The 27th Ironman Lake Placid will take place on Sunday, July 19 throughout the communities of Lake Placid, Keene, Wilmington, Au Sable Forks and Jay and Upper Jay. The weekend also includes various events and activities leading up to the race beginning on Thursday, July 16.
The annual Ironkids Dip-n-Dash event takes place on Friday, July 17 at 2:00 p.m. for those aged 7-17. The IronKids Fun Run is also scheduled on July 17, with four different distances based on age categories between 0-17: the diaper dash, toddler tot trot, half-mile, and one-mile race.
Competitors and their supporters can visit the Ironman village at the Olympic oval, beginning on July 16. The Ironman village offers participants the opportunity to learn about various event sponsors, local attractions and businesses, visit the tech service center, and purchase official Ironman clothing and gear.
The race begins at 6:15 a.m. on July 19; participants have 17 hours, from the time they begin, to finish the event. Its bike and marathon courses take athletes through Lake Placid, Keene, Au Sable Forks, Jay, Upper Jay, and Wilmington throughout the day and late into the night. Traffic pattern changes, road closures and delays will impact communities along the bike and run courses beginning shortly after 5:00 a.m.
Bike and run traffic should be anticipated throughout the morning and afternoon; runner traffic will continue until midnight.
A list of alternate routes, road closures, and delays, along with the Ironman course route, can be found on LakePlacid.com.
Ironman Lake Placid has established a community relations coordinator and hotline to assist businesses and community members with questions related to race training and travel throughout the region, along with addressing specific race-day issues.
The community liaison is the primary point of contact regarding road closures, traffic delays, and other inquiries or concerns. Residents and community members are encouraged to reach out to the Ironman community liaison for assistance before and during the race by phone at 888-497-5009 or via email at IMLakePlacidCommunity@ironman.com.
Recognizing the impact of a large-scale event like Ironman Lake Placid, the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) led a task force five years ago to address community concerns, improve safety and logistics, and establish ways to communicate more effectively with community members and race participants. The task force evolved, becoming known as the event committee, and remains in place to support the Ironman event.
According to ROOST Chief Operating Officer Mary Jane Lawrence, the event committee meets before and after the event to determine opportunities for continued improvement. “We recognize that improvement is a continual process,” she said. “The group meets to review the event and consider additional recommendations based on feedback from athletes, volunteers, businesses, and community officials.”
Ironman Lake Placid welcomes hundreds of volunteers to assist participants before the race, along the course, in changing tents, during transitions, and at the finish line. Those wishing to volunteer for the event should sign up at ironman.com/races/im-lake-placid.