Fall Arizona Ironman Announced

he East Valley (Tempe, AZ) is likely to host two editions of the Ford Ironman Triathlon next year as race transitions from a springtime slot to the fall.

The first Arizona race is set for April 13, which is in the early portion of the 2007-08 Ironman season.

The second Arizona race is envisioned for sometime in November 2008, which potentially could make it the first race of the 2008-09 season.

Then in 2009 and thereafter, the race would be an annual fall event, said Travis Dray, deputy director for the Tempe Parks and Recreation Department.

The Arizona race is one of several qualifying events for the annual Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, so the spring Arizona race would serve as a qualifier for the 2007-08 championship race, while the fall Arizona race would be a qualifier for the 2008-09 championship.

The championship is held annually in Kona, Hawaii, in October.

Race organizers want to shift the Arizona race to loosen the international Ironman race circuit during the spring, and to avoid gusty winds and high temperature that triathletes have confronted since the Arizona race joined the schedule in 2005.

“It’s been extremely, extremely windy and hot,” Dray said.

“They’re saying it’s actually been tougher conditions than they’ve faced in Hawaii. It’s weird, but it’s actually true,” he said.

The Arizona race usually is sandwiched between races in California and Florida.

Like all Ironman triathlons, the grueling Arizona race is comprised of three endurance events -- a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run. The Arizona version is centered around Tempe Town Lake.

The swim portion takes competitors through the man-made lake in the Salt River wash. The bike route leads racers through three loops on the Beeline Highway mostly in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The marathon portion takes runners along three laps of the lake.

Several details still need to be approved before the changes go into place, Dray said.

Tribal leaders approved the concept of a November race last week, but not a particular date, Dray said. The weekend before Thanksgiving appears to be emerging as the favorite, he said.

Tribal officials could not be reached for comment.

Furthermore, race organizers and the Tempe City Council would have to approve the switch, Dray said.

Despite its current slot on the Ironman schedule and the April weather, the Arizona race has been popular with endurance athletes, drawing about 2,000 competitors each year.

The race’s organizers, North American Sports of Boulder, Colo., describe it this way on their Web site: “This event has enjoyed three very successful years and is becoming increasingly popular as an early-season Ironman. Ford Ironman Arizona takes place in Tempe and the surrounding areas which is home to a large triathlon community”

North American Sports executives could not be reached for comment Tuesday.