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.”