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FORD IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AT SHERATON SAND KEY
CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. - (November 14, 2005) - In a press conference held November 9, 2005, the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) announced that Clearwater, Florida will be the site of the inaugural Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 on November 11, 2006. Home to some of America’s top-rated beaches, Clearwater will host more than 1,800 domestic and international athletes in an event that begins and ends in Sand Key Park.
The Sheraton Sand Key Resort is proud to announce that it will serve as the official hotel headquarters for this new world championship event. As such, the resort will be hosting a variety of the pre- and post-race activities. Sheraton Sand Key Resort representatives are excited to be involved in an event of this caliber, which will bring much-deserved attention to the Clearwater Beach area as a top tourism destination.
Estimating an attendance of 8,000 to 10,000 people, city officials and local businesses hope the event will increase the visibility of the area nationally and internationally, as well as further align the community with the sports and exercise industries.
The top 100 athletes from each of more than 17 preliminary events consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run will qualify for the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 – a titled coined from the cumulative miles raced during the event. The first of the qualifying events took place in September 2005 at the U.K. Ironman 70.3 in Wiltshire, England and will continue through September 2006 at various locations world-wide.
Participants not only receive a chance at a $100,000 prize purse, but also a place in the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship that will take place in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 13, 2007.
For more information on the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3, please visit
www.ironmanlive.com.
