STATE COLLEGE — After its debut last summer, the Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley triathlon will return for year two on Sunday, June 30.
The race features competitors testing their limits by swimming, biking and running across a distance of 70.3 miles.
Happy Valley’s course begins in Foster Joseph Sayers Lake at Bald Eagle State Park.
The athletes must first swim 1.2 miles in the lake before returning to land and journeying to the transition area. From here, each competitor will mount their bikes and embark on a 56-mile path back toward State College to the Ironman Village near Beaver Stadium.
Finally, each athlete will run the final 13.1 miles on Penn State’s campus until they loop all the way back to Beaver Stadium to cross the finish line.
It will take every racer several hours to complete this process, as last year’s winning time came from former Penn State swim team member Matthew Guenter, who finished at 4:19:30.
The 2023 event proved successful for Centre County last year, both financially and in turnout. Last year’s Ironman had 2,405 individuals enter the Ironman race, including competitors from 43 states and 15 countries.
Additionally, $4.4 million of revenue was generated as a result of the event — $3.09 million of which came from visitor expenses. With thousands of competitors and spectators coming from out of town, the impact the race has on local businesses is great.
Part of this revenue stems from the businesses available in the Ironman Village. Fans can enjoy Ironman’s different vendors, including the merchandise store and concessions area, as they wait for the grueling race to come to an end.
The Village is located in Lot 18 in Beaver Stadium’s west lot, which is near the finish line. With the race kicking off at 7 a.m., the village will remain open for most of the day. Not only will vendors be around throughout the day, but the event’s abundance of volunteers will also be contributing.
Those interested can visit ironman.volunteerlocal.com to find out about playing a part in the event. On the website, volunteer positions are segmented by role and time period they occur.
Ironman’s partnership with Happy Valley originally was slotted in for three years, with one year remaining going forward. However, if the event sees similar success during this second go-around, the triathlon could soon become a Centre County tradition for years to come.
Stay tuned for more information on the 2024 Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley triathlon in The Centre County Gazette’s special edition inserted into the regular paper on Thursday, June 27.
