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The Land of Endurance Daily Recap – Thursday, September 16, 2021

September 16, 2021

- Race week festivities for 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Presented by Utah Sports Commission continues with the Land of Endurance Fun Run and the Pre-Race Press Conference as race week preparations near completion

GEORGE, Utah (September 16, 2021) – Race week for the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission continued today with multiple events as the countdown to race day gets ever closer in St. George, Utah. The Land of Endurance Daily Recap, which pays homage to this year’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship’s theme, breaks down the action of the previous 24 hours of activities as we head into race day.

Pre-Race Press Conference

A dozen of the world’s top professional triathletes spoke with the media today during the pre-race press conference that took place at the Electric Theater in historic downtown St. George. Athletes arrived to fanfare as they were greeted by their names in the marquee sign outside of the theater just prior sharing their thoughts on race preparation while even making some predictions as to who they thought would come out on top of Saturday’s Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission triathlon. The panel consisted of the sport’s top stars, including previous IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 World Champions, Olympic Medalists and World Triathlon Champions.

PRO MEN:

PRO WOMEN:
Gustav Iden (NOR)*

Daniela Ryf (CHE)*

Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR)

Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR)
Sam Long (USA)

Holly Lawrence (GBR)

Ben Kanute (USA)

Taylor Knibb (USA)

Sam Appleton (AUS)

Emma Pallant (GBR)
Tim Reed (AUS)

Ellie Salthouse (AUS)

*Defending World Champion

Land of Endurance Fun Run

As athletes begin to taper down, Thursday morning was all about taking some time to enjoy the local scenery with others, as local community members joined world championship athletes and their family and friends for the Land of Endurance Fun Run. The exciting 3.5-mile run (5.6 km) took participants through the breathtaking city of St. George, Utah and past St. George Utah Temple and around the Greater Zion Stadium before finishing at Town Square Park and IRONMAN Village.

Pre-Race Build out continues  

The IRONMAN operations crew continues the build out of venues in advance of Saturday’s event. The finishing touches are being put on the two transitions in addition to the sight that all athletes will look forward to on Saturday – the finishing chute and finish arch. With a truly unique and Southwestern look and feel, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship finish line Arch is a sight to behold as more than 3,000 athletes pour everything they have into reaching it after their 70.3-mile journey.

Media Center

The Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission media center is open for media check-in and located on the first floor of the Washington Country School District Building. The operating hours are:

  • Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. MST
  • Saturday: 5:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. MST

Rise To It: Looking Ahead to Tomorrow

  • IRONKIDS – The next generation of IRONMAN athletes will take to the course on Friday morning. Beginning at 9:00 a.m. MST starting from Town Square Park, the participants aged 3 to 17 years-old will take on the half-mile or 1-mile run course.
  • Athlete Bike Check-in – Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. athletes will be checking in their bikes and race gear in advance of Saturday’s race day.

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.

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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 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.