Doubtful in the U.S. in my opinion. But there may be a replacement 70.3 in Florida ala Austin 70.3 > Waco 70.3. In this case, Miami 70.3 > ??

Miami is going away?

Other than the newly announced Waco, TX race, nothing I've heard.

Though, for US races specifically....one begs to ask the question of how there is a new one in Waco, and not anywhere in the vicinity of the Pacific Northwest is somewhat baffling.

Disclaimer, I live in this wonderful area, but as far as participation in the sport and a beautiful destination for a race...Portland and Bend come to mind right away.

For Portland. Use the Willamette as the Swim, Portland--->Wine Country and back as the bike, and the LONG established Portland Marathon Course as the run.

Bend. A bit further from an international airport, but the options are wide open.

In the past few years, we've lost athlete favorites such as Lake Stevens in Washington, Leadman in Bend. Again, I'm no race director, but you'd think it would be on the radar with the interest level of the sport here.

(Ok, how do I get off of this soapbox I seem to have step upon. Apologies.)

Are the Asian ones actually getting any participation? (Genuine question, I have no idea).

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

There are not many to choose from in Asia to be honest - just Langkawi, Taiwan, Korea and Subic (Philippines). Needless to say, with growing participation levels, people have choose any of these four.

I know for a fact that Korea had 1,500+ and Subic filled up and closed out very quickly, so I'd say they are getting participation.

Genuine question, how many take part in a US IM?

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My race site: https://racesandplaces.wixsite.com/racesandplaces

We're doing fairly well in Europe. Ironman Italy was a new race for 2017 and Ironman Tallinn (Estonia) and Ironman Haugesund (Norway) are new additions for 2018.

We're up to 16 events now and participation seems to be strong; the popular continental races sell out quickly (within 4 weeks max) and as far as I'm aware, most of them sell out eventually. I think IM Wales was short this year, possibly IMUK too, but they're both tough races in relatively remote areas, and for Wales, right at the end of the season too.

If WTC want to boost participation numbers they should look first and foremost at their pricing; they're priced way above their competitors and that's the number one reason that I don't do more of their events, both full-distance and 70.3.

What Miami? Registration had already opened by this time last year. My sources tell me Miami did not renew the contract. Speculation- they will probably leave it TBD until they announce a replacement or give up trying to find one.

PNW is a fantastic place to race. Although I live in Florida I've raced Boise 70.3, IMCDA, and Lake Stephens 70.3. I am a veritable PNW race killer! I've also raced ITU in Penticton and Duathlon in Bend. I would definitely go back for the right race to escape the brutal heat in Tampa.

I love racing in Europe but would speculate that between Ironman, Challenge, and all the next Xtreme races there, the continent is now saturated. IM Norway came at the expense of the Haugesund 70.3 which was experiencing a significant decline in participation despite superb reviews. I registered for Norway the day it opened because I am guessing it will not last more than 3 years. Estonia looks fantastic...I hope it hangs around for at least 5 years so I can get it on my schedule.

Very true, I do think it's reaching saturation point. Interestingly WTC don't seem to be pursuing the same tactics as North America in terms of buying up existing races, so even if they do stall or cut back a bit, athletes still have a good number of options, especially at the shorter distances.

That's an interesting point about Haugesund, I knew it replaced the 70.3 but didn't realise it was because of declining participation. Good luck there because it looks like a reasonably tough event; IIRC the bike course has something like 2500m of elevation and barely a single flat km on the whole course, just constantly up and down. Combine that with the remote location and possibly rough weather (just guessing there) and you could be right in that it won't be around for long. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see it thrive, I like tough courses myself and the World's in Bergen showed that support on the course will probably be immense, but the harsh reality seems to be that races like that tend to struggle for numbers.

There's long been talk of a full distance race in Scotland or Ireland to supplement the 70.3s up there, but not sure if we'll ever see one.

