Thought the championships were in Clerawater, FL. THats what it said on the website atleast

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It does say Clermont on Triathlete Magazine Site.

The following is from Ironmanlive.com

Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3
By Staff for Ironmanlive.com on Mon, Nov 7th 2005 (3:26 PM).

Clearwater, a city that boasts some of America’s top beaches, will host more than 1,800 domestic and international athletes at the inaugural Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3



The Ironman 70.3 Event Series, a global collection of events managed by World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), will call Clearwater, FL, home to its newest world championship event. Clearwater, a city that boasts some of America’s top beaches, will host more than 1,800 domestic and international athletes at the inaugural Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3. This event, scheduled for November 11, 2006 is a collaborative effort between WTC, the City of Clearwater and the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.



"I am pleased to host this international event in Clearwater since one of my initiatives is making Clearwater a healthy-minded city. This event will attract athletes from around the globe and will increase our region's visibility through Ironman’s worldwide media coverage," said Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard. "As we revitalize Clearwater and its beaches, quality events like the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 are a perfect fit for the community.”



The event will start and finish in Sand Key Park and the Sheraton Sand Key Resort will host several of the pre- and post-race activities. A professional prize purse of $100,000 will be offered and top professional and age group athletes will qualify for the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship that will take place in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 13.



"Clearwater is an ideal location for this event due to its knowledge and experience in supporting high-profile events. Additionally, it is one of the world’s top tourist destinations. We're eager to make the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 into one of triathlon's signature events," says Ironman 70.3 Events Director, Steve Meckfessel.



Ironman 70.3 events consist of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run, totaling 70.3 miles. The series that includes more than seventeen events, kicked off earlier this year with the U.K. Ironman 70.3 in Wiltshire, England. One hundred athletes from the event received qualifying slots to the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 event.



"We are looking forward to competitors’ experiencing what our world-class beaches and unique communities have to offer," said Carole Ketterhagen, executive director for the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Sports are a central part of our community with activities ranging from Major League Baseball to triathlon events like the Ironman World Championship 70.3. We are confident that our outstanding weather conditions and community support will lead to record-setting performances on race day." [/url]

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I was totally disappointed to read that it is now in Clermont!! I had tentative hotel reservations at the host hotel they listed in the initial press release. Clermont??? Anyone ever been there? I have....not the place I had hoped for with all the beautiful places to choose from in Florida for a first class event to go off in it's first year. Theres no sizeable hotel venues and the "lake" is someplace you would never want to swim unless you had to....really a let down.

More importantly will they rotate the venue for the worlds or fix it here. I hope not.......

And how about a date? Do we have a date already for the 70.3 Worlds?

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Is it "qualify only"? No lottery, I assume.

The Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship will take place in Clearwater, Florida on Saturday, Nov. 11th, 2006. You can qualify for this event by going to one of 17 races. Go to www.ironmanlive.com for information on the qualifing events. One of them happens to be the Whirlpool Steelhead Triathlon in Benton Harbor, Michigan on August 6, 2006. (www.steelheadtriathlon.com) Z

Steelhead site says Sat. Aug 5, 2006:)

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I wanna go fast!

Location aside, it will be very interesting to see who shows up to race and what impact this will have on Ironman Hawaii. It's clear to me that more than a few top pros may now opt out of Hawaii for various reasons and focus on this 70.3 series and this new 70.3 championship event, but then again maybe not. It's a bit of a toss up at this point.

Fleck

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I think with enough money you'll see a number of pros heading toward the 70.3 championship instead of Hawaii. I think Tim deBoom is lined up to speak at the release press conference and post Hawaii this year I heard him say he felt the bike pace was too fast for him from the start. maybe he (like some other pros) feel like their strength is as much at the 1/2IM distance as the full and would aim their season around this WC instead. With enough cash on the line there will be some pros who weigh the odds and figure they have a better chance at a pay check over 1/2im then full and opt out of Kona.

Agreed.

It's an interesting gamble on the WTC's part, which I am not sure I completely understand. I like the distance - for the pros it's the perfect meeting ground between the long course and short course specialties. Although, history shows that these races usually favor the short course guys jumping up. It being a non Olympic year, I would not be surprised to see a number of ITU stand-outs have a go at this.

Wondering what someone like Simon Lesssing will do. He has absolutly crushed everyone over the 1/2 IM distance a number of times, but has had mixed success at the full IM distance.

Fleck

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Without knowing anything about Simon (other then what i read) I think he will try Kona one more time. However you're probably right about the short / mid-course guys - Someone like Craig Alexander or Walton could probably focus on it and make the race really competitive.

I think it will add to the level of excitement at this distance and hopefully will increase some exposure - kind of like Lifetime Fitness has done to some extent. The more money you throw at a race the deeper the field for sure.

The only think about short course guys (like ITU guys) is that they would have to re-arrange their schedule to qualify, but i guess for an ITU guy winning some of the 70.3 halfs would like like a training day... ha!