June 21, 2001--
Utah County today won a bid to host the North America Ironman competition. It's a grueling event, involving more than 138 miles in one day, through swimming, bicycling and running.
Central Utah Correspondent Sam Penrod shows us more about the event and what it will bring to Utah.
Utah County today won a bid out of six finalists to host the Western Ironman Competition for the next five years. The debut competition, next summer, Saturday June 8th.
Shane Facteau/Ironman North America: "GREAT VENUES, THE SCENIC BEAUTY IS ALMOST UNMATCHED ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES, AND A GREAT COMMUNITY, THE COMMITMENT WAS MADE BY THE CITY, COUNTY AND UNIVERSITIES AND NOW WE'RE COMMITTED TO YOU FOR FIVE YEARS."
Ironman Utah is expected to attract 17- hundred athletes each year, who will begin training on the course a week before the competition. At seven in the morning, they'll start out with a two and a half mile swim in Utah Lake.
Matt Starley/Utah County Convention and Visitors Bureau: "PEOPLE SEEM SCARED OF THAT THOUGHT BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW AND SO YOU CAN FEEL COMFORTABLE, WE'VE RESEARCHED THE LAKE IT IS CLEAN, IN FACT IT'S CLEANER THAT LAKE POWELL."
Cycling comes next and Ironman competitiors will have to ride a 112 mile course, that will take them through Provo Canyon. The final event, a full 26 mile marathon, running through Utah County. The average race time is ten hours, although athletes have until midnight to finish.
Gary Herbert/Utah County Commissioner: "EVERYBODY WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE, WE'RE GOING TO NEED 1700 TO 2000 VOLUNTEERS TO GET THE THING OPERATING."
Sam Penrod/Eyewitness News: "LOCAL ORGANIZERS SAY THEY ARE EXCITED FOR THIS EVENT, NOT ONLY WILL IT BRING NATIONAL ATTENTION TO THE AREA, BUT ALSO MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY."
Ironman Utah is expected to bring in five million dollars each of the five years, money spent by athletes and spectators on hotels, restaurants and other shopping attractions.
ESPN will broadcast the event and the top 80- Utah Ironmen competitors will qualify for the World Ironman Competition in Hawaii next fall. Sam Penrod, Eyewitness News, Provo.
Applications are already being accepted for the Utah Ironman competition.
Ironman Utah Web Site
