City gears up for big weekend of endurance sport
A MAJOR new international sporting event is coming to Swansea next year.
Sunday, August 7 will see the inaugural edition of Ironman 70.3.
It will be a big sporting weekend for Swansea.
On Saturday, August 6, Britain’s firstever standalone World Triathlon Para Series event will see the planet’s best paratriathletes in action.
Ironman 70.3 will be a major attraction for endurance triathletes as it will have qualifying slots available for the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland.
General registration for Ironman 70.3 in Swansea will open on November 16 at 2pm.
Athletes and spectators can expect a fantastic route in a race destination offering scenic beauty with the historic dockside, Gower Peninsula and the rolling green hills, pastures and rich agriculture of rural Swansea.
Declan Byrne, regional director of the UK and Ireland for The Ironman Group, said: “We are really excited about the addition of an Ironman 70.3 race in Swansea as our athletes have been eagerly anticipating the establishment of such an event in Wales for some time.
“Swansea was an obvious choice with its outstanding natural beauty and a thriving tourist destination, catering to both internationals and locals alike.
“Our hope is that Ironman 70.3 Swansea has the same positive impact on the region as Ironman Wales has had on Pembrokeshire.”
The success of Ironman Wales is significant as the event has been a huge catalyst for the growth of triathlon in the region.
The event led to a significant growth in fitness and tourism in Pembrokeshire, including a major increase in triathlon clubs.
The Welsh government noted this impact and worked with Swansea Council and The Ironman Group to bring the Ironman 70.3 event to Swansea.
Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, said: “I’m delighted that the Welsh Government has been able to support Ironman 70.3 and that Swansea has been announced as one of the new events in Europe. Wales has a long relationship with Ironman, with the success of Ironman Wales being a catalyst for the growth of the sport in the area. This event will further raise Wales’ profile as an events host and provide an economic boost to the region.
“I am also pleased with the collaborative work that is taking place with British Triathlon and Disability Sport Wales and in relation to other events that are happening at the same time in Swansea.”
The World Triathlon Para Series event in Swansea, the day before Ironman 70.3, will use some of the same courses that Ironman athletes will experience.
A wider para sports festival will be held in Swansea throughout the week of August 1, with several para sports events taking place at various locations around the city.
Swansea Council Leader Rob Stewart said: “Competitors, friends and supporters will be assured of a warm welcome in Swansea. It will be the perfect match of a sport that’s booming and a city that’s going places thanks to its people, culture, location and its £1bn city centre regeneration.”
Athletes participating in Ironman 70.3 Swansea will take on a 1.2-mile (1.9km) swim at the Prince of Wales Dock before cycling a one-loop 56-mile (90km) bike course.
Athletes will cycle through the Mumbles along roads that hug the Gower’s coastal clifftops before cycling out through rural Swansea and heading back along Swansea Bay into the city.
From here, they will return to Swansea as they prepare for transition in the Maritime Quarter beside the Rive Tawe.
Lastly, athletes will take on a 13.1-mile (21.1km) two loop run course which takes them from the city centre, out past the new eye-catching gold-coloured Swansea Arena, towards Mumbles before heading back towards the finish line at the Marina.
Robert Francis-davies, the council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration, and tourism, said: “Ironman 70.3 Swansea adds to the city’s growing portfolio of high-quality events, including the annual Wales Airshow, Singleton Park concerts, and the Admiral Swansea Bay 10k. It’ll draw thousands of spectators, many Welsh athletes among those coming from many other places, and it will bring a welcome uplift for our fantastic tourism and hospitality sectors. The Ironman 70.3 event will help make that weekend a very special one for Swansea sport, with Britain’s first-ever standalone World Triathlon Para Series event taking place here on Saturday, August 6.”
For more information on IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea, please visit www.ironman. com/im703-swansea.