Wilmington, N.C. - October 8, 2024: Travel industry partners in Wilmington and our island beaches will welcome athletes and visitors back for the return of the IRONMAN® 70.3® North Carolina triathlon on Oct. 19. This year marks 15 years of swim, bike, run in the Carolinas. 

With another SOLD OUT event, approximately 3,000 registered athletes are expected to participate in the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 North Carolina triathlon. The event is expected to bring more than 7,000 visitors, including athletes’ families and guests, along with spectators, vendors, volunteers and race organizers traveling for the event, to Wilmington and the island beaches.  

“We are thrilled to celebrate 15 years of racing here in Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach,” said Sami Winter, Race Director for IRONMAN 70.3 North Carolina. “This event continues to be one of the most popular IRONMAN 70.3 events on the circuit each year. Athletes travel far and wide to come experience beautiful coastal Carolina, conquer this course and enjoy the local hospitality. We look forward to welcoming athletes to Wilmington and celebrating the event with our fantastic local community.” 

“The IRONMAN 70.3 North Carolina triathlon is always an exciting event for Wilmington and our island beaches,” states John Sneed, vice-president of sales & services for the Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Athletes, families and spectators travel from all over the country and beyond to attend this annual event which, in turn, supports our local businesses, hotels and restaurants. We look forward to this event and all our athletic events every year with hopes of providing a memorable and exciting experience for visitors that will bring them back year after year.”  

Athletes participating in the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 North Carolina triathlon will be treated to an IRONMAN 70.3 racing tour of the Wilmington area, beginning at Wrightsville Beach and ending along Wilmington’s riverfront. Athletes will kick off their day by taking on the point-to-point 1.2-mile ROKA swim course, voted Best Swim Course in North America in the 2022 Athlete’s Choice Awards, in a channel connected to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway at Wrightsville Beach. An incoming tide in the channel will provide fast splits for the swim course. The flat and picturesque 56-mile bike course will take athletes from the beach to the countryside along rural country roads, traversing two counties. Riders will cross the Cape Fear River before their return to historic downtown Wilmington. The final leg of the course will bring runners along 13.1 miles of spectator-friendly areas. Athletes can expect to experience the charming Greenfield Lake area shaded by old oak trees and Spanish moss before beginning their return to finish at Water Street Park in downtown Wilmington across from the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA. 

For more information on road closures and how the race will impact traffic on Oct. 19, please click HERE. 

The New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority (TDA), d/b/a Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau, markets and develops the county and its communities’ leisure and group travel experiences for economic growth and quality of place.  

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Note to Media: To apply for media credentials to this year’s event please visit www.ironman.com/credential-requests. For additional media request, please contact IRONMAN Public Relations at press@ironman.com. 

Contact:
Hannah Almeter
Communications/PR Manager
Wilmington and Beaches CVB
910-341-4030 x126
866-266-9690
halmeter@wilmingtonandbeaches.com