Risk Nets Reward: Ironman 70.3 Oregon A Resounding Success In Its First Year - Sport Oregon Voices

Sport Oregon Voices:

First IRONMAN event in the state provides significant economic boost and scenic new challenges for thousands of endurance enthusiasts

The first-ever IRONMAN 70.3 Oregon triathlon isn’t even a week removed from its successful execution in Salem, but organizers are already busy mapping out next year’s event.

That’s not only exciting for thousands of triathletes and, importantly, the state’s economy; it’s music to the ears of Dave Christen, IRONMAN’s longtime regional director.

“We have never been made to feel more welcome in my 11 years doing this, than we have in Salem,” he said. “We had an amazing event with full backing from city, county and state leaders. Something special happened in Salem this week. This truly is the most Oregon part of Oregon.”

When IRONMAN first started talking to local officials about bringing one of its series races to the state, everyone knew there were risks involved. But IRONMAN had long been wanting to come to Oregon, and things quickly started to gel through those initial conversations with Sport Oregon and, ultimately, with the support of local and state officials, and a group of dedicated partners.

“Considering what the last 15 months have been like for this country and for the state of Oregon, with our friends at Travel Salem and Sport Oregon, we could never have done this without them,” said Christen. “They opened so many doors for us and created the opportunity for this to happen. We knew that the pandemic needed to change direction, and we were hopeful that it was going to happen. We took a risk together, and there we were celebrating last weekend in Salem the successes of taking that risk and working together, hand in hand. Honestly, Salem has been one of the most successful preparations we’ve ever had, because of the leadership of Travel Salem and Sport Oregon.”

According to Christen, similar races typically produce direct and indirect economic impact in the $8-$10 million range, not including over $250,000 the IRONMAN series spends inside the region to put on the event, including over 2,600 meals for athletes and volunteers from local catering Wild Pear. Leading up to the race, Travel Salem officials estimated the city’s first IRONMAN event would ultimately generate in the ballpark of $11 million for the area’s economy.

To say that the substantial sports tourism boost was a welcome occurrence to the region would be an understatement. Area hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, retailers and service providers alike saw direct benefits from the weekend’s inaugural event. According to a report in the Statesman Journal, The Grand Hotel in downtown Salem estimated about 90 percent of its 193 guest rooms were occupied by people associated with the race, which drew more than 2,000 athletes and an estimated 3,000 total visitors leading up to, and during the weekend. The hotel estimated that it made more revenue over the course of the event weekend than it did over multiple combined months during the pandemic’s height.

Additionally, the IRONMAN series provided more than $30,000 in grants to 501c3 organizations in the area, in a lot of cases providing much-needed funds for groups that haven’t been able to fundraise to support their important causes over the last 15 months. Through its foundation, IRONMAN has a long history of giving back to the communities in which it holds events, but Christen says it’s particularly rewarding these days because of circumstances that have interrupted the ability for most non-profits to raise funds since 2020.

“By being able to be a part of that story of rebuilding and re-energizing some of these great causes is such an amazing story, and we’re excited to be able to do that in Salem, the Willamette Valley, and groups that came down from Portland,” said Christen. “It’s just really a great opportunity for us to give back and see some great stories from that.”

As the first IRONMAN 70.3 to take place in Oregon, more than 60 percent of race participants came from out of state, Christen said. Featuring a unique 1.2-mile, down-river swim in the Willamette River, a 56-mile ride through Oregon’s wine country and a 13.1-mile run featuring Minto Brown Island Park, the attainability of the race proved to be appealing to a balance of first-time participants and veteran IRONMAN enthusiasts.

“Oregon’s in a really unique position where you have a lot of endurance-curious people who want to try new things – not only in Oregon but in Washington and Northern California,” Christen said. “This is a hotspot for us in terms of opportunities to attract new athletes. But on the other hand, we also had some our most experienced athletes in the mix as well, wanting to put their stamp on their passport, as it were, of coming to Oregon.”

The Oregon race is one of the more than 170 triathlons IRONMAN puts on worldwide. It also served as a qualifier for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, which will be held in St. George, Utah, from Sept. 17-18, with some 200 athletes from the Salem race afforded the opportunity to compete in the championship.

In terms of future races in Salem, IRONMAN has committed to returning for the next three years and, says Christen, “would like to be here for many years to come.” In 2022, the race will be moved up a couple weeks to adjust to the World Athletics Championships in Eugene next summer.

As for his final impressions of Sunday’s inaugural event in Salem, it was an easy choice for Christen.

“I think professionalism stands out to me. From the city leadership, from the state leadership, everything down from the state level down has been incredibly supportive of what we wanted to do. Everyone knew going into it we were taking a risk together, and from the governor’s office to the mayor’s office and the city manager in Salem, police department, fire department, everyone said ‘let’s try, let’s be ready in the case that we can execute the event together.’ That level of professionalism and understanding is why were are here today. After more than 200 IRONMANs that I’ve managed over the years, I’ve never experienced the level of professionalism and true partnership that we had here in Salem.”

Planning Ahead for 2022

Preregistration is already available for the 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 Oregon. Click here for more information or to preregister now.