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IRONMAN Racing Returns to Maastricht-Limburg

December 10, 2020

- New IRONMAN 70.3 Maastricht-Limburg headlines Maastricht Multisport Festival - Inaugural event to be held on August 1, 2021

MAASTRICHT / LONDON / TAMPA (December 10, 2020) – Twice is a charm. After a two-year hiatus in 2019 and 2020, IRONMAN racing will be returning to the community of Maastricht-Limburg in 2021 with the inaugural IRONMAN® 70.3® Maastricht-Limburg to be held on August 1, 2021.

The community in the southeastern part of the Netherlands previously hosted IRONMAN Maastricht-Limburg four times between 2015 and 2018, and Maastricht Multisport Festival – consisting of a 5150 Triathlon Series Event, a 4:18:4 Short Course Triathlon and an IRONKIDS race – in 2019 and 2020.

Now, IRONMAN 70.3 Maastricht-Limburg will become the marquee event for the Multisport Festival which will include all other race distances and formats for 2021 as well.

“We are delighted to return to Maastricht-Limburg with the IRONMAN brand,” said Stefan Petschnig, Managing Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa for The IRONMAN Group. “But then again we never really left. Multisport Festival Maastricht was a huge success in 2019 and adding an IRONMAN 70.3 race was the logical evolution. It is our way of embracing the community and its dedication to the sport of triathlon.”

With the addition of the new event, The Netherlands will host two IRONMAN 70.3 races in 2021, including IRONMAN 70.3 Westfriesland on June 27, 2021.

“This event showcases our ambitions to position Limburg as an international top sports region. IRONKIDS is a great investment in the future in which school and sports clubs can join in. That was a big reason for us to bring the event to Limburg, which is something we have spent considerable time on with various parties behind the scenes,” said Joost van den Akker, Regional Minister of Sports of the Province of Limburg.

The Province of Limburg and the Municipality of Maastricht have pledged their full support: “We are looking forward to the new event,” added Bert Jongen, Alderman of Sports of the City of Maastricht. “IRONMAN has been a success story for us, and the City has seen a considerable economic impact throughout the years. The new set up of the event weekend offers various options that will cater to young athletes, first timers and experienced athletes alike.”

Athletes of the new IRONMAN 70.3 Maastricht-Limburg will start their race at “St. Servaasbrug” (The Netherlands’ oldest street bridge) and then set out on a 1,9 km (1.2-mile) spectator-friendly swim course in the Maas River. After one loop on the swim course, they then transition onto the newly designed 90 km (56-mile) bike course that leads along various beautiful hotspots in the South of Limburg. With a few small climbs and some straight roads, the one-loop course offers the best of both worlds.

The final 21,1 km (13.1-mile) run course provides athletes with an unforgettable experience as they complete three loops that run through the historic city center and pass famous places like “Onze Lieve Vrouwen plein” and “Het Vrijthof”. The finish line is located at the central “de Markt square.

“It’s a challenging time to create a new race, but the Maastricht region, The Netherlands and the surrounding countries are ready,” said Vincent van der Stouwe, the race organizer for IRONMAN in The Netherlands. “Limburg is now inextricably linked to triathlon. The region and its great accessibility are a true asset to further grow the sport, and we are looking forward to welcoming athletes from the neighboring countries such as Belgium and Germany but also from all over the world.”

General registration for IRONMAN 70.3 Maastricht-Limburg will open at 2.00 pm CET on December 15, 2020.

The 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 Maastricht-Limburg will offer 30 age-group qualifying slots to the 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship on December 10-11, 2022 in Taupō, New Zealand.

For more information, please visit www.ironman.com/im703-maastricht. Athlete inquiries can be directed to maastricht70.3@ironman.com.

For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.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, the IRONMAN® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series®, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS®, ITU World Triathlon 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, 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 (www.advance.com), a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

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.