Between full Ironman races and the half-distance Ironman 70.3 races, the world-renowned ultra-triathlon company hosts 135 races per year.
But there are only two world championship races, and one of them is in the same city each year.
The other is coming to Chattanooga in 2017 after a banner year for the city's relationship with Ironman in 2015.
Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau president Bob Doak announced in September the city will host the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championships.
It's a big win for the Scenic City, which will be the first location ever to host a 70.3 race, a full Ironman and the 70.3 World Championships in the same year, prompting Doak to dub the city, "The Ironman capital of the planet."
Though Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, is the iconic Ironman destination because of it's role hosting the full Ironman World Championships each year, Doak's assertion was hardly an exaggeration.
Chattanooga's rise through the ranks of Ironman cities has been nothing short of meteoric.
The city hosted its first Ironman in 2014, receiving rave reviews and prompting Ironman to add a 70.3 race to the city's plate in 2015.
And when the 2015 Ironman Chattanooga featured the closest finish in Ironman history, it just felt natural for the relationship to continue growing.
"This is a place our athletes are going to want to go," Ironman CEO Andrew Messick said after Doak's announcement at the visitor bureau's annual business luncheon in September.
While Ironman may be the biggest event in town these days, there are several other big-time recreation events capitalizing on Chattanooga's navigable downtown, hospitable spirit and natural beauty.
The Head of the Hooch rowing regatta has doubled in size since arriving here in 2015, and the inaugural Erlanger Chattanooga Marathon drew more than 2,000 runners in March. The Seven Bridges Marathon continues to draw 2,000-plus runners a year, as well.
The events also represent an important revenue stream for the city and its tourism industry. Head of the Hooch was expected to bring $5.6 million to the local economy in 2015, while the full Ironman event was predicted to bring $11 million
"The overall impact, beyond the financial side, is that it continues to reinforce Chattanooga's name," Doak said in the days leading up to Ironman 2015. "It continues to reinforce the brand of this city, and there's not many events I'll say that about."
The outside world seems to be noticing.
Chattanooga was voted Outside Magazine's "Best Town Ever" for the second time in 2015, and the Wall Street Journal named it one of the best towns to retire, citing the city's natural beauty.
Even smaller-scale events like those that comprise the annual River Rocks festival are leaving their mark on a city that is becoming known, not just having great recreational offerings, but also for having a first-class infrastructure to host the tourism the outdoors bring.
The city has reached the point where it sells itself to some organizations.
United States Masters Swimming actually approached local open water swimming leaders in 2015 and asked them if they would help bring a 2017 USMS National Championships Festival to Chattanooga.
"They actually called us and asked us to bid on it," said McCallie School aquatics director and head swim coach Stan Corcoran, who directs the annual Chattanooga Rat Race open-water swim competition in the Tennessee River. "That kind of speaks volumes about how people like coming here and our venue."