The participants have spoken, and Chattanooga is an incredibly popular destination for IRONMAN events.
Chattanooga's Sunbelt Bakery IRONMAN 70.3 last May finished first in the "Best Race Venue Experience" category and the "Best Host City Experience" category, according to a survey released this week by Dan Berglund, the public relations senior manager for IRONMAN. The event finished tied for third in "Best Overall Bike" and tied for fourth in "Best Overall Run."
The Little Debbie IRONMAN Chattanooga held this past September finished fourth in "Best Race Venue Experience" and "Best Overall Swim," and it was sixth in "Overall Satisfaction."
"This really showcases who we are as a community, from the volunteers to the spectators to the pure beauty of our area," Chattanooga Sports Committee president Tim Morgan said this morning. "The way our community has come out and supported these events and embraced IRONMAN has truly defined the experience associated with it, and the athletes are proving that. It really shows who we are as a community."
For every IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 event, Berglund and his staff sent a post-event survey to all of the athletes who competed. He said there were more than 55,000 total respondents.
"We had 40 IRONMAN and 96 IRONMAN 70.3 events globally, so this is a major credit to Chattanooga," Berglund said in a release.
The 2017 Sunbelt Bakery Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga is May 21, with the Little Debbie Ironman Chattanooga on Sept. 24. The city will host the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship on Sept. 9-10.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.