Natural beauty second to none: Why Redding was picked to host the Ironman

It was announced at the end of October that Redding would host an Ironman triathlon — an international race event that includes swimming, biking and running. Registration opened about two months ago for the race, which will take place this upcoming August. 

But why was Redding picked to host the world-famous event, and how did initial conversations between the Ironman organization and Redding materialize? 

Talks about bringing the Ironman to Redding have been happening for almost two years, said Ironman Regional Manager of the Pacific Northwest Tim Brosious. As he was researching cities in the Northwest to host the triathlon, he said Redding continuously popped up on his radar because it checked the boxes needed to host the race. 

That includes having a nearby body of water to swim in, roads around the community that can be biked on, enough hotels and lodging to accommodate thousands of athletes and family members and a host community that fits into an active lifestyle that’s already attracting people for recreation. 

Not only did Brosious find Redding to be a good fit logistically, but he also saw it as a destination that stands out for its landscape. “The natural beauty surrounding the area is second to none, with the national parks there and Shasta Lake and Whiskeytown [and] with the Sacramento River flowing through,” he said. “It really is an outdoor recreator’s dream to go there.” 

In 2024, one of Redding’s official tourism and marketing groups Choose Redding Lodging met with the Ironman organization at a sports conference in Anaheim to present Redding as a destination for the race. Tim Bauer, the sports and events director of Choose Redding Lodging, said there were some hurdles at the beginning of the pitching process because Ironman was still somewhat unfamiliar with Redding. The marketing group, along with Visit Redding, provided videos, photos and other materials in attempts to convince Ironman that Redding was a good fit. 

Last September, a couple of officials with Ironman visited Redding for two days to tour the area, including Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, the Sacramento River Trail and the city of Redding itself. The Ironman officials were quickly convinced, and on Oct. 30 the organization officially announced that Redding would host an inaugural race this year. 

Brosious said it’s a feat in itself for a city to host an Ironman event for the first time, and the event will likely bring in more participants because of the new location. “First time events are awesome,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to highlight a community through sport that maybe hasn’t had that opportunity in the past.” 

The race will be an Ironman 70.3, which is half the distance of a full Ironman. Redding will host the event for three consecutive years, between 2026 and 2028. Officials said it’s expected to bring in around 2,500 athletes each year, which could additionally bring thousands of more people as family and friends tag along. More than 500 people have already registered for the event, which Brosious said is more than those who have registered for several other Ironman races that have been held in the Pacific Northwest. 

The course itself starts at Oak Bottom Beach, where athletes will take off for the swimming portion of the race — a 1.2-mile lap in Whiskeytown Lake. The 56-mile bike course starts at Oak Bottom’s parking lot and travels along Eureka Way. It goes down past Igo all the way to Gas Point Road, then winds back up to Redding. The race finishes with a half marathon run — a stretch of 13.1 miles — along the Sacramento River Trail.

The event will be held in August, one of the hottest months of the year in Redding, when temperatures often exceed 100 degrees. Danny Orloff, Visit Redding’s tourism marketing director, said that while the heat might be a challenge, it can also be something that motivates the athletes. 

“People who do Ironman are tough individuals, so they want those extreme conditions,” he said. “It only makes it more of a hotter race to be a part of and sign up for.”

Hosting the Ironman is expected to bring a variety of benefits to Redding, including tourism dollars since thousands of non-locals will be buying hotel rooms, food, drinks and other amenities in the area. Brosious said Ironman events can bring in anywhere from $8 million to $12 million in economic impact to host cities. Travis Menne, the director of community services for the city of Redding, said at least one athlete planning to race in the Ironman had already signed up for a hotel in Redding as of October, about 10 months before the actual event. 

Menne said the Ironman is a great occasion to showcase the dedication that people have put into making Redding the amazing city it is today. “It made me feel proud of what the city’s accomplished over the years in putting all of this work in,” he said, “not only just for the enjoyment of Redding citizens’ daily lives, but then to focus on, what does it do for tourism? What does it do for the economy?” 

Bauer with Choose Redding Lodging said Redding isn’t just a destination to fly in and out of for the race — it’s one where people can stay to enjoy the area’s unique features, such as the Sundial Bridge, Lassen National Park, Turtle Bay Museum and Lake Shasta Caverns. He said hosting the Ironman could also inspire people who are racing or supporting a loved one to come back to Redding, something he sees as a long-term benefit of the race. 

“We want people to come and see a part of California they may never have considered, either for vacations or for living,” he said. “We think this is probably one of the most gorgeous places in the Pacific Northwest.”

Alongside benefits, the city will face some additional considerations and costs as part of hosting the Ironman. The organization itself charges a license fee to the host city, though it’s typically paid for by the tourism group that partners with Ironman, not the city itself. Choose Redding Lodging will be paying a hosting fee of $200,000 per year for the next three years that the Ironman is held, Bauer said. The marketing group will also be sharing some of the costs taken on by the city of Redding for things like road closures, permits, traffic control and police staff. Choose Redding Lodging is funded by charges added to short-term lodging bills meaning those costs won’t come from the city’s general fund.

Since Ironman events bring in thousands of people — and bikes — officials with the Ironman organization will often contact local airports to give them a heads up in case they want to add additional flights to that destination around that time to accommodate the extra travelers. Brosious said he’ll likely be in contact with the Redding airport for this reason. 

Overall, though, officials with Redding and its tourism groups think the Ironman will bring major positive impacts to the city. Menne with the city of Redding said an international event coming to Redding is a huge feat. 

“It’s going to be an honor for them to come here and use our facilities and showcases like that,” he said. “We couldn’t get on a stage like that without a group like this coming in. I mean, the world will watch the event, and I think that’s awesome.” 

To add to the excitement, Ironman’s 50th anniversary is in 2028, when the third and final race will be held in Redding. Brosious said while he can’t share details about the occasion yet, internal conversations are going on within Ironman about how to make it special. Bauer said he’s excited that Redding gets to be a part of a monumental moment for the international organization. 

Each Ironman event requires a lot of volunteers to be successful, Bauer said, adding that around a thousand people are needed to help in Redding. The types of volunteers range from lifeguards to advanced kayakers to first aid station workers. Brosious said the Ironman Foundation, the nonprofit branch of Ironman, provides grant funding to host cities for volunteer groups. The foundation plans to give $15,000 to Redding, which volunteer groups have the chance to receive a chunk of. 

The funding is often meant to be sports-related — as an example, Brosious said a high school volleyball team could work an aid station at the event, then they could receive some money to support whatever the team might need, whether that’s fuel to travel to a tournament or new uniforms. 

Information about volunteering can be found here. 

---

Do you have information or a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.