The IRONMAN franchise lands in Russia with an IRONMAN 70.3

St. Petersburg becomes the first Russian city to organize an IRONMAN 70.3 event. The inaugural race will be held on July 19 of 2020.

IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Group company, has announced that it will open its first race in Russia: IRONMAN 70.3 St. Petersburg.

The inaugural triathlon will be held in St. Petersburg on July 19 of 2020.

Thus, it becomes the twelfth IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 event new to the calendar, which offers opportunities for running around the world.

“This is a historic day for IRONMAN and triathlon,” said Stefan Petschnig, General Manager IRONMAN Europe, Middle East and Africa for The IRONMAN Group. “We are delighted to welcome Russia and St. Petersburg to our series of events, as we continue to provide career opportunities to people around the world.

It is the second largest city in Russia

St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and the fifth largest city in Europe. The Baltic city was built by Tsar Peter I on the coast of the Gulf of Finland and on the banks of the Neva River.

Known as the "Venice of the North" due to its numerous waterways, more than 5,3 million residents call it home. On the other hand, more than 7 million tourists visit the city every year.

Considered the capital of the fine arts in Russia for decades, St. Petersburg has 221 museums, 2,000 libraries and more than 80 theaters along with its palaces, bell towers and important works of art along its canals.

The spectacular circuits

Athletes will enjoy spectacular circuits and also have the opportunity to learn more about the culture of this unique city and country.

The swimming circuit of 1,9 km (1,2 miles) will be located in the historic St. Petersburg rowing channel, also home to the St. Petersburg Rowing Championship held annually.

The 90.1 km (56 mile) bike ride promises to be a great attraction as athletes will begin to climb the impressive Yacht Bridge, in the direction of Lake Lahtinskiy Razliv. Approximately on the 17 km (10 miles), the triathletes will arrive at what could be said to be the most picturesque part of the route while traveling 28 km (17 miles) along the St. Petersburg seawall, where you can see some of the fortifications Marinas created by Tsar Pedro I.

The furthest part of the bike tour takes athletes to the walled city of Kronstadt, a former key naval defense location for St. Petersburg and part of the Historic Center of St. Petersburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With a total of 435m of unevenness and three turns, the race is expected to be fast and full of excellent views.

During the 21.1 km (13.1 mile) foot race, triathletes will explore the spectacular Yela-gin Island, where it is located at Yelagin Palace, before heading to the finish line near the Gazprom Arena.

The IRONMAN 70.3 St. Petersburg 2020 will offer age group qualifying slots for the 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah, USA. General registration for IRONMAN 70.3 St. Petersburg will open on December 5 of 2019.

Further information: https://www.ironman.com/im703-st-petersburg