I was poking around on the USAT site and they have Boise being ressurected for July 26th, 2025. Does anyone have any insider information on this? It’s a Saturday race, any idea if they’ll be doing the old afternoon start again?
Boise local here. Although I’m out of the sport, I know a lot of people still in it, and I’ve heard nothing of the sort. I knew the original 70.3 organizers, hosted pros, raced it, and was a ref, etc. With the insane amount of growth / building going on here, I think the old bike course might not be viable, but lots of our farming areas have been turned into subdivisions. I heard there is a smaller race being launched in Star, which is about 30 minutes west of Boise. My friend is the RD. This would be olympic distance or sprint and that’s what USAT might be talking about.
I might be completely imagining this conversation, but I think I was talking to Danielle Lewis awhile back and she said a half Ironman is coming to Boise. But…I might be totally imagining that in the context of seeing this thread …
Innnnnteresting…
I’ve done Boise 3x, including the year it snowed and pros wore their wetsuits on the bike course. Could have my arm twisted to giving it another go.
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That would be awesome if they brought back 70.3 Boise! No way could they pull off the noon start in late July though. That time of year its almost certain to hit 100 degrees.
At least 100 - Not to mention the possible smoke from forest fires. July 26 is hell’s front porch in Boise. I hope they’s start it by 6-6:30 at the latest.
Heard similar rumors from very reliable local sources.
However, the July 26th date is absolutely horrible from a heat and smoke standpoint.
Why schedule and organize such an important race at a time of the year that could very easily be experiencing high AQI and force the cancelation?!
Not mentioning the extreme heat that could cause some serious situations for the slow competitors.
Welcoming Ironman back to Boise but please, not in July!!.
Early september would be perfect
I don’t know that early September is any better for fires. Rebecca’s Private Idaho (in Ketchum) had to cancel Day 1 of the Queens Stage because the AQI was >500 from fires. In 2022 (when I raced) we also had terrible air quality from fires, and I know the 2021 race was affected too.
This would be the same weekend as Spudman which would be a bad decision given there would be a lot of overlap in targeted geographic market.
And if the 70.3 stayed more than 2-3 years kill off Spudman which has historically been a great race.
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So Spudman gets 1600 Olympic participants and about 400 Sprint. 70.3 is a different beast than an Olympic, but we all know that many athletes will be pulled to one or the other. Spudman is pulling participants from SLC area, and Boise is a bit further out still, so it is going to be a city too far for some people.
Ironman is in an odd spot. They have CDA in Idaho the end of June. It doesn’t really make much sense to put it just 2 weeks after that does it?
I wonder if CDA is going away in the near future? Boise isn’t as nice a destination, but it’s a lot more convenient for many.
Seems like the perfect opportunity for Spudman to try to push their race 2-3 weeks earlier. Doing a sprint or an Olympic for the regional racer population is a great option going into Boise 70.3.
But ya, I wonder what the reason September wasn’t chosen to avoid the direct head to head for CDA and Spudman.
Yep. it’s coming back. July 26th, 2025. They just teased it for the public, but It is for sure.
no way it will kill off spudman. it sells out in 10 minutes and has a way different vide and market. It may take a bite out of registration, but since so many people can’t get in, there should be room for both. It does suck that they picked that weekend.
The race website is live now:
I know some people don’t like them, but I’m actually a fan of the split transition. I feel the bike becomes so much more interesting that way.
I’m pretty tempted, but having a had time deciding between this one or going back to Salem Oregon.
having done both Boise and Oregon, here’s my thoughts…
Swim: Oregon is a race legal slip and slide. So fun. Boise is a cold, big, and can be VERY choppy reservoir. Definitely a harder swim.
Bike: Oregon is pretty flat and you ride through some truly beautiful countryside. Boise: about the same elevation, not as scenic, can be VERY windy (hopefully a morning start will help alleviate some wind. I raced Boise with a 2 PM start and had 35 mph sustained wind.)
Run: Oregon is shaded with gentle rollers and is really pretty. Boise is flat flat flat along the Boise River Greenbelt, also with a lot of shade. Boise run course is better for spectators.
Morning logistics: Oregon has you walk 1 mile to the swim start. Boise will require you to get on a bus (like St George).
Town / Vibe: Salem is very walkable and has a lot of fun stuff. We went to wineries, didn’t have any issues finding food that our whole group could eat (ranging vegan to meat eaters to people with allergies). Lodging can be tricky. Boise is basically just a town that happens to also have a race. Not many locals are that into it. Boise itself is getting “cooler” but it won’t have the fun destination side trips that Salem does.
I hope the organizers consider moving the swim below the dam spillways where a lot of paddle boarding is taking place these days. (Lucky Peak State Park Discovery Unit). The park is a perfect place to install T1 and have the biking roll directly on the greenbelt all the way to Highway 21 bridge.
This would alleviate a massive organizational headache by avoiding barkley bay and the traffic complexities of H21.
Quinn’s pond would be another great place to consider having the swim
T2 and the finish in BSU Bronco stadium on the blue turf! with the run on the greenbelt of course.