Starting bright and early on Sunday morning, Sept. 24, over 2,000 athletes participated in this year’s IRONMAN 70.3.
Beginning with a 1.2-mile swim from the Sharon Jones Amphitheater in North Augusta, S.C., to the Fifth Street Marina in downtown Augusta, athletes took their starting positions at 7:00 a.m. and prepared for a grueling race.
Following the swimming portion of the triathlon, participants were cheered on by family and friends to continue onto the 56-mile cycling leg that winded through south Augusta merging from Fifth Street onto Gordon Highway to begin the trek.
After completing the cycling portion, the last leg of the event consisted of a 13.1-mile run back to downtown Augusta to cross the finish line.
With traffic officers, hundreds of volunteers and medical professionals, athletes were supported all along the course, and many finished the race strong with a smile on their face, sweating beading down their forehead and a medal of completion hanging around their neck.
Throughout downtown, music was blasted and supporters shouted encourages, waved pom-poms and held up decorative posters to urge athletes to finish the event and make it across the last marker in front of the Augusta Commons.
Participants started the triathlon with a 1.2-mile swim. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Racers begin the 56-mile cycling portion of the IRONMAN triathlon. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Racers look excitedly towards the finishing section of the swimming portion of the IRONMAN 70.3. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Many supporters lined the sides of the IRONMAN course with pompoms and posters. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Volunteers, police officers and medical professors supervised all aspects of the triathlon to ensure athlete safety. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Supporter shouts encouragements to participants as they continue down the running portion of the course. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Athletes smiled as they made progress in the triathlon and finished out the final stretch of the course. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Supporters of all ages could be seen cheering together for their participating athlete. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Friends high-five and fist-bump their athlete throughout the course. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Athlete celebrates his arrival on the last portion of the triathlon. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Family members and friends shout cheers for their participating athlete as he brings the cycling portion of the course. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Loved one documents an athlete’s arrival to the finishing section of the 2023 IRONMAN triathlon. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Athletes persevere on the course with a smile on their face despite the blazing Augustan heat. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Cyclist prepare themselves for winding road and hills as they venture onto the bicycling portion of the IRONMAN triathlon course. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Family members and friends happily line the course’s borders along the final stretches of the IRONMAN triathlon. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Sponsored by various organizations, the IRONMAN 70.3 featured many brand partnerships to provide athletes with water, gatorade and ice throughout different areas of the triathlon course. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Athlete celebrates her victory in finishing the IRONMAN 70.3. Staff photo by Liz Wright.Athlete smiles and catches his breath while a volunteer bestows a medal of completion over his head. Staff photo by Liz Wright.
Liz Wright started with The Augusta Press in May of 2022, and loves to cover a variety of community topics. She strives to always report in a truthful and fair manner, which will lead to making her community a better place. In June 2023, Liz became the youngest recipient and first college student to have been awarded the Georgia Press Association's Emerging Journalist of the Year. With a desire to spread more positive news, she especially loves to write about good things happening in Augusta. In her spare time, she can be found reading novels or walking her rambunctious Pitbull.
Comment Policy
The Augusta Press encourages and welcomes reader comments; however, we request this be done in a respectful manner, and we retain the discretion to determine which comments violate our comment policy. We also reserve the right to hide, remove and/or not allow your comments to be posted.
The types of comments not allowed on our site include:
Threats of harm or violence
Profanity, obscenity, or vulgarity, including images of or links to such material
Racist comments
Victim shaming and/or blaming
Name calling and/or personal attacks;
Comments whose main purpose are to sell a product or promote commercial websites or services;
Comments that infringe on copyrights;
Spam comments, such as the same comment posted repeatedly on a profile.
