SANDUSKY, Ohio — Thousands of people will be in Downtown Sandusky for the Ironman 70.3 race, watching over 1,500 athletes participate in the triathlon, including Beth Werling.
“When I first signed up, I didn’t know how to swim. I did not realize you had to put your head in the water whenever you swim. So, I learned how to do that, and that was an experience,” said Werling.
Now, 4 years later, Werling has participated in Ironman competitions across the country.
“Right now, I'm training for a full Ironman, and the ones in Sandusky are half Ironman races. So, my longest ride has been 100 miles, and that was six hours. But if I were just training for a half Ironman, my longest training days would be four hours.
The triathlon in Sandusky features a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Erie, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run. Werling says her favorite location to compete in is Downtown Sandusky.
“What keeps me motivated is a lot of my students know that I’m going to be out there, and they're looking for me so they can track me,” said Werling.
This will be the fourth consecutive year Sandusky has hosted the Ironman 70.3 race.
“The last several years have been a true testament to how much this community gets involved with it. From everybody coming down with their signs to cheer on their family, their friends and cheering on folks internationally. So, it gives it a great opportunity for bonding right in downtown,” said Shores & Islands Sports Tourism Coordinator Jon Limber.
Limber says the competition is a major economic boost for the city and businesses.
“The economic impact from the Ironman competition is the biggest piece of this entire impact for Downtown Sandusky. It takes a whole village, between local municipalities being able to come together to say were close streets, and local businesses saying 'I don't normally open until 11 on a Sunday, but these folks are going to be down here at four or five in the morning, so I'm going to open early and serve coffee,'” said Limber.
Chad Kessler is the owner of Soda Pops, a retro candy store in Downtown Sandusky. He says the Ironman competition is one of their biggest weeks economically, and something they look forward to every year.
“People start coming in, Wednesday night, Thursday night with their families, and they are looking for fun things to do in Sandusky the entire time they are here. The first few years took me by surprise with the amount of people that came, but now we are prepared. I just ordered a bunch of stuff over the weekend to make sure we had enough through the week,” said Kessler.
The competition will kick off on Sunday at Jackson Street Pier.
