Triathlon will lose an iconic race in 2025 following the announcement that IRONMAN 70.3 St George will take place for the final time in May 2025.
The Utah location has staged some incredible battles down the years and witnessed some incredible athletic performances – including 70.3 World Championships and IRONMAN World Championships. In total St George has staged 17 IRONMAN events.
But swim/bike/run will land there for the last time on May 10 next year after IRONMAN announced the news that it will be the final race in the area.
Why is 70.3 St George ending in 2025?
A statement explained: “demands of the event, including rising costs, increasing populations around race routes, and continued pressure on resources compelled Washington County officials to evaluate all options. With input from community partners, they concluded that after a long and successful run, IRONMAN’s time in St. George would be celebrated and the 2025 edition would be the final one.”
Since first hosting the full-distance IRONMAN St. George triathlon in 2010, athletes have flocked to Greater Zion’s breathtaking scenery and views of the surrounding red rock canyons to race year after year. The course and area quickly gained a reputation for its beauty and its difficulty, dubbed one of the toughest IRONMAN events in the world. After evolving to an IRONMAN 70.3 event in 2013, the event became and has remained the North American Championship. St. George will retain this designation through the 2025 event, along with its status as of one of the most iconic destinations on the global circuit.
History, and iconic triathlon races in St George
Since first debuting in St. George, IRONMAN has hosted numerous events including three IRONMAN events (2010-2012), 11 IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship races (2013 – 2019, 2021, 2023-2025) and three World Championships races within 13 months, a feat without precedent in IRONMAN history (2021 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, 2021 IRONMAN World Championship and the 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship).
Some of the sport’s most iconic performances happened in St George, giving it a permanent place in the rich history of the sport.
- When St George stepped in to host the delayed 2021 IRONMAN World Championship after the COVID pandemic, Kristian Blummenfelt and Daniela Ryf produced incredible performances to claim the titles in May 2022. For Ryf, it was her fifth IRONMAN World Championship success.
- In September 2021, Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay claimed her first victory in a World Championship race, producing a faultless performance to destroy a high-class field in the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.
- In May 2021, Lionel Sanders edged Sam Long by just five seconds after an epic run battle to close out IRONMAN 70.3 St George. It was a battle for the ages and one which gave the sport another magical moment.
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