The Ironman 70.3 race is moving from Traverse City to Frankfort, organizers confirmed to The Ticker Thursday – a multi-year contract that will begin in 2021 with an inaugural race event on September 12.

Registration for the 2021 event will open Monday, December 21. The new Ironman course will include a 1.2-mile swim in Frankfort Harbor, a 56-mile bike ride on sections of M-22, and a 13.1-mile race in Frankfort and surrounding areas. Exact course details are expected to be announced in the coming months.

“Following in the success of bringing an event to Traverse City a couple years ago, we've seen an incredible interest from athletes to visit and race in northern Michigan. We are excited to continue to host an event in this beautiful region and to call Frankfort our new home,” says Keats McGonigal, head of operations for North America for The Ironman Group. “We feel that Frankfort and the surrounding areas will deliver an unparalleled race week experience while being the perfect destination for both athletes and their families alike.”

President/CEO Trevor Tkach of Traverse City Tourism, which first brought the Ironman event to Traverse City in 2019, says the pandemic and ensuing cancellation of the 2020 race in Traverse City forced organizers to “creatively and innovatively” rethink the event. “We have fewer resources, and knowing we have to keep safety of the participants and community paramount, we had to come up with a new solution,” he says. With a smaller population and significantly less cross-traffic than Traverse City, Frankfort will offer flexibility for course planning while still showcasing a scenic northern Michigan route, Tkach says.

The event will also be a boon for Benzie County, which became the newest member of Traverse City Tourism earlier this year. Director of Public Relations Sammie Lukaskiewicz of Crystal Mountain, which is located 20 minutes from Frankfort and would serve as a likely base camp for athletes, says the resort is “extremely excited” about the Ironman news.

“It’s a perfect opportunity for the triathletes to stay here with the amount and type of accommodations we have,” she says. “We have paved roads they can practice on, a pool to take some dips in prior to participating in the race. We are already thinking through what amenities they will need – what kind of meals the triathletes will be looking for, if they’ll need massages before or after the event.” With a date move from August to September, the race will serve as a shoulder-season boost for Crystal Mountain and other local businesses, according to Lukaskiewic. “Benzie County is so lovely, and this is an amazing opportunity for the whole area,” she says.

Joshua Mills, superintendent of Frankfort, echoes Lukaskiewic’s enthusiasm. “The City of Frankfort is excited about the opportunity to host the 2021 Ironman 70.3 Michigan Triathlon event,” he says. “We are looking forward to working closely with our Benzie County community partners and the greater Grand Traverse region on an event that will significantly enhance the overall social and economic well-being of our communities.”

Tkach says the number of athletes participating in Ironman – typically 2,500, plus families and friends – means Benzie County won’t be the only beneficiary of the race. Traverse City and other surrounding areas will still see an economic impact from the event, he believes. “If you run the numbers, Benzie County has roughly 750 hotel rooms,” he says. “Not everyone will stay in Benzie County, which is why it makes sense and is positive from a regional standpoint. People will still choose to stay in hotels in Grand Traverse County, in Antrim County. When you put on an event like this and it puts demand on one part of the region, it causes the remaining area to fill in the gaps.”

While the pandemic is still looming over event organizers, casting an uncertain shadow on 2021, Tkach says he believes the 2021 Ironman race will be able to take place in Frankfort. “We are marching forward as if it is,” he says. “My anxiety for spring events is much higher than late summer or fall. We have good plans in place to keep competitors safe.” Tkach says Ironman has created a “pandemic playbook” with input from the World Health Organization to prepare for a variety of planning scenarios. “Assuming we get to early September and the pandemic is not past and we still have challenges, I think we could still put on a modified version of this event so long as there weren’t too tight of restrictions on event organizers,” Tkach says.