Ironman event expected to bring in three million for Marbella
Each of the 1,300 competitors in this Sunday's event "has come with two or three companions", all spending money locally
JOAQUINA DUEÑAS
Viernes, 17 de septiembre 2021, 13:48
One of Marbella's biggest commitments to promoting tourism is the celebration of major sporting events. That's why Tuesday's launch of this weekend's Ironman 70.3 was such a red letter day for the resort following a Covid-19 delay.
The launch event was attended by the mayor, Ángeles Muñoz; the general director of Ironman Europe, Agustín Pérez; Marbella's councillor for Sports, Manuel Cardeña and the race directors, Pablo Vázquez and Álvaro Lucena. Muñoz pointed out that "in general terms, even in these pandemic conditions, the direct [financial] impact could be more than three million euros".
She explained that in this edition there are around 1,300 registered contestants from 60 countries and "each participant comes to the town with two or three companions", with the extra spending that this implies.
The event began on Thursday, with the official opening, and the start of the race proper will be on Sunday (19 September) at 8am on the Levante beach in Puerto Banús.
Some 300 volunteers will be on hand to help the organisers of the event which includes a 1,900-metre swim, a 90-kilometre cycle and a 21-kilometre half-marathon.
