Ashley Clifford celebrates her win during the 2015 Sunbelt Bakery Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga race on Sunday, May 17, 2015.There are still two months to go before the 2015 Little Debbie Ironman Chattanooga on Sept. 27, but Anna Cleaver already has received some bad news about the 2016 race in the Scenic City.
Ironman on Monday announced an initiative to help boost the profile of women pro triathletes by launching a test program in 2016 with three Ironman events that have only male pros and three with only female pros. The changes will not impact the age-group competitions in those races, which will have full male and female fields.
Chattanooga is one of the six cities in the test program and will have only men's pros next year in the 140.6-mile race in which competitors swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and finish with a full running marathon. The city also hosts an Ironman 70.3 event in the spring.
Cleaver, a New Zealand native and pro triathlete who has made Chattanooga her home, will be left out of her hometown event in 2016.
"From my perspective, obviously I'm hugely disappointed," she said Monday afternoon. "I appreciate the attention (being given to women pros), but for this to be my local race it's going to hurt me."
During the 2016 racing season, full Ironman events in Lake Placid, N.Y., and Wisconsin and a 70.3 event in Augusta, Ga., will feature only female pros, while full Ironmans in Canada and Chattanooga, along with a 70.3 race in Santa Cruz, Calif., will have only men as pro entrants.
Ironman CEO Andrew Messick said the pilot program was developed after discussions with the Women For Tri advisory board as a way to bring more attention to the professional women triathletes.
"We are excited to try this pilot in 2016 and provide our female and male pros a unique racing experience, and a platform for each athlete field to shine," Messick said in a released statement. "We hope to see an amazing professional lineup and outstanding competition at these races."
That won't help Cleaver, who moved to Chattanooga to train and has been embraced by the city as the only locally based pro Ironman triathlete. Her absence from the full-sized local 2016 event already has some area triathletes up in arms.
"I've been totally overwhelmed by all the messages and the calls I've gotten from the triathlon community asking me why I can't race or if there's some way they can let me race," Cleaver said. "They're just big supporters, and it's kind of like a triathlon family here. They want me to be a part of it, but obviously I just can't contribute to that day by racing."
Cleaver said she understands the goal of the 2016 Ironman experiment and is appreciative, but that hasn't lessened the shock of being knocked out of racing in her hometown 14 months before the race starts.
"I completely understand and appreciate the intent," she said. "I love that they are continuing to try and test or find ways to improve the sport for the professionals in general and for the females. It's just kind of a hard part for me because this is my local race.
"I do understanding the intent behind it, but without having a lot of time to digest it I don't know if it's the best way to go about it."
For local organizers, the change to the 2016 Chattanooga Ironman will have little impact. The lack of a women's pro field likely will be offset by more pro men, and the full age-group field still will bring thousands of athletes and their families to town.
"This is a business decision on Ironman's part," said Tim Morgan, president of the Chattanooga Sports Committee. "I know they're going to need a swim-bike-run course and support for the event whether it's male or female.
"We're going to provide the quality venue and the quality support that will produce a quality event."
The Chattanooga Ironman scheduled for Sept. 25, 2016, will be held on the same day as the Augusta Ironman 70.3, which will have a women-only pro field. But Cleaver has no intention of abandoning her friends in Chattanooga and said she will participate in the local event in other ways.
"I can't see me racing in Augusta," she said. "I've raced that event before, and it's a fantastic event. But there's no way I couldn't be here on that day. There's so many people I coach or just friends that are racing, and all the businesses are wonderful and a part of the event. I couldn't not be here to support it.
"Immediately my thought was what can I do to be a part of it. And there is a way I can be a part - I can be a part by helping people prepare for their race and by being a cheerleader on the sideline."
Contact Jim Tanner at JFTanner@bellsouth.net. Follow him at twitter.com/JFTanner.