Cd'A Ironman registration opens Monday
After cancelling its 2020 race, organizers said they were thrilled to announce Ironman will make its return in 2021.
“Finally, it’s come to fruition,” said Britt Bachtel-Browning of the North Idaho Sports Commission. “The registration’s opening up.”
Registration for the June 27, 2021 race will officially launch at 9 a.m. Pacific. Bachtel-Browning said because of cancellations of prior Ironman races around the world — cancellations sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic — she expects the Coeur d’Alene race to fully sell out quickly.
“Because Ironman had to cancel a lot of their races,” she predicted, “some people have deferred (registrations) for future races. So some of those people will come to Coeur d’Alene to participate.”
That factor, as well as the fact that 2021’s race will be a full and qualifying triathlon, rather than the half-triathlons Coeur d’Alene has hosted in the past, will drive interest in the event.
Organizers tried to schedule Ironman in Coeur d’Alene for September 6 after the pandemic forced the cancellation of 2020’s June event. But the uncertainty of the coronavirus forced organizers in July to pull the plug on the iconic race with the hopes it would return in 2021.
The North Idaho Sports Commission has spearheaded efforts to bring Ironman to Coeur d’Alene, whether during negotiations in 2019 between the city and WTC — Ironman’s parent company — to bring a rotating, qualifying full version of the race back to the area or working with the race company to come back after the pandemic. While the race often brings competitors from around the world, Bachtel-Browning said local athletes give Ironman a unique flavor, which is why she urged locals to sign up as soon as registration opens Monday morning.
“I think if people get on it and register that morning, they’ll be okay,” she said.
Registration costs $749 for individuals who pay in one lump sum or $819 for those who pay on a payment plan. Competitors can visit www.ironman.com/im-coeur-dalene to register.