Ironman event draws excited locals as officials share details about August’s race

Ironman officials came to Redding yesterday to give locals more information about the upcoming triathlon, which will be held locally this August. In enthusiastic remarks to a crowd of about 40, officials said they’re thrilled for the event. 

They spoke as part of a Q&A session hosted at Westside Tap & Cork by the Redding Chamber of Commerce, Visit Redding and Choose Redding Lodging. The event was intended to give the public a chance to ask questions about the race weekend. 

The tourism agencies were involved in the process of bringing the race, an Ironman 70.3 — which is half of a full Ironman — to the area. The Ironman will be held in Shasta for three consecutive years, starting this year on Sunday, Aug. 16. The race route includes a little over a mile swimming lap in Whiskeytown Lake, a 56-mile bike ride throughout Redding and its neighboring towns and a 13.1-mile run along the Sacramento River Trail. 

Yesterday’s event included local public officials like Redding Mayor Mike Littau and Anderson Vice Mayor Bonnie Simmons, as well as athletes interested in participating in the race and locals who plan to volunteer during the race weekend. 

Ironman Event Operations Manager Tom Cotton was the main spokesperson at the event. One of the first points he touched on was a concern that many in the area have voiced when it comes to the timing of the race: Redding’s summer heat. Cotton responded by saying the heat adds a unique challenge to the race, which is “not supposed to be all that easy.”

An announcement yesterday that the Redding Ironman will be a part of Ironman’s Pro Series was met with audible excitement from the crowd. The pro series is a competition where advanced athletes partake in multiple Ironman races within one season to compete for a bonus prize. Redding will be among almost 20 other Ironman destinations taking part in the pro series this year, including states like New York, Hawaii and Texas and countries like Australia, France and Denmark. In comparison to other Ironman events, officials said, locations that are part of the Ironman Pro Series typically draw notable athletes and are extensively televised. 

About 1,200 people have signed up for Redding’s Ironman so far, officials said yesterday. The athletes represent 48 states and 11 countries. Ironman officials explained that since this is the inaugural year that the Ironman will occur in Redding, the race will likely have fewer competitors this year than in the next two years. The event has the capacity to host up to 2,500 athletes, but only 1,500 to 1,800 are expected to sign up for this year’s race. A lower turnout is typical for the first year in a new location, officials said.

Ironman officials came to Redding last year to scope out the area before finalizing the plan for a Northern California race. Cotton said when he was on his tour of the area, he was consistently wowed by the region’s beautiful scenery, saying it’s perfect for an Ironman. He also noted his understanding that Ironmans can feel like an “invasive species” because of the way the large events inevitably disrupt the host city and the residents living nearby. 

“When we get into our community here, we take up a big footprint,” he said. “We strive to make it as painless for the city and residents as possible.”

He said Ironman staff have been looking intensely into which roads might require restrictions and closures to ensure the safety of athletes, while trying to minimize disruptions to the everyday lives of locals.

Among yesterday’s event’s spectators were Shasta Regional Medical Center employees Jessica Duke and Jovita Avila, who were both still considering whether they wanted to sign up for the race. They said that Shasta Regional plans to be a sponsor of the event, so they plan to participate in the race weekend in some way, even if it’s not by competing. 

Avila said the excitement around the race has been infectious. 

“We feel so lucky because a lot of people have to travel pretty far to go to these races, and the fact that it’s coming to our own backyard, it feels really exciting to see athletes and seeing all sorts of different people come and do a big event,” she said. 

Her fellow Shasta Regional staffer Duke raised an important question during the Q&A session, asking what race officials will do if there’s poor air quality in early August, something that’s somewhat likely given California’s susceptibility to wildfires. In response, Cotton assured the crowd that the Ironman organization has staff designated to monitor conditions leading up to a race, and if needed, the race would be canceled to ensure the safety of athletes and volunteers. 

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