Agreed.
I have no special interest in an Ironman branded race over any other. In fact all else being equal I'd rather support a smaller concern. So, when an Ironman race costs considerably more, it just swings the scales further and further in the wrong direction for them to get my business. There's a local IM70.3 I'd really like to do next year but I'm guessing it's going to cost double the going rate so it's a maybe rather than a dead cert for my calendar.

How's IM more expensive than their competitors? A "small town race" called Wildflower charges $285 and pitches a million other extras for a fee, bringing its total to about $325 - that's about the same that WTC charges for a 70.3 in Santa Rosa/Oceanside.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

The new IM definitely won't be flat, but I think the problem for Haugesund is simply the relative difficulty in getting there compared to other races on the continent. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that they thought by converting the 70.3 to an IM, they could stir up some new interest and prolong having a WTC event for a few more years. I'm expecting a relatively small IM (~1500 or less) because it's the same day as IM Austria, IM Frankfurt is 8 Jul and ITU World LC is in Denmark on 14 Jul. The course and small size will ensure it is not a draft fest, and it will almost certainly be cool. Plus, it's Norway. What's not to love? And at 60, I'm not in contention for a black shirt even if I could get into Norseman. This will be my substitute.

It's more expensive due to it costing more. I thought it was self explanatory.

So, we were talking about races in Europe right? Including Wales, Scotland, Ireland. So I did Dublin IM70.3 this year. I think it cost about €280. That might not be exact but its in the vicinity. Definitely €250-300.
I did a very well run Olympic race earlier in the season about 60km away for €62. I could have done the Double Olympic (comparable with 70.3) for €95. I'd say most local middle distance races cost €80-€130 but would have to look a few more up when I get a chance to verify that.
I did the Lough Cutra middle distance race last year. It cost between about €140 and €190 depending when you registered. I think that's about as expensive as it gets outside of IM.

To piggyback, the 2018 Outlaw Triathlon (full distance) costs 304 GBP for non-Brit Tri Fed. That's $403 today ... about $350 less than a US IM.

Not new in 2018 but was new in 2017 and should be bigger & better in 2018 is the Fort Worth Triathlon. While not an Ironman, it's the best 140.6 race in Texas.

http://trifortworth.com/

Ironman Tuktoyaktuk. New gravel highway to Inuvik!
Dry suits recommended for Kugmallit Bay.
A gravel bike with aero bars.
Trail shoes for tundra running.

I have no idea where that is, but it sounds amazing. Can I bring my CX bike (that was a 'gravel bike' back in the day)?

Ooh, just googled it, only a 55 hour drive for me!

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/48.7489939,-122.4807643/Tuktoyaktuk,+NT,+Canada/@57.858832,-145.8833931,4z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m17!1m7!3m6!1s0x5113cb935c41b04d:0x1155e872d8421ea3!2sTuktoyaktuk,+NT,+Canada!3b1!8m2!3d69.445358!4d-133.034181!4m8!1m1!4e1!1m5!1m1!1s0x5113cb935c41b04d:0x1155e872d8421ea3!2m2!1d-133.034181!2d69.445358

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Ironman Ireland announced today:
http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/emea/ironman/cork.aspx#axzz5GY1jtTTe

70.3 Greece was announced yesterday.

http://www.ironman.com/...o.aspx#axzz5GWs5Tc5G

I think Europe is now the center of the long course world. Not only ironman, challenge and the extreme races but other ones like Embrunman. Alot of local small iron distance races too. I think Embrunman cost me 300E with was great value.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Interesting. I wonder how much this will cut into the numbers of the UK ironman races. Anyone know what the weather is like there in June? And the road quality? (Though I suppose it’s hard to say with no route yet)

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Matt

I intend to register this week. Looks like a cold water swim and likely cool weather. Doesnt matter. Routes are posted on their website but I have no idea of the road quality. Read my lips : doesn't matter!

I have the inaugural Ironman Norway in 5 wks, and the inaugural Ironman Ireland next June. I am living the good life.

Ah, I see it now. Bike course looks decent, two big loops. A four loop run could be a mental challenge. Though I guess you’d never be alone. After having 90 degree and sun during the ironman I did last summer I’d kill for something with cool temps.

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Matt