Posted: March 28, 2007

Triathlon: NBC to Air Inaugural Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3

Tarpons Springs, FL (March 28, 2007) – Tune in this Saturday, March 31, as NBC airs the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST. The broadcast was taped on location in Clearwater, FL. at the inaugural event, taking place on November 11, 2006. The Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 hosted more than 1,350 athletes from around the globe, including a variety of short course and Ironman specialists. The broadcast leads viewers on an exciting journey that encompasses a 1.2 Mile swim in the Gulf of Mexico, a 56 Mile bike ride throughout the City of Clearwater and surrounding Pinellas County communities and a 13.1 Mile run alongside the picturesque beaches of Clearwater. Australian Long Course Champion, Craig Alexander, and Canada’s Samantha McGlone brought home World Championship titles while a variety of special interest athletes also participated. Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a double amputee from the organization, Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), celebrated an incredible finish in addition to Sarah Reinertsen, a fellow CAF member. In 2005, Reinertsen became the first female amputee to complete the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Other competitors who challenged their physical and mental limits include Bob McKeague, an 81-year-old athlete from Villa Park, IL, and Jackie Yost, a 78-year-old from Treasure Island, FL. The NBC broadcast of the Ironman World Championship has received numerous accolades since the early 1990s, to include 39 Emmy nominations, 13 Emmy awards and five consecutive International Monitor Awards for Global Excellence. In addition, the 2005 Ford Ironman World Championship broadcast on NBC won the highly respected CINE Golden Eagle Award. For more information on Ironman 70.3, visit www.ironman.com.