IRONMAN and the Dublin City Council are pleased to announce that IRONMAN® triathlon will be coming to Ireland. The inaugural IRONMAN 70.3® Dublin triathlon will take place in August 2015.
The IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin triathlon will consist of a 1.2-mile swim in the Irish Sea south of Dublin City, a 56-mile bike course through the stunning countryside surrounding Dublin and then a 13.1 run in the heart of the city with a finish in Merrion Square, one of Dublin’s most iconic locations. Dublin is the ultimate tourist destination renowned for its culture, entertainment, stunning coastal setting and Irish hospitality, all of which provide the perfect offering for both athletes and their supporters.
Thomas Dieckhoff, CEO of IRONMAN Europe, Middle East and Africa commented, “We are extremely proud and excited to be expanding the IRONMAN European Tour to Ireland. Full details of the race will be available later in the summer but given the popularity of IRONMAN events, we wanted to announce the race early, so athletes can include Dublin into their 2015 season. Dublin has a heritage of hosting major sporting events and offers a perfect platform for IRONMAN. We look forward to a long and successful partnership as we grow IRONMAN in Ireland - with the possibility of adding a full distance IRONMAN triathlon in 2016.”
International participation at IRONMAN events in Europe has been on the rise. IRONMAN events in Mallorca, Spain, Klagenfurt, Austria, Frankfurt, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark have attracted a large number of athletes from within and outside of Europe. “Dublin is a city full of history and a premier tourism destination that we believe will be very popular with IRONMAN athletes from around the world,” said Kevin Stewart, Managing Director IRONMAN UK & Ireland.
Speaking at the announcement the Lord Mayor, Oisín Quinn said “Today’s announcement is of tremendous importance to Dublin in terms of the economic value of an IRONMAN for the host city. Thousands of athletes from all over the world take part in these races and I am delighted to have been instrumental in bringing these two events to Dublin and realising one of my primary objectives during my term of office as Lord Mayor of Dublin.
One of more than 70 events in the global IRONMAN 70.3 Series, the IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin triathlon will have a $15,000 USD professional prize purse and will be a P-500 race. Additionally, the race will offer 30 age-group qualifying slots for the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.
Full details of the race coming soon at www.ironman.com/dublin70.3.