In only two months, our globetrotting friend—out visiting places like Austria, Australia, and Canada—finally returns home. That’s right, the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship is back in the states! The lucky host city is the scenic Chattanooga, TN, tucked away in the lush Smokey Mountains. It’s a terrain built for triathletes and a city constructed with Southern charm.
For the racers, the course looks amazing. The swim takes place in the beautiful Tennessee River. Starting at Ross’s Landing, swimmers will head upriver for 860 meters before turning and making their way back to Ross’s to complete the swim portion. Then, on to cycling. Racers will take up their bikes and make their way south of Chattanooga before climbing 3.5 miles up Lookout Mountain. Try to keep your breathing in check—the views may be too much to handle! The stretch through historic Chickamauga will provide still beautiful, quaint peeks at a charming and historic town. Then, it’s a northward jaunt back to downtown Chattanooga. In case you’re wondering, the bike course’s total elevation gain is 3,442 feet. Now, for some quality time in the host city, the run portion of the race is two loops through beautiful downtown Chattanooga. Runners will cross the Tennessee River on two separate bridges and take in a full view of water along the Tennessee Riverwalk. After a total 975 feet of elevation gain, the race concludes where it started: Ross’s Landing.
For the spectators, make a full-on trip of this event. Chattanooga is a city that knows how to treat a guest. You can stroll along the longest pedestrian bridge in the world—the Walnut Street Bridge—before taking in some art at Gallery 1401. Not sure you want to walk across the river? Take a riverboat cruise for lunch, sunset, or dinner and dancing. If the outdoors are your cup of tea, there is so much to do. There is nightlife, adventure, and, of course, IRONMAN 70.0 World Championship racing!
This year’s racers will come from all over the world. Each one has gained entry by completing a qualifying IRONMAN 70.3 race and are now looking to claim an ultimate prize or at least check another box on the bucket list. Wherever they call home and whatever path they take to arrive in Chattanooga, we can’t wait to cheer them on to the finish. Yes, HOTSHOT will be there! In fact, we just recently announced some big news: we are the official muscle cramp product of the IRONMAN U.S. series. Not only will HOTSHOT be in the in the athlete bags at the event, we’ll also be at the expo.
Whether you’re racing in this year’s championship or coming to cheer, check us out. Until then, you know where to find us: we’re on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also pick up a six-pack right here. We can’t wait to see you in Chattanooga.
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8 Questions with Olympic Marathoner Amy Cragg: Fuel, training partners and more.
How 70.3 Champion Tim Reed Trains for IRONMAN: Read on.