IRONMAN ANNOUNCES ROANOKE, VIRGINIA AS NEW HOST CITY OF 2020 CARILION CLINIC IRONMAN 70.3 VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE TRIATHLON

- Carilion Clinic to serve as the title sponsor for the new event
- General Registration to open Aug. 13, 2019 for the first IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge event

ROANOKE, Va. / TAMPA, Fla. (July 30, 2019) – IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Group company, announced today that Roanoke, Virginia will serve as a multi-year host venue for the Carilion Clinic IRONMAN® 70.3® Virginia’s Blue Ridge triathlon, relocating the event from its previous host city of Williamsburg, Virginia. Carilion Clinic, a Roanoke-based health care organization, will serve as the title sponsor of the event. The Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge triathlon will take place on June 7, 2020. On Tuesday, Aug. 13, the 2020 Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge general registration and the accommodation platform provided by Virginia’s Blue Ridge will open by visiting  www.ironman.com/im703-virginia-blue-ridge. 

“The excitement surrounding the addition of Roanoke to the IRONMAN ‘Ohana’ is extremely high,” said Keats McGonigal, Senior Regional Director for The IRONMAN Group. “There is a long history of endurance events in Virginia’s Blue Ridge area, including road cycling, mountain biking, and running. Bringing the IRONMAN 70.3 event to this destination provides a picturesque venue where athletes can achieve their dreams of crossing the finish line in the sport of triathlon.” 

Located in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Roanoke is the largest metropolitan area in Virginia’s beautiful mountain region.  It is a hub for outdoor recreation, arts and culture, and business west of Richmond. Roanoke is best known for the iconic Roanoke Star, which sits atop Mill Mountain and is adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway. For outdoor lovers, Roanoke offers a bevy of hiking and biking trails convenient to downtown and was designated a Silver-Level Ride Center by the International Mountain Bicycling Association. Virginia’s Blue Ridge has staked its claim as America’s East Coast Mountain Biking Capital and is the perfect setting for an IRONMAN 70.3-branded event.

“Virginia’s Blue Ridge is honored to be chosen as the only host destination for an IRONMAN 70.3 event in Virginia for 2020,” said Landon Howard, President of Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge. “Becoming part of IRONMAN’s elite global race series further establishes our region as a premier sports destination on a national and international level.  We are ecstatic to host IRONMAN athletes and visitors for this inaugural race and look forward to introducing them to our beautiful mountain destination.  We are extremely grateful for the group of local IRONMAN enthusiasts who had the vision to host this incredible event.  Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge would also like to recognize Carilion Clinic, our local governmental partners, and the Western Virginia Water Authority for providing the necessary resources to make the IRONMAN 70.3 event a reality.  Virginia’s Blue Ridge travel and tourism industry looks forward to welcoming everyone for this exciting and memorable event. Let the planning, training and fun begin.”

The 2020 Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge triathlon, taking place on Sunday, June 7, 2020, will begin with a rolling start format. The 1.2-mile swim will take place in the clear waters of Carvins Cove Reservoir. After careful consideration, the Western Virginia Water Authority is partnering with IRONMAN to hold its swimming event in Carvins Cove Reservoir because of the extraordinary opportunity this event will have to showcase the entire valley to a worldwide audience.  The Authority worked closely with IRONMAN to make sure that the water quality and beauty of Carvins Cove will be preserved for the benefit of all residents.

Once out of the water, athletes will take on the 56-mile bike course that traverses the rolling hills of Botetourt County before returning to the heart of downtown Roanoke. After transitioning to the run at River’s Edge Park, athletes will experience the Roanoke River Greenway, a paved trail alongside the Roanoke River blueway for the run course.

Headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, Carilion Clinic, a not-for-profit health care provider that serves more than one million people in Virginia’s Blue Ridge and Southwest Virginia regions has been named title partner of the Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge triathlon. 

