BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

TWO Galway businessmen have secured the rights to bring the gruelling ‘Ironman’ triathlon competition to Galway next year – which will attract more than 6,000 visitors and provide an estimated boost of around €5m to the local economy.

As well as attracting ‘big spenders’, the event could see up to 100,000 people line Salthill Promenade to watch the tri-athletes taking part.

The Ironman 70.3 Series (so called because it involves a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile cycle and 13.1 mile run) is an exhausting test of endurance that has become the fastest-growing triathlon series in the world, with 31 events internationally, leading to qualification for the World Championship in Florida.

Eoin McCormack and Ronan Gilligan of E&R Events have beaten off strong international competition to be awarded the contract to hold the event in Galway for the next five years.

They expect thousands of people from around Ireland and Europe to flock to Galway for the weekend-long Ironman competition and festival in September 2011. It will attract 2,500 competitors alone. It has been secured with the help of Fáilte Ireland’s Sports Events Development Fund and the Sports Council of Ireland.

Ironman will see competitors swim part of Galway Bay in Salthill, before making their way to collect bikes in Salthill Park and depart on a cycle to Connemara, through Oughterard and back through Newcastle, before a half-marathon in the city.

“We’ve been working on the logistics of this for the last eight or nine months. It will be a huge attraction for Galway. These things sell out fast, and we’d expect around 1,750 people from overseas, and 4,500 others to travel to Galway,” Mr McCormack said.
For more on this story, see Page 5 of the Galway City Tribune.