IRONMAN 70.3 Happy Valley Generated $4.4 Million for Local Economy, Report Says

By Geoff Rushton — October 9, 2023 — The inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley was a boon for the Centre County economy, according to information released Monday by the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance.

The July 2 event generated $4.4 million for the local economy, with an estimated 7,170 room nights over the course of three to four nights, the HVSEA reported.

More than $3.09 million of the economic activity was direct visitor spending and about $1.35 million was in indirect/induced benefits, or business to business spending, according to the HVSEA. The alliance derived the data from the Destinations International Event Impact Calculator, which is used by hundreds of destinations worldwide and is considered the industry standard for calculating the economic value of events.