Top Triathletes From Around the World Head to the Scenic City to Compete in 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship

 90 countries, regions and territories represented in Chattanooga, Tennessee for 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, taking place on Sept. 9 and 10.

TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 1, 2017) — Approximately 4,500 of the world’s top athletes will head to the “Scenic City” on September 9 and 10 to compete in the 2017 IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship. The event returns to U.S. soil for the first time in four years, and also marks the first time that the event will take place over two days. IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Holding company, has produced this world-class event since 2006, with global rotation beginning in 2014. 

“With its dramatic backdrop, striking riverfront and fast swim course through the Tennessee River, Chattanooga is well-equipped to play host to the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship this September,” said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer for IRONMAN. “This is a historic year for this event with the largest athlete field ever for any IRONMAN 70.3 event, while also creating a first with a two-day IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship allowing for focus of the female race on Saturday and male race on Sunday. We look forward to providing our athletes with an exceptional race experience in this great host location.” 

With athletes hailing from 90 countries, regions and territories, North America leads the way with 52 percent of the athletes registered to race in the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. Following North America, Europe accounts for 25 percent, while Asia-Pacific accounts for 12 percent of the field. 

The United States of America is the most represented nation with 1,853 registered competitors, followed by Canada (264), Australia (232) and the United Kingdom (213). Other athletes from countries as far as Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Serbia are traveling around the globe for their shot at the title. 

This year, returning age group champions from the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship on the women’s side include Janine Willis (CAN), Katrine Amtkjaer Nielsen (DNK), Lesley Tuggle (USA) and Raeleigh Harris (AUS). On the men’s side, returning age group champions include Brian Boyle (NZL), Harry Barnes (CAN), Rodolphe Von Berg (BEL) and Ryan Giuliano (USA). 

With breathtaking scenery, Chattanooga is a supreme location for a fall sporting event. The 2017 field of athletes will tackle a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) ocean swim in the Tennessee River, followed by a 56-mile (90 km) bicycle ride through Lookout Mountain and into downtown Chattanooga, capped with a 13.1-mile (21 km) run through Downtown Chattanooga along the Tennessee Riverwalk and Riverfront Parkway, finishing at Ross’s landing – all of which must be completed before an eight-and-a-half-hour cutoff time. 

In order to qualify for the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, more than 185,000 age-group athletes competed to earn slots at over 100 IRONMAN 70.3 events held worldwide. 

Additional historical facts and stats on the field competing in the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee: 

• Chattanooga is the sixth city in history to host the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship following Clearwater, Florida (USA) (2006-2009), Henderson, Nevada (USA) (2010-2013), Mont-Tremblant, Quebec (CAN) (2014), Zell am See-Kaprun, SalzburgerLand (AUT) (2015), and Mooloolaba, Queensland (AUS) (2016) 
• 62 percent of registered participants (2,801 athletes) are male 
• 38 percent of registered participants (1,713 athletes) are female 
• 43 is the average age of male registrants, and 41 is the average age of female registrants 
• Bob Scott (USA) is the oldest participant at 86, while Enrico Piseuna (PHL) and Aaria Alejandra Aguilar (CRI) are the youngest at 18
• 10 athletes will be celebrating their birthdays on race day 
• 220 Asian athletes will compete in Chattanooga with Japan (96), China (36), Hong Kong (21), Philippines (17), Singapore (15) and Taiwan (13) being the most represented countries. 
• More than 185,000 registered athletes compete in IRONMAN 70.3 races each year 
• Since the series began in 2006, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship has been controlled by Australia (five champions), Germany (five champions) and Great Britain (three champions). The United States and Switzerland have had two winners, while Canada, New Zealand and Spain each have one winner 
• Over 2,000 volunteers will help make the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship a success 

The 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship can be viewed race day on www.ironman.com and features IRONMAN Live, a hosted online show with extensive, in-depth coverage of the professional race.

About Ironman

A Wanda Sports Holdings company, IRONMAN operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock n’ Roll Marathon Series®, Iron Girl®, IRONKIDS®, International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series races, road cycling events including the UCI Velothon Majors Series, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic, premier marathons including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and other multisport races. IRONMAN’s events, together with all other Wanda Sports Holdings events, provide more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. The iconic IRONMAN ® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Beginning as a single race, IRONMAN has grown to become a global sensation with more than 200 events across 50 countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

About Wanda Sports Holdings

Wanda Sports Holdings is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape – in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media & marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business). Wanda Sports Holding incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, the iconic endurance brand IRONMAN, and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.

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 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. This year, the event will return to the United States, taking place in Chattanooga, Tennessee and will become a two-day race for the first time. More than 185,000 athletes participated in a season of qualifying races for the championship, a series which consists of over 100 events in locations such as Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, South Africa and Switzerland. Approximately 4,500 athletes from around the world are registered to compete in this prestigious race. Participants in the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship range in age from 18 to 85-plus, and represented over 90 countries, territories and regions. In 2018, the event reaches the African continent for the first time and will be hosted in Nelson Mandela Bay in South Africa. The race will then move to Nice, France for 2019.