How Chattanooga and Ironman created a match made in athletic heaven
It seems like just a few short years ago that Chattanooga awoke one weekend morning to notice a large number of extremely physically fit people swimming, biking and running all around the city.
What was going on? Who were these people? Why did they do this to their bodies?
Well, that was then. Now we are all quite familiar with the sights of world class athletes descending upon the Scenic City twice a year for both the Ironman and the Ironman 70.3 races. What makes the next several weeks unusual is that our fair city will be playing host to not one, but two events in two weeks time. And one of them is a world championship.
Kicking off this week, Chattanooga plays host to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, featuring the best triathletes in the world in the pinnacle event in the global Ironman 70.3 triathlon series.
During the past year, more than 130,000 athletes participated in a season of qualifying races to grab one of the 3,000 slots in the championship, a series which consisted of over 85 events in locations such as Australia, Germany, South Africa and Switzerland. Participants in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship will range in age from 18 to over 75, representing over 70 countries.
When it was announced that Chattanooga would be the host city, Ironman CEO Andrew Messick said he was thrilled by the choice. “Chattanooga is a first-class city, fully qualified and well-equipped to deliver an exceptional event, and we look forward to providing our athletes with an unforgettable championship race experience,” he said.
The Ironman 70.3 World Championship week officially kicks off Thursday evening with a welcome banquet at the convention center, where one can only imagine the inordinate amount of carbs that will be consumed as racers gear up their metabolisms for the race.
On Friday morning, there will be an IronKids half mile and one mile fun run down on the riverfront. Then on Saturday, the female competitors get underway, sliding into the Tennessee River at 7:30 a.m. sharp. On Sunday, the male competitors take their turn, taking to the river at 7:30 in the morning as well.
If you plan on coming to see part of the event, it helps to know where everything will be happening. The first leg of the 70.3 is the swim, which starts and finishes at Ross’s Landing.
Athletes will face a challenging course as they set off in a clockwise direction across the Tennessee River. After making a right turn at the first buoy, they will swim up river 940 yards before ferrying across and back down to Ross’s Landing.
Then comes the bike course, which takes riders five miles south of town before beginning the 3.5 mile climb up Lookout Mountain on Ochs Highway. Athletes will get to experience the incredible view as they ride along the top of Lookout Mountain before a quick decent down Highway 136 before turning to head back north.
Near the end of the bike loop they will get the opportunity to ride through historic Chickamauga before making the final stretch back into downtown Chattanooga. For those that like to keep track of such things, the total elevation gain for the ride is 3,442 feet.
Then comes the running. The athletes will have a chance to see the Scenic City up close and personal as they complete two loops through downtown Chattanooga, the Tennessee Riverwalk, Veterans Bridge, North Shore, Walnut Street Bridge and the beautiful Riverfront Parkway. The final stretch will bring them back down Riverfront Parkway to Ross’s Landing, for a total distance of, you guessed it 70.3 miles between all three legs.
But wait, as they say on late night television, there’s more. Just two weeks later, the city will play host to a full Ironman event. That’s a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a full 26.22-mile marathon run, raced in that order and without a break. It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.
And just like in the 70.3, the first event features our younger athletes with a Chattanooga Fun Run on Saturday, Sep. 23 at 9 a.m. Then on Sunday, the full race kicks off at 7:30 in the morning.
Two weeks, two events, nearly 211 miles of racing. The only word to adequately describe this is “impressive”. And the people who compete in Ironman events are, likewise, quite impressive. In fact, part of the appeal of Ironman is learning what makes people take on such an arduous challenge.
Longtime competitor Angela Naeth offers up an inside look at competing in the event. “Any advice I’ve ever received during my years of racing always came down to the following: have a plan, be flexible, take care of what you can control and stay positive.”
She and her coach go over a race plan before every race. They talk race dynamics, go over nutrition strategies and the goals for the day, and are always focused on what they might be able to control and make sure to be flexible.
“No race will ever go as planned,” she explains. “Accepting this and embracing it will allow you to excel come race day. As triathletes, we should all be grateful for our health and the opportunity to race. When things get tough, I remind myself that no one is forcing me to do this. I’m very grateful for my body, support team, family, friends, sponsors and competitors. Without any of them, I’d never have the chance to do this.”
As for Chattanooga, Angela loves competing in the city. “Everyone seemed to come out for it,” she says. “The crowd that was there, especially the last two miles of the run, was absolutely phenomenal. It was like the whole community was there.”
Triathlete Kim Schwabenbauer agrees that community support is essential for a successful race that competitors want to come back to year after year. “I really enjoyed the Chattanooga course,” she says. “And I think I’m not alone in that. I think it has a lot to do with how well the town accepts that race.”
But what makes Chattanooga so popular? For all the cities around the world that host Ironman events, why is Chattanooga held in such high esteem by both organizers and competitors? For answers, we went to the Ironman organizers, where they shared a number of comments from competitors in the past two events held here.
“It was my third Ironman and I found the volunteer support absolutely top notch.”“Not as chaotic as other races I’ve done. Really loved the rolling start off the dock and the exit up the stairs. Good layout and thought process.”
“The city was awesome. everywhere I went, I felt like a rock star. The community was well-informed of the event and they were all very kind everywhere I went.”
“The events run like clockwork and everyone working and volunteering is so welcoming and clearly really dedicated to providing a seamless and enjoyable experience. The city and citizens of Chattanooga were also incredibly welcoming: the billboards, signs on every business, the Y letting athletes use facilities for free, and restaurant owners going out of their way to please were incredible. Not every city lays out the red carpet like that.”
“This was definitely my favorite bike course of any half-distance race I’ve done. Stunning views, great road services, rolling terrain that kept it interesting but never grueling, just an awesome bike course. And thank you for putting mats over the railroad tracks!”
“Chattanooga, for two years straight, has had the best volunteers and support that I have experienced in any race that I have participated in. Aid station people were fantastic getting the items to us, encouraged us, kept the stations very clean, and did it all around a bunch of tired, cranky runners. Job very well done!”
To paraphrase actress Sally Field, they like us. They really like us.
But Ironman means as much to Chattanooga as the city means to the competitors.
“Chattanooga is one of six cities in the country to host both an Ironman and an Ironman 70.3; Chattanooga is one of ten cities in the world to host both an Ironman and an Ironman 70.3; and Chattanooga is the only city on the planet to host an Ironman, an Ironman 70.3 and two days of Ironman 70.3 World Championship racing,” notes Bob Doak, President and CEO for the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“That’s impressive. We would not have been able to do this without the existing strong partnership with Ironman and the dedication and support of the entire community.”
Tim Morgan of the Chattanooga Sports Committee concurs with Doak. “Ironman has benefited our community both economically and socially,” he says. “With an estimated economic impact value exceeding over $100 million dollars for all events combined, Ironman is pumping new money into this region as an economic engine for our hospitality industry.
“It has also instilled a new sense of pride in our capability to host major sporting events. Our region has become the epicenter of Ironman activity due to the professionalism and expertise of our local organizing team—made up of over 25 different organizations—combined with the amplified excitement demonstrated time and time again by our local volunteers and spectators lining the course creating an energizing environment for each participant.”
So over the next several weeks, if you happen to meet a new face that is attached to an extremely physically fit body, welcome them to Chattanooga. Just don’t challenge them to a race. We’ll leave that to the professionals.