Ironman Triathlon Returning To Tulsa

The Ironman Triathlon will return to Tulsa for the second year in a row in just a couple of weeks. The race will begin early in the morning on Sunday, May 22.

Organizers of this year's race say their goal this year was to use less space to reduce the overall impact on the public and steer clear of the PGA Championship, which is happening the same week.

The 146-mile race is broken down into sections of swimming, biking, and running.

The race will begin with swimming at Keystone Lake with a 2.4-mile swim that starts and finishes at the same boat ramp. Last year, the start and end were in different spots. This year, the swimmers will go in one big loop.

Athletes will then move on to a 112-mile bike ride. This year that route looks very different. Instead of doing one big loop through Skiatook and Barnsdall, the bikers will stay south of Skiatook and do a smaller loop twice.

Competitors will finish the race with a 26.2-mile run that will be mostly on the Riverside trails and end downtown. Instead of coming up South Denver Avenue this year, the course will bring the runners up South Main Street and on to East Cameron Street. The finish line is in front of the News On 6 building and Guthrie Green.

Race organizers say they condensed each portion of the race to reduce the impact on traffic flow in Green Country.

Regional Ironman Director Eric Atnip says they don’t believe there will be much of an issue when it comes to the PGA tournament and Ironman coexisting.

“I don’t believe we’ve been impacting them and I’m hopeful it can be two good quality events that are happening on the same weekend where it’s all good for Tulsa and the surrounding area,” Atnip said.

There are already more than 1,500 athletes registered to compete. Registration is still open if you want to sign up last minute. Click Here to register.

The setup for the race will begin at OSU Tulsa on Wednesday, May 18. Athletes will be able to pick up their race packets on campus and can register their bikes by Saturday.

Atnip said they are thrilled to be coming back to a supportive community like Tulsa and hope to continue that relationship.

“The City of Tulsa and the residents have really taken to the event, bringing out volunteers, and making it a great athlete experience, so we’d love to be here long term,” Atnip said.