This Sunday - after a blank year due to the pandemic - IRONMAN Barcelona comes back, and it does so by presenting a unique and spectacular event format. Participants from the long distance and 70.3 (half of the course) will compete at the same time. This will be the largest IRONMAN contest in the world.
Calella will once again become the IRONMAN world capital next Sunday, October 3. This weekend's competition will be the most important and largest event in the world of the brand. This year, and in an unprecedented way, the athletes of the long distance and 70.3 (half of the route) will compete on the same day and at the same time. A total of 4,000 athletes (2,000 participants in the long run and 2,000 at 70.3) will meet to find out who is the first to cross the finish line, located on the Paseo de Garbí, guarded by the Lighthouse.
The competition will start with swimming. The athletes will enter the water at the height of the Sardana Monument and will arrive at Football field in front of the sea. There will be the bike park for the long distance participants, while those of the 70.3, will take the bicycle in the Renfe parking lot , enabled to make the first transition of the contest. For the pedals, the competition has contemplated a single Calella-Montgat-Calella circuit, 93 km for the short race, and 180 km for the long one. The foot race will take place along the beach path to the end of Pineda (short run) and up to Santa Susanna (long run).
Calella, a window to the world
Athletes of up to 85 nationalities will pass through Calella during the next weekend. The Mayor, Montserrat Candini celebrates that "Calella is, once again, a window to the world. Seeing the streets of the city, full of athletes, of different nationalities, is a source of pride. It means that Calella grows, and that we continue to bet on unconditionally by sport as an engine of change".
The international echo of the event is demonstrated with the presence of consular representations of -at least- two of the world powers such as the United States and Russia. In the case of Russia, the consul general, Alexandr Pankov, who has accepted the invitation of Mayor Candini, will attend.
An opportunity to strengthen the economic fabric of the city
IRONMAN not only places Calella at the center of one of the most important competitions in the world but also represents a source of income for the city. Tourism, commerce, social life and the business network are strengthened exponentially each time Calella hosts this event. It must be taken into account that each athlete has an average of 2 or 3 companions. This data is also very significant in terms of hotel occupancy and the growth of the hospitality industry.
For this reason, last April, Mayor Candini, and the regional director of EMEA, Agustín Pérez, formalized the collaboration agreement that extends Calella's relationship with the IRONMAN test for three more years.
In 2019, during the last edition of the Ironman, the city received an economic impact of great magnitude, exceeding 20 million euros.