DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines will be the newest city to host a full IRONMAN triathlon, organizers announced this week.
The 140.6 mile race will take the place of the half-distance 70.3 mile triathlon the city hosted in 2021. The event will be designated as a North American Championship, meaning it will offer qualifying slots to the 2022 world championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i.
“There isn’t a better venue to host this race than Des Moines, and we know that having this city as the host for the 2022 IRONMAN North American Championship will showcase this region of the country," said Keats McGonigal, vice president of operations, North America for the IRONMAN Group.
The triathlon will take athletes through Des Moines, West Des Moines and surrounding areas of Polk and Dallas counties. IRONMAN said the city is an ideal host because of its amenities, safety and accessibility.
“Hosting the IRONMAN 70.3 earlier this year was our warm-up, and now we’re ready for the encore,” said Greg Edwards, president and CEO of Catch Des Moines. “Des Moines put in the work and everything from the course to the community-wide support impressed. Now we’re prepared to put in twice the work and have twice as much fun hosting the prestigious full-distance IRONMAN North American Championship!”
The race is set for June 12, 2022 with priority registration opening Oct. 25 and general registration opening Nov. 1. Athletes can register or find more information here.
