WHEN AN EVENT BECOMES PART OF THE COMMUNITY: MORE THAN A RACE DAY
IRONMAN® participant running through Penn State University’s campus
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - IRONMAN® has become a staple event in Happy Valley and has seen evolution in the community over the years. What started as a three-year contract with hesitations about bringing a big race brand into town has now turned into the community seeking its return. In its final year of the contract in 2025, athletes who competed participated in a survey, and Happy Valley was given a 96.71% rating in Host City Experience. Happy Valley loves IRONMAN® just as much as the athletes love Happy Valley. Because of this, and the challenging course that athletes love, Happy Valley’s event has been given the honorable title of North American Championship in 2026.
Within just the first year of the IRONMAN® event, a total of 2,408 participants traveled to Happy Valley from over 42 U.S. states and 8 countries to compete. In a post-event survey completed by said participants, it received a score of 92/100, which made it one of the highest-rated first-time IRONMAN®-branded events. After the inaugural event, it was nominated for Best New Sports Event by SportsTravel and it generated roughly $4.4 million in economic impact. Due to this, it was awarded the Champions of Economic Impact award for Mid-Market by Sports Destination Management.
The community's response to the event proved that events like IRONMAN® have the opportunity to impact local areas far beyond race day. Following that inaugural year, the Happy Valley community hoped the event would become an annual tradition.
IRONMAN® participants cycling
Since then, each year, the members of the Happy Valley community show up to help with the IRONMAN® event. With over 1,000 volunteers each year, the event becomes a community effort. With some shifts starting as early as 4 a.m., volunteers show up energized and ready throughout the day. Because of all their hard work, the IRONMAN® Foundation gives back to the community. Over the past three years, the foundation has given back $45,000 to local organizations that donated their time to the event. Some of these organizations include the State College Cycling Club and the Centre Volunteers in Medicine, along with several others.
That’s not the only way the community saw benefits following the introduction of the event in Happy Valley. Local news outlets highlighted the impact that volunteers contribute to the event. For example, the Centre County Gazette did a story entirely on volunteer efforts that was published in 2024.
As the event continued to grow in Happy Valley, so did support. In 2024, the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau was able to secure over $93,000 in state funding in support of IRONMAN® through the Department of Community and Economic Development. That same year, Happy Valley’s IRONMAN® event ranked third in Overall Event Satisfaction in the brand’s Athletes’ Choice Awards. The award showcased the athletes, volunteers, and the entire community who showed up to make the event what it was.
Participants entering the swimming portion of the IRONMAN® 70.3® Pennsylvania Happy Valley triathlon
Following the end of the three-year contract, IRONMAN® announced that the IRONMAN® 70.3® Pennsylvania Happy Valley triathlon was selected to host the North American Championship on June 14, 2026. While this event will produce a large economic impact for the region, it will also bring the community together to put on this event. Thousands are expected to visit the region, which will create widespread benefits to everyone and market the location as a premier sports destination in the United States. And without the involvement of volunteers and the entire community, events like IRONMAN® would never be possible.
We want to keep IRONMAN® in Happy Valley and become the tradition everyone looks forward to each summer. With volunteer positions opening, the time to get involved is now!
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