World Championship is set to be held in Taupō, New Zealand on 14-15 December 2024.

Taupō was originally selected to host the 2020 edition of the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship which was cancelled due to the ongoing and widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taupō was then slated to host the event in 2022 before continued uncertainty around international travel led to next year’s event being shifted to St George, Utah, USA.

“We are pleased that the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship will be taking place at the home of IRONMAN in New Zealand, Taupō,” said Andrew Messick, President & CEO of The IRONMAN Group. “Taupō is a historic and iconic destination in the world of IRONMAN, and while the wait to compete there in a world championship event has been longer than we had hoped, we can’t wait to see the best IRONMAN 70.3 athletes from around the globe have an opportunity to race in December 2024.”

Geoff Meyer, Oceania Managing Director for The IRONMAN Group, added his appreciation for the collaborative work by all stakeholders to provide athletes from around the world the opportunity to race this unique destination that has embraced IRONMAN Group events for more than 20 years.

“It is great to see all of our stakeholders come together to lock in a new date and welcome the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship to Taupō after the cancelation in 2020 and shift in location for 2022,” he said. “The additional two-year wait will put us in a position to welcome many more athletes to Taupō than we would have been able to next year, as well as showcasing the region, and New Zealand as a whole, to a global audience.”

Mayor of Taupō, David Trewavas, said that the event would provide an opportunity to showcase the Taupō District, and New Zealand, to a global audience.

“We are proud to be the home of IRONMAN in New Zealand and are ready to show the rest of the world exactly why that is. We have been working closely with stakeholders and are very pleased to see both council and government support roll over to the new date,” said Mayor Trewavas. “We have already laid the foundations to host the world’s best, and we can’t wait to deliver an event like no other that will allow us to showcase both the Taupō District and New Zealand to the rest of the world. Bring on 2024.”

Stuart Nash, Minister of Economic and Regional Development and Tourism said that the region looked forward to welcoming the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship community in 2024.

“We are thrilled that Taupō has secured the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship for 2024. Taupō is regarded as a ‘bucket list’ destination for many of IRONMAN’s global athletes, and we can’t wait to host them, their families and supporters alike in a World Championship format in 2024,” said Mr Nash. “The Government is supporting this event through its Major Events Fund; and we know it is going to be worth the wait.”

Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board CEO, Shane Heremaia, also welcomed the announcement.

“We support IRONMAN’s decision to reschedule Taupō’s hosting of the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship to 2024 in light of the ongoing uncertainty around the pandemic and border issues,” said Mr Heremaia. “Ngāti Tūwharetoa stands ready to welcome the athletes, their support teams and whānau to enjoy Lake Taupō, our taonga (treasure).”

Looking Ahead

2022 – St. George, Utah, USA

The striking Southwestern community of St. George has been a host venue for IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons 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. It is also only a two-hour drive from the nightlife of Las Vegas, with its never-ending entertainment options. The course has historically begun in the beautiful Sand Hollow Reservoir before embarking on a bike course through picturesque Snow Canyon State Park prior to a run through the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

2023 – Lahti, Finland

Situated in Southern Finland, Lahti is the gateway to Finnish Lake District and located less than an hour from Helsinki. This innovative community currently hosts the IRONMAN 70.3 Finland triathlon, which has become a favorite on the European IRONMAN 70.3 calendar. Lahti offers visitors the opportunity to experience national landscapes in the Päijänne National Park. Once visitors arrive in Lahti, everything is within walkable distance, including the city’s transport hub, restaurants, shopping and hotels. Sibelius Hall, where the race has been historically centered, is one of the world’s largest public wooden buildings built in Finland in the last 100 years. The course has historically begun in the beautiful Lake Vesijärvi, with a bike course that leads athletes through forests along lakes and across rolling hills surrounded by typical Finnish villages and followed by a flat and fast run course along the lakeside.

Further updates on the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship can be found at www.ironman.com/im703-world-championship.

For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Media related inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.

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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 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 took place in the Red Rocks of St. George, Utah on September 18 in the United States and will do so again on October 28-29, 2022, before shifting to Lahti, Finland on August 26-27, 2023. The event then returns to Oceania in 2024 with Taupō, New Zealand hosting on December 14-15. 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