St. George misses out on bid for Ironman world championship

St. George will miss out on a chance to host the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, with event officials announcing Tuesday that the honor will instead go to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

"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,” Andrew Messick, chief executive officer of Ironman, said in a written news release.

Chattanooga, Lake Placid, New York, and St. George were all named finalists for the world championship event, with each vying for the rights to the event and the associated economic boost.

St. George hosted the North American Championship version of the 70.3-mile triathlon on May 2, drawing about 2,500 athletes and some 10,000 visitors to the area.

That event, which St. George is scheduled to host every year through 2019, has generated more than $5 million annually in economic impact, according to tourism officials.

Kevin Lewis, director of sports and event marketing with the St. George Tourism Office, said Ironman officials made it clear that they felt St. George's was a good proposal, but chose to go in a different direction this time around.

"I think I have confidence that we put in our best effort," he said. "What I feel good about is we ran the race all the way to the finish. We were in the running. We were there until the end."

Lewis said the world championship has recently been rotating between North America, Europe and Asia.

The world championship tends to draw more athletes and also lasts for two days, which tourism officials have said would have created a larger influx of money into the community.

Ironman first came to St. George in 2010 as a full-length triathlon, but was cut to the half-length version two years later, after the area’s steep terrain and early date in the triathlon season helped it develop a reputation as perhaps the most taxing race in the country. The 2012 race had only 1,800 athletes sign on.

But with the shorter distance and a new designation as the national championship at the 70.3-mile distance, the event has seen a marked increase in participation.

Follow David DeMille on Twitter, @SpectrumDeMille, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SpectrumDeMille. Call him at 435-674-6261.

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