Ironman North Carolina Discontinued
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
It was revealed yesterday that Ironman North Carolina will not take place in 2017. Ironman purchased the Wilmington, N.C.-based Beach2Battleship triathlons at the end of 2015 and planned to continue running both the half and full-iron distance events on the same day. The 2016 event on Oct. 22 had its share of issues as the Ironman bike course was shortened significantly due to damage from Hurricane Matthew. Ironman 70.3 North Carolina will continue into 2017, with a race date yet to be determined.
Ironman posted the following statement on its website:
“After careful consideration, Ironman North Carolina will not continue for 2017; we will put all efforts into making Ironman 70.3 North Carolina a top-notch late season race for athletes. We appreciate the efforts and support of the city as well as our volunteers, partners and everyone else involved in putting on the dual-event this past year and look forward to continued support for the future Ironman 70.3 North Carolina event that will continue. We appreciate our athletes’ dedication and understand the disappointment that some will have in not being able to race a full-distance event in that location. We encourage those athletes to consider Ironman Maryland, Ironman Louisville and Ironman Florida.”
It has been a busy couple of weeks for Ironman, as several new events for 2017 have been announced. Other noteworthy changes include the rebranding and move of the Vineman races to Ironman and 70.3 Santa Rosa, Rev3 Maine’s transition to Ironman 70.3 Maine, and purchases that will add Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast and Maryland’s Across the Bay 10K (a running race) to its roster of events.