Southern Utah runners grateful after final St. George Ironman is run
May 16, 2025, 9:00 PM
The finish line at the Iron Man World Championship in St. George. Officials decided not to renew their contract with Ironman in December 2024, making it the final Ironman competition the area would host for the near future. (Bonnie Stray, KSL TV)
(Bonnie Stray, KSL TV)
SALT LAKE CITY — Stephanie Anderson wasn’t even sure she’d be able to compete this year.
“I was in a walking boot in December and thinking I was going to need surgery,” she said.
Anderson says after she got out of her boot, she saw there were still spots open and quickly signed up because she didn’t want to miss the last St. George Ironman.
Why Ironman is leaving St. George
Officials decided not to renew their contract with Ironman in December, making last week’s Ironman the final competition the area would host for the near future. It also brought an end to a 15-year run for the only Ironman in the state.
Related:From Addict to Ironman: Todd Crandall runs #93 tomorrow in St. George
Seventy-five-year-old William Blackwell was already planning to make this year his last one.
“I talked to other triathletes and they said ‘well, it’ll come back in 4 or 5 years,’ ” Blackwell explained. “You know I always say ‘this is my last race’ but I’ve been saying that for a long, long time now because somehow it just draws you back in.”
Southern Utah Triathlon Club President Jeff Monson says while people may have mixed emotions on Ironman leaving St. George, he is grateful.
“I couldn’t be more grateful that they came and obviously would love to see them stay.”
Growth of Washington County a factor in Ironman leaving
Chad McWilliams with the Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office said they met with all the cities that host the race after the 2024 Ironman. He said the growth in Washington County played a big part in their decision not to renew their contract with the race.
“Since 2010 Washington County as you know is one of the fastest growing communities in the nation,” McWilliams said. “And so now we have homes on both sides of the road that we’ve shut down. We have businesses on both sides of the road that we shut down in the past.”
McWilliams says Ironman would bring in anywhere from $7- to $10-million each year from both the race and people coming to train in the state. He says they’ve started to spread the money they invested in the race into other events like the Huntsman World Senior games, the LPGA and PGA tours.
