The three-year contract for Happy Valley’s Ironman ends next year. Will it be renewed?

With two years of Ironman 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley under its belt, the community is beginning to look ahead to the future of the triathlon, which saw a decrease in participating athletes this year.

When the race was first announced in September 2022 , it was on a three-year contract, meaning Happy Valley would host the triathlon for three years in a row with the possibility of extending it further. The third scheduled race will take place next year on June 15, two weeks earlier than usual.

The decision to renew the contract beyond three years depends on a variety of factors, said Eric Engelbarts, the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance executive director.

For Ironman staff, continuing to host the race in a certain area needs to make financial sense, he said. After talking with members of the Ironman team after Sunday’s race, he said, there isn’t any concern about the event.

“They’re very happy,” Engelbarts said. “They love the area. They love the community support. They love the amount of people they’re bringing out. So, no issue on Ironman’s behalf.”

The amount of athletes and volunteers who sign up to participate also plays a role. This year, Happy Valley’s Ironman race had fewer competitors than last year . Engelbarts said that around 1,600 participated but did not provide exact numbers for athlete registration. Ironman’s website lists results for 1,189 people this year and 2,134 last year — a number that doesn’t include non-classified athletes, those who finished the race over the time limit or individual members of each relay team, according to Ironman Regional Director Brandt Bernat. Just under 100 relay teams, which include three people each, competed in this year’s race, he said.

But even with this decline, the race’s popularity was still “a huge win for the local area,” Engelbarts said. He attributes the drop in participants to something Ironman calls the “sophomore slump,” a trend the organization plans and budgets for in advance.

“Athletes will not compete for two or three years, then when they announce a new event or course, they come out and join in on the race,” he said. “There’s a little bit of that that happens when it’s new and fresh, ... but second-year races do kind of drop a little bit.”

The amount of participants from this year’s race is likely more typical of an Ironman triathlon, Engelbarts said. Economic impact — though it will likely be lower than last year’s race, which brought in $4.4 million — will also still leave a substantial mark, he said, especially considering the end of June is usually a slower season.

Spectator’s support for athletes and appreciation for Happy Valley’s natural scenery was a main takeaway from last year’s Ironman, local race Director Josh Cone said.

“People came out and cheered (athletes) on from Centre Hall mountain … all the way back into town on University Drive,” he said. “The energy that it brought to the community on what would have been a quieter weekend was really cool.”

This year, Ironman also attracted about 1,000 volunteers, which is the number needed to make sure the race runs smoothly, Cone said.

Whether Ironman’s contract will be renewed in Happy Valley depends on the response from community members and athletes, Engelbarts said. In the coming days, they’ll reach out to local groups who participated in the event, like law enforcement agencies and first responders.

Then, Ironman sends out after-action reports to gauge how athletes are feeling after every race. Last year, participants rated the Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley among the top five Ironman races in the country, Engelbarts said.

Any changes to next year’s race would be based on feedback from these surveys, he said. So far, the only planned change is the date: In 2025, Ironman 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley is scheduled for Father’s Day, June 15.

In its first two years, Ironman took place around the final weekend of June, but next year this coincides with Penn State’s second summer session and the arrival of thousands of students.

As for when Happy Valley can expect a sure answer on whether Ironman 70.3 will continue past next year, it’s still up in the air, Engelbarts said. Once athlete feedback comes back, the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance could make an announcement as early as a couple months from now or not until after next year’s race.

“It seems as if our community is embracing (the race), and Ironman loves the event, as well,” he said. “So, everything is going to work toward us looking to extend. We just have to make sure a couple of those pieces fall into place before we put ink to paper.”