2021 Ironman North American Season Kicks Off Following Successful Events In Texas And Florida
IRONMAN continues its safe return to racing protocols with successful execution of its first two North America events in 2021.
The 2021 IRONMAN North American season is officially underway following the successful kick off with IRONMAN 70.3 Texas in Galveston on April 11 and IRONMAN 70.3 Florida in Haines City on April 18, and continues with this weekend’s Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship in St. George Utah on Saturday, May 1.
The successful execution of the events under The IRONMAN Group’s Safe Return to Racing protocols marks the first of over 50 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events scheduled to take place on the 2021 North American race calendar.
“It gave us great satisfaction to see our athletes return to racing at Moody Gardens and Lake Eva Park to kick off the North America IRONMAN season,” said Keats McGonigal, Vice President of Operations, North America for The IRONMAN Group. “While events may look and feel a bit different, our Safe Return to Racing guidelines provided the path for us to work with the host communities in Galveston and Haines City to provide a safe and positive race experience in a manner consistent with local community objectives. Seeing thousands of athletes doing what they love is incredibly meaningful and we will continue to work hard and fine-tune as events take place throughout the remainder of the 2021 season.”
As designed and implemented in the year leading up to the races, the two events followed The IRONMAN Group’s Safe Return to Racing protocol, a set of industry-leading guidelines prepared in accordance with standards for open-air endurance events from the World Health Organization (WHO) and guidance from the IRONMAN Global Medical Advisory Board that builds on the pillars of enhanced hygiene, screening and education, density reduction, touchpoint minimization and athlete self-reliance.
“We were absolutely thrilled to welcome the IRONMAN 70.3 Texas event back to Moody Gardens for its tenth year on Galveston Island. It has been a challenging year for everyone, and this race and the IRONMAN athletes are a true inspiration as they demonstrate the strength, endurance and perseverance to us all,” said John Zendt, Moody Gardens President/CEO. “Congratulations to all who participated and IRONMAN for planning such a safe and outstanding event.”
The racing continues this weekend with live broadcast coverage on Facebook Watch via the IRONMAN Now channel of the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship. Showcasing a stellar field of professional athletes and past IRONMAN World Champions toeing the start line, the event is being viewed as a preview of what could come for the Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission which will also be taking place in St. George in 2021.
