JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ironman organizers announced their event will return to Jacksonville next year.
The triathlon is set for May despite running into several traffic and safety issues during its first go-around in Jacksonville earlier this year.
One man, Zachary Stinson, was hit by a car during the cycling portion of the competition.
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“I saw it happening like in slow motion, and really thinking this is not happening,” Stinson told Action News Jax in May. “I had to make a decision, and I just turned my body and braked as hard as I could, but I couldn’t stop all my momentum.”
He says he was just about to start his second loop in the 112-mile cycling course when a car turned out right in front of him.
He says the collision left him with a laceration on his forehead and caused a substantial amount of bleeding.
There were also some complaints about the competition and traffic issues voiced by St. Johns County Commissioner Krista Joseph.
She told us back in May that she witnessed huge trucks accidentally turning into the cycling routes and people running into the street in the middle of traffic.
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Jacksonville Sports and Entertainment Director Alex Alston says next year, the cycling route won’t dip into St. Johns County at all.
“We are working with Ironman and JSO to finalize that,” Alston said. “But it definitely will not go through St. Johns County in 2027.”
I asked Alston if there are any concerns that such accidents could take place in Duval.
“We can’t control what people do when they drive, but there are many safety precautions put in place,” Alston said. “Ironman does these events all over the world, and they do them safely all over the world, and we anticipate the same thing happening here in 2027.”
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan says there are absolutely some things that they want to work out before next year.
“We are going to start [putting out signs] very early,” Deegan said. “We did some of that this year, but we’re going to make sure that we’re addressing all these issues and specific pinch points, so that we won’t have the same issues with traffic and things that we had last year.”
She says she wants to make sure Jacksonville is ready for the national spotlight next year.
“I think everybody loves the idea of having Jacksonville be in the national spotlight, but I think that folks weren’t necessarily ready for it, and so we’ll make sure they are this year,” Deegan said.
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In an additional statement given after our interview, Alston added the following:
The City of Jacksonville is pleased to welcome Ironman back in 2027. We are excited for the opportunity to have Jacksonville displayed on a national and international stage once again. We look forward to working with Ironman and our public safety partners to unveil a new bike course for 2027, which will alleviate some of the first-year traffic concerns but still provide a challenging and enjoyable course for the athletes. Thank you to Ironman for the continued partnership and all of our community stakeholders for their efforts.
Next year’s Ironman competition will be held on May 16, 2027.
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