I was trolling Michael Lovato’s Twitter updates today and noticed he is en route from Las Vegas to St. George, Utah as of a couple hours ago. I wondered why he would be going to St. George of all places. Then I remembered that March 18th is the planned press conference for the big announcement of Ironman St. George.
Although it is in early May, a horrible time for those of us in northern Utah, I’m pretty stoked about a new full distance event in North America and especially one in Utah.
PNF also mentioned she was on her way to Salt Lake City today…
www.ironmanstgeorge.com takes you to an IM events page, but nothing specific. I’m thinking of becoming a forensics detective, especially once I heard you start at $150k/year as a public servant. 
May this one go far better than IM’s previous attempts in Utah.
May this one go far better than IM’s previous attempts in Utah.
I think it will for many reasons including the fact that the city of St. George is accustomed to hosting and managing big events like the St. George Marathon (one of the most successful marathons in the country). Weather can’t be guaranteed - last year at the St. George triathlon (Oly/Sprint) at Sand Hollow, which was also early May, we had 50-60 degrees with 20-30 mph winds. They canceled the swim after my wave went - it was a horribly choppy swim and annoying bike ride. I’m not real stoked about the time of year they chose for this but I can understand the reasons (both for the city and Ironman). Regardless of the weather the venue will be great - a fantastic place, scenic and interesting. That’s one major thing that Ironman Utah didn’t have - I could never understand what appealed to Ironman to have an event at Utah (we call it “Mud”) Lake and ride/run around the boring rural roads in Provo.
Although I probably won’t sign up for the event in 2010 I am really excited about the chance that Utah has to have an Ironman. Now, if only the rest of the state would realize what a big deal this is. It is huge.
So when does registration open?
Don’t know. I wonder if they’ll wait until May 1st.
This is enough to get me excited to do another Ironman. I love Utah! I’ll give it a few years to work out the kinks.
Don’t tell my coach I said that.
I thought I read that IM St. George would be the first weekend in May (same weekend as Wildflower). I’ve been wondering if that will impact Wildflower’s participation and is this a direct assault on Wildflower’s organizers by NAS?
NAS was sold to WTC, save the IM Canada “division”
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Thanks for the correction…substitute WTC for NAS in my question.
May this one go far better than IM’s previous attempts in Utah.
Indeed, the last attempt was unfortunate.
I think there is more that goes into IM event locations, and their should be, than people realize. Graham Fraser, once said that IMC and Penticton, BC, was the perfect venue and the best template for an IM event. I think that he is right. However, as time goes by, I think what we are finding out, is that finding these perfect venues is much more difficult to do than people realize.
I don’t know this area at all, but the people involved in setting this up are some of the best in the business, and know what they are doing. I suspect that many of the key details have been covered.
A link to the registration…
http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?CHECKSSO=0&EVENT_ID=1704973
Any idea what the bike/run profile will be like? Similar to any others? This Houston flatlander wants to know…
A group of us ran the St. George marathon last year and really enjoyed the area, so I’d definitely be interested. May is also a perfect time of year for us.
The website is up now too, www.ironmanstgeorge.com
No course profiles though…
Based on the description this is quite a bit of flat/rolling terrain. The photos don’t do it justice - one of the most beautiful rides I’ve ever done is entering Ivins and passing Snow Canyon in the early morning. Very scenic.
The Run appears to be mostly around the city of St. George. Sounds like there could be some challenging hills up on Skyline Drive, etc. Wide roads and well-maintained.
For accomodations I’d recommend checking out VRBO for condos in Coral Canyon, Green Springs and Washington. These places are situated between the start and finish areas and there are nice communities in these areas. Sounds like they’ll have two transition areas. Not a problem in a place like St. George though because it is wide open and there’s a lot of room. Although 2-3 miles of highway going into Sand Hollow res will be gridlock on race day.
Probably the best part about IMSG is the fact that there’s an In-N-Out burger now in St. George - I dream about doing an IM and then having a 4 X 4 with fries and two shakes after an IM.
I only wish I didn’t live in northern Utah - this IM is just too early in the season for me. Bummed.
Probably the best part about IMSG is the fact that there’s an In-N-Out burger now in St. George - I dream about doing an IM and then having a 4 X 4 with fries and two shakes after an IM.
In-N-Out Burger is in the Phoenix area. IMAZ doesn’t do it for ya? This thought never occurred to me, but that is good enough for me! Mmm.
Thanks for jumping in with great information. How rolling do you think the bike is compared to say CDA or IMOO?
Probably the best part about IMSG is the fact that there’s an In-N-Out burger now in St. George - I dream about doing an IM and then having a 4 X 4 with fries and two shakes after an IM.
In-N-Out Burger is in the Phoenix area. IMAZ doesn’t do it for ya? This thought never occurred to me, but that is good enough for me! Mmm.
You’d have to cross the street, but IMAZ run course goes right by an In N Out on Scottsdale Road… 3X