Triathlon originated in southern California – San Diego is considered the birthplace of the sport. Which is why Ironman 70.3 Oceanside, held just outside of San Diego, is one of the most popular half-distance races in the country and has been a mainstay on the Ironman calendar for years. After last year’s race had to be called off because of the pandemic (after first being postponed to Oct. 24, 2020), athletes have now been told that this year’s race will be delayed until the fall.
“After evaluating of the status of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting restrictions in place, and access to certain portions of the course currently prohibited, we regret to announce that the Ironman 70.3 Oceanside triathlon cannot take place in March and have determined it will be better positioned to return on Oct. 30, 2021,” Ironman announced in a release yesterday.
Ironman also noted that the move “is not indicative of changes to any other Ironman events at this time as each event is evaluated on its own unique set of circumstances.”
The new date puts the race a week after the inaugural Ironman California, which will take place in Sacramento on Oct. 24.
Athletes entered in the race will have the option to compete in October, defer to the 2022 event, which is scheduled to take place on April 2, or transfer their entries to another 70.3 race from a list of events provided by Ironman.
