Hundreds of athletes participate in IRONMAN 70.3 in western Mass.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – More than 1,500 athletes spent the day on Sunday braving some changes to the third annual IRONMAN Triathlon in western Massachusetts.
IRONMAN 70.3 is a race made up of swimming, cycling, and running for hundreds of athletes from all over the world to get a chance to win hundreds of thousands of dollars for themselves and local organizations in the city. Race organizers brought it back to western Massachusetts for the third year.
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'The community here is incredible, so supportive,' said IRONMAN Foundation Executive Director Audra Tassone. 'It's a beautiful place and everybody is just so welcoming, and we're so excited to be back.'
IRONMAN was supposed to start at 6:00 a.m., but the rain on Saturday led to the swimming portion being cancelled. The water levels in the Connecticut River were too high and were moving too fast, so as a pre-caution, the race started 40 minutes later with the cyclists from Riverfront Park.
However, that didn't stop family, friends, and fans from lining up to cheer for the participants. The race went through Springfield, Agawam, Southwick, Westfield, West Springfield, and parts of Connecticut. It ended with a run through Forest Park. Some families said they were just excited to be there for the first time.
'It's just really exciting that he can do this while we're preparing to welcome our first child,' said Jenelle Janssen of Beverly. 'And it's a cool way for him to stay active while our life is about to change.'
Another family traveled from Connecticut to see their loved one compete once again.
'This is my fifth IRONMAN spectating, because my wife is racing,' said Oye Oworu of Connecticut. 'We did Tremblant last year. We did this one, the inaugural one, she's been out to Utah, California, Maine.'
The race ended with qualifying slots to the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship in Spain. It would be a new place for the Oworus to visit.
'We turn these things into vacation,' Oworu said. 'So it will be a vacation for me and another race for her.'
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
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