Ironman Texas !!
Ironman to host triathlon in The Woodlands
The Ironman may be coming to The Woodlands in May.
The Woodlands Township is finalizing an agreement to bring the premier, international triathlon competition to the community in May. It will be the first full triathlon in the state of Texas, including a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a 26.2 mile run, and will qualify winners for the top competition in Kona, Hawaii.
“It will have a significant impact on The Woodlands,” said Bruce Tough, chairman of The Woodlands Township board. “It's a prime event to have and host and will bring national and global attention to community. It is a signature event that will be televised and will involve multi-government agencies, but it’s home will be here in The Woodlands."
The Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas would be the biggest event to come to The Woodlands since the Shell Houston Open, which attracted golfers from all over the world from 1975 to 2002.
The Ironman event is expected to attract 2,500 participants from all 50 states and 25 counties during the third weekend in May and generate about $16 million to the local economy for airlines, hotel rooms, food and beverage sales, sightseeing, entertainment and shopping, said Nick Wolda, president of The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“It will showcase a world-class community with a world-class brand,” Wolda said. “It will contribute from an economic standpoint here.”
Wolda estimates the event will add about $1.3 million in tax revenues to the local economy, including hotel and sales tax, airline fees, event production and sightseeing and entertainment.
Negotiations have been ongoing with the World Triathlon Corporation, the owner of the Ironman brand, for the last year and is expected to culminate with a vote by the township board at its meeting on June 23 at 10001 Woodloch Forest Drive in Suite 600. Even before the first public meeting, buzz about the new event was circulating on triathlon boards, Wolda said.
“It will sell out in 90 minutes or less,” said T.J. Fry, one of four local Ironman competitors who attended the meeting. “Beyond the weekend of the race, it will have a year-round impact on The Woodlands. People will come here on the weekends and for camps, and the retailers and restaurants will benefit.”
The new Woodlands event would be one of 23 races across the world to qualify competitors for the grand championship in Kona, Hawaii. The race will be produced by the World Triathlon Corporation and The Woodlands Township would pay a $30,000 host sponsorship for the event.
In exchange, the organizers have pledged to provide $100,000 in donations to local charities. The event is expected to take hundreds of local volunteers to operate.
While the swim is expected to be held in Lake Woodlands, with races entering Northshore Park and exiting at Town Green Park, routes for the biking and running portions of the competition area expected to extend out into the community and the county. Possible routes could stretch from The Woodlands to Magnolia, Conroe or Montgomery, said John Powers, assistant general manager for community services in The Woodlands. The marathon likely would be contained within the community, using Woodlands Parkway, Lake Woodlands Drive or FM 2978, Powers said.
A final layout of the routes is expected to be presented by the World Triathlon Corporation at the June 23 meeting.
The event also will be televised to 1.5 million people worldwide, Wolda said.
The Woodlands is becoming known as a sport community and has built several annual events in recent year, most notably the CB&I Triathlon, held the first week of May. Over the last six years, the event has grown from about 380 participants to over 1,000. It attracts triathletes from throughout the greater Houston region, Powers said.
That event has helped increase membership in many local clubs, including the Lone Star Multi-Sports Club, the Woodlands Running Club and the Woodlands Bicycling Club.
Beginning with the annual Run Through the Woodlands, held in community on Thanksgiving Day, the community also host several annual running races. Among these are David’s 5K run, Grogan’s Pointe Spring Fever Run, Muddy Trails 5K Run and Ten for Texas 10-mile run, Powers said.
“Because we’re having the triathlon to qualify for Kona, it will be the beginning to put The Woodlands on the map,” Powers aid.
Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas
The World Triathlon Corporation has proposal its first full triathlon for Texas in The Woodlands in May. It would consist of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 bike race and a 26.2 mile run. Following are key features of the event in the community.
• 2,500 participant from 50 states and 25 countries
• $100,000 to be donated to local charities
• One of 23 races across the world to qualify for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii in October 2011
• Nationally and international televised to 1.5 million people
• Local economic impact of $16 million.
Source: The Woodlands Township
Comments
The Woodlands is pretty much guaranteed to be flat and fast, definitely not a climbers race.
The run would be humid, but not necessarily hot - once again depending on the weather.
The Woodlands is where they tried to have one of the (now defunct) 101.6 race distance races (1.8m swim, 80-something mile bike, 18m run) a few years ago.
@Penny, any other feedback on Woodlands being the site?
Really wish they would bring an IM back to California. IMCali '00 and '01 was around May 20.
Sounds another AZ, sorta, in that it will be hot race but very few people will have had the opportunity to acclimate. A little better timing, a month later than the old AZ date.
Hey Scott, I thought I would give you as much detail as I can until Penny get's caught back up.
"While the swim is expected to be held in Lake Woodlands, with races entering Northshore Park and exiting at Town Green Park, routes for the biking and running portions of the competition area expected to extend out into the community and the county. Possible routes could stretch from The Woodlands to Magnolia, Conroe or Montgomery, said John Powers, assistant general manager for community services in The Woodlands. The marathon likely would be contained within the community, using Woodlands Parkway, Lake Woodlands Drive or FM 2978, Powers said.
A final layout of the routes is expected to be presented by the World Triathlon Corporation at the June 23 meeting."
Given the bike routes that they are consiodering there could be some rolling hills on the course if they go through some of the state parks that are nearby. For 90% of the people in Endurance Nation that would qualify as flat. For those of use who live in Houston where the only hills are the freeway overpasses, it counts as hilly.
There has been a lot of talk on the local message boards about the time that they picked for this. The official average high is 85 degrees, but one of the guys did a five year average and it was closer to 90 degrees with 60-70 percent humidity.
One nice thing should be that there will be shade on the run course.
It is on the agenda for the 6PM meeting. We should know something Thursday morning.
I guess the Wilson-Picciotto house can turn into "The EN IM Texas Haus" for the race. We are a bit away from the Woodlands (60 minutes), but we do have some spare space including floors. :-)
Edited to change the time of the meeting.
Read more: http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/06/news/wtc-announces-ironman-texas-to-take-place-may-21-2011_10226#ixzz0rm2xxyCA
I still have a little less than 24 hours to figure out a good reason not to do this race. Suggestions would be appreciated.
Frank
I signed up at 12:01. Couldn't resist the challenge of sleeping in my own bed the night before an IM.
upsides to TX: What I just emailed to them.
1. You will be "iron fit" for the summer!
2. You could take a trip to Galveston just 1.5 hours away
3. You could actually eat the chocolate bunnies (guilt free) at Easter knowing that you would burn it off
4. you could do any triathlon you wanted to in the summer and any race cuz you would be chillaxing not worrying about if it fit into your training.
5. Memorial Day would not be an epic training day rather a day off at the lake!
6. The Race Director is supposed to put on a good show, Keith Jordan
7. It is flat!!!! did you hear me, =flat.
8. It is just 7.5 hours away, you can drive to it
9. It will give you plenty of time outside to pray when life gets stressful
10. it is out of our comfort zone being early season so it will chalenge us once again!
m
I am so excited!!!
tom
About the bike course . . . depending on where it goes, there may be some rolling hills. Nothing too bad, but for those of that live in pancake-flat Houston, those count as hills.
Edited to add: Keith Jordan, the RD, said he is trying to get a 1 loop bike course.
Ideas:
- Put your trainer and treadmill in the sauna.
- Move to Texas
- Talk to the coaches and see what they think
Thanks Penny!
Love the sauna idea! 
Ha! I better get through IMLOU first, then see IF I want to do another IM! 