JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — St. Johns County Commissioner Krista Joseph posted to Facebook Saturday, expressing her frustration at IRONMAN’s impacts across the county.
A portion of the Facebook post read, “[I] will make sure no future race will cause this degree of inconvenience.”
It was Jacksonville’s first time hosting the IRONMAN race, an elite endurance competition that brought nearly 2,000 participants from more than 39 countries.
The triathlon was made up of three different tracks across Jacksonville: a 4,000-yard swim in the St. John’s River, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26-mile marathon. It was said to take 12 to 14 hours to complete.
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IRONMAN’s traffic impact list shows that more than 50 roads are impacted by the race.
Joseph’s Facebook post says that she was in traffic for three hours and watched multiple close calls between cars, almost hitting bikers and golf carts.
The post also says that the St. Johns Board of County Commissioners never voted on this event, part of which runs into St. Johns County. She says that she reached out to the county administrator, who said she was unaware of the event.
We reached out to Joseph, but have not yet heard back.
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Read the full Facebook post here:
I want to update you on the First IRONMAN Jacksonville Triathlon taking place here in Ponte Vedra Beach and Nocatee area. The BCC did not vote on this Jacksonville event. I can tell you all right now, after sitting in traffic for 3 hours and watching the close calls of car vs golf cart vs bikers that approval for something National like this needs to come to the BCC.
Not only did I just get off the phone with the County Administrator and she was unaware of this event but also conveyed my concerns to the Sheriff.
I appreciate the athletes that have trained so hard for this distance event and their families cheering and watching.
Pray all are safe out there ..... I appreciate your patience and will make sure no future race will cause this degree of inconvenience.
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