JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The City of Jacksonville is gearing up to host the IRONMAN competition for the first time, a nationally recognized elite endurance race expected to draw nearly 2,000 participants.
The race will begin in the St. Johns River, where competitors will swim 4,000 yards before moving on to a 112-mile bike and a 26-mile marathon. The city’s Sports and Entertainment Director, Alex Alston, says competitors are from all over the United States and 39 different countries.
But with more people, there’s more traffic.
IRONMAN’s traffic impact list shows that over fifty roads will be impacted throughout the city at different times of the day. To get ahead of potential gridlocks and other traffic disruptions, Alston says that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is working closely with IRONMAN’s traffic engineers and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
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“Nobody does major events better than our folks here in Jacksonville,” Alston said. “When you talk about our sheriff’s office and our fire department, they are, they are top-notch professionals when it comes to executing these things, and when you pair that with the folks at IRONMAN who do these things all over the world, there’s no doubt in my mind that everything will go smoothly.”
Alston says extensive collaboration was needed to secure Jacksonville as Ironman’s newest host city.
“Partnership with Visit Jacksonville was key, but then also bringing it to our local partners here, like JSO and JFRD, to get all of our public safety partners on board,” Alston said. “Once we did that, it was a no-brainer.”
Alston says the race is expected to bring roughly eight million dollars in economic benefit to the city. He says no contracts have been finalized yet, but he’s optimistic that the city will come to an agreement with IRONMAN to bring the event back over the next several years.
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Kip and Ann Strasma, two volunteers of the race and residents of Riverside, say they’ve competed in IRONMAN races all over the country, and they’re ecstatic to now be in the race so close to home.
“IRONMAN really draws people from all over the country, even internationally, [and] everybody likes to come to Florida,” Ann said. “So we’re excited, and we think the city and our mayor and city officials have done a great job to bring this type of international event to Jacksonville.”
For anyone unfamiliar with IRONMAN’s impact, Kip recommends a little patience and grace.
“We’ve worked with different groups to make sure that they are aware of what’s happening, but until you experience it, you really don’t know the scale of what’s going to happen,” Kip said. “Next year will be great, everybody will know what it is, and they’ll be prepared. And they’ll say, either ‘I’m going to stay because it’s going to be good for my business,’ or ‘I’m going to rent it out and get out of town.’”
A full list of roads impacted by the IRONMAN can be found below:
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