“I was excited to be a part of conversations with IRONMAN about bringing a race to the Roanoke region,” said Dr. Thomas K. “TK” Miller, vice chair of orthopaedics and chief of sports medicine at Carilion Clinic and Chairman of the IRONMAN Global Medical Advisory Board. “We knew this would provide us with a very special opportunity to showcase one of the region’s greatest assets – the outdoors – to a national and international audience. Having participated in IRONMAN and worked with their organization, I know they are highly sought-after events by cities of all sizes around the world. The selection of Virginia’s Blue Ridge region as an IRONMAN host is a remarkable accomplishment and opportunity. It’s an honor for everyone who calls our region home.”
 
General registration for 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 Blue Ridge triathlon will open on Tuesday, August 13, 2019. The event will offer 40 age-group qualifying slots to the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupõ, New Zealand. 

For more information on the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 Blue Ridge triathlon, visit www.ironman.com/im703-virginia-blue-ridge and follow the social media hashtag #IM703VBR. For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Athlete inquiries can be directed to virginia70.3@ironman.com.  Media related inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.

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About Virginia’s Blue Ridge 
Virginia’s Blue Ridge (VBR) is located on the East Coast of the United States in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  Known as America’s East Coast Mountain Biking Capital, Roanoke has a wide array of metro-mountain adventures.  Along with our hundreds of miles of thrilling mountain bike trails, Virginia’s Blue Ridge is best known for the adjacent Blue Ridge Parkway, one of America’s most visited national park systems and memorable scenic drives.  The region also offers hundreds of miles of hiking trails, which includes the world-famous Appalachian Trail.  The running scene in VBR has an expansive greenway trails system along the panoramic routes of the rivers and creeks.  VBR offers a multitude of water sports activities including kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding on the Upper James River Water Trail, Roanoke River, Philpott Lake, Carvins Cove and Smith Mountain Lake. Roam the region’s many farmer’s markets, or sample the craft beverage scene while exploring the VBR Cheers Trail.  After a fun day of adventuring in the great outdoors, visitors can enjoy a farm-to-table experience at one of our many local restaurants.  To cap off an adventurous day, catch the sunset from the scenic overlook at the iconic Roanoke Star atop of Mill Mountain. Experience our southern hospitality and be a #trailsetter in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Adventure awaits at www.visitvbr.com.

About Carilion Clinic
Carilion Clinic is a not-for-profit health care organization serving more than one million people in Virginia’s Blue Ridge and Southwest Virginia regions. Headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, Carilion’s comprehensive network of hospitals, primary and specialty physician practices, and other complementary services deliver high quality, patient-centered care close to home. Carilion has a robust partnership with Virginia Tech through its creation of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, both located in Roanoke. Carilion’s commitment to advance care through education and research elements in partnership with Virginia Tech and Radford University improves the health of the communities we serve. From leadership in electronic health records and investments in and applications of digital health to developing new and innovative methods to promote health and wellness, Carilion Clinic leads advances in health care that continue to transform the regions we serve and help deliver better patient care, better community health, and lower costs. For more information, visit www.carilionclinic.org.

About The IRONMAN Group
As part of Wanda Sports Group, The IRONMAN Group 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 Velothon® Series, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic®, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and The Sun-Herald City2Surf® presented by Westpac, trail running like Ultra-Trail Australia™, 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 230 events across 53 countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com. 
 
About Wanda Sports Group
Wanda Sports Group is a leading global sports events, media and marketing platform with a mission to unite people in sports and enable athletes and fans to live their passions and dreams. We have significant intellectual property rights, long-term relationships and broad execution capabilities, enabling us to deliver unrivalled sports event experiences, creating access to engaging content and building inclusive communities. We offer a comprehensive array of events, marketing and media services through three primary segments: Mass Participation, Spectator Sports and Digital, Production, Sports Solutions (DPSS). Our full-service platform creates value for our partners and clients as well as other stakeholders in the sports ecosystem, from rights owners, to brands and advertisers, and to fans and athletes.   

Headquartered in Beijing, China, Wanda Sports Group has more than 60 offices and 1,600 employees around the world.