Triathlon silly schedule season is still here, with both the PTO and IRONMAN announcing key events across the next two seasons in the last two days.
First, the PTO announced one of their stops on the 2024 PTO Tour -- the long-rumored event in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada on October 19-20, 2024.
It is the first of the new events on the 2024 Tour to be announced, with the remainder scheduled to be announced on January 30th. The race will encompass the now-standard 100 kilometer professional race, as well as an age-group race over the same distance. Pre-registration is now available, with actual entries scheduled to go on sale in February.
PTO Chief Executive Officer Sam Renouf said in a statement that, “It is very exciting to be announcing that the PTO Tour will be making its Lake Las Vegas debut later this year around the stunning surroundings of Henderson, Nevada. This is just the kind of iconic location the PTO Tour aspires to visit, so it’s a positive endorsement of our strategy and the journey that we’re on, although we’ve got a long way to go.”
The race is precariously scheduled in the existing triathlon calendar -- particularly as the PTO attempts to draw age-group athletes to its events and build an in-person audience to enhance its broadcast. The Lake Las Vegas event comes one week before the men's IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. It's also just a week before IRONMAN California, which has also traditionally drawn a sizable field, and four weeks before IRONMAN Arizona.
Speaking of IRONMAN, the organization has announced the location of the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, with the race heading to Marbella, Spain on November 8-9, 2025.
It is the fourth time that a European venue has been selected as the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships host since the race moved to a rotating format. Marbella has hosted IRONMAN 70.3 events since 2018, and was last year's European TriClub Championship race.
“Marbella, Spain joins an exclusive group of worldwide locations that have demonstrated a history of successfully hosting IRONMAN and/or IRONMAN 70.3 events, and offers the perfect backdrop for an exciting and memorable race week experience for athletes and their supporters” said Andrew Messick, President & Chief Executive Officer of The IRONMAN Group. “Marbella has consistently shown that it can offer a racing experience with a host venue worthy of a world championship event. Steeped in culture, and a well-reputed holiday destination, Marbella is internationally accessible and will undoubtedly make for an incredible trip for athletes, their family and friends alike.”
Racers will begin qualifying for the 2025 70.3 World Championships in July, 2024. Slot allocations are yet to be announced.