The Fifth Annual Ironman 70.3 Des Moines triathlon event will take place on Sunday, June 8. The event counts a former world champion among its entries over the years and has seen over 1,300 entries in a year. Age group qualifying slots in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship on November 8 and 9 in Marbella, Spain are also up for grabs at the event.
The city of Des Moines, Iowa has a rich history of triathlon events. Events like the Hy-Vee Triathlon, the Des Moines Escape Triathlon, and the Des Moines Triathlon have seen the likes of Olympic silver medalist Javier Gomez compete in the. The Ironman 70.3 Des Moines started in 2021. This is longer than a standard triathlon (just under 32 miles) and it is half the distance of a full Ironman triathlon (140.6 miles).
This year’s race will start with a 1.2-mile swim at Gray’s Lake, followed by a 56-mile bike ride through Des Moines and West Des Moines. The event will then culminate with a 13.1-mile run through downtown Des Moines, ending at the historic Iowa Courthouse on Mulberry Street. After the event, an awards ceremony and the allocation of slots for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship will take place in Cowles Commons. 2016 Women’s Ironman 70.3 World Champion Holly Lawrence kicked off the inaugural event in 2021 with a win.
Last year’s event saw Maxim Mahoney emerge victorious with a time of 4:00:16. The 2024 women’s winner was Nicole Heininger with a time of 4:32:39.
While Iowa is often considered “flyover” territory when it comes to politics and concert tours, there is a long tradition of national and international events in the state. Events like the Des Moines Grand Prix, the Drake Relays, the NASCAR Cup Series’ Iowa Corn 350, the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic, and the Ironman 70.3 Des Moines help grow Iowa’s profile on the national and international stage. Athletes from multiple countries travel to the ever-growing Des Moines Metro to compete in events like this Ironman event. Not only are these events good for the local economy, but the attention they bring leads to more events like them in the future.
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