ST. GEORGE — Veteran triathlete Sam Long is slated to return to St. George this weekend, but for the first time, it will be as a defending champion.
As previously reported in St. George News, Long started competing in St. George in Ironman events starting in 2016.
After coming up short in a couple of memorable close finishes, Long captured his first title after winning the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship event last year.
The fan favorite from Boulder, Colorado, told St. George News after he crossed the finish line, “It’s just a dream come true for me.”
Saturday in St. George, Long will seek his second Ironman title in the 2024 Intermountain Health Ironman 70.3 North American Championship.
The race begins early Saturday morning for the swim at Sand Hollow Reservoir. From there, the bike ride will take racers out to Hurricane and back through Washington City.
Then, the final running segment goes around and through St. George to the downtown finish line.
Other contenders in the men’s pro division on Saturday include Canadian Jackson Laundry, German Max Sperl and American Marc Dubrick.
Top contenders in the women’s pro division include former winners like South African Jeanni Metzler and Canadian Paula Findlay. Australian Ellie Salthouse and American Danielle Lewis also expect a strong race.
Those eight participants will attend a pre-race press conference on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Electric Theater. Admission is free and open to the public.
Follow St. George News Sports for live updates from the race as it occurs throughout Saturday. Pro racers are scheduled to start the swim at Sand Hollow at 6:50 a.m.
Ironman 70.3 human interest stories
According to a news release by Ryan Lobato, several competitors on Saturday will bring stories of note to the race.
The oldest male competitor is 74-year old Robert OBryan of St. George. The oldest female competitor will be 75-year old Virginia Krantz of Orem.
Conversely, the youngest male racer is 18-year-old Bryson Carter. His youngest female counterpart will be 18-year-old Camille Mayes from Meridian, Idaho.
Andrew Bird: the 35-year old from Ogden is an award-winning Teacher of the Year from Davis School District. He said he is competing to inspire his students to remain disciplined in their goals and be consistent.
Melodie Grubbs: the 41-year-old from Los Osos, California, has been cancer-free for five years after being diagnosed with reproductive cancer. She competed previously at the Ironman 70.3 Morro Bay in 2023.
KaCee McArthur: the 37-year-old from St. George was a volunteer last year at the Ironman 70.3 event. After volunteering, she was inspired to begin training, and she will compete on Saturday.
Lucas Tucker: the 34-year-old from Centerville was diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease at age 8, a rare condition that restricts blood flow to the top of his thighbone.
He is a middle school teacher who was elected After-School Teacher of the Year in 2019. He was a 2021 Ironman 70.3 PC World Champion.
David Wheelan: the 37-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio, had his foot amputated in 2018 in an attempt to eliminate pain caused by a chronic nerve condition. He began to compete in adaptive athletic competitions to battle chronic pain and depression.
He later turned to competing in triathlons and urged fellow adaptive athletes to give it a try.
Scott Woolsey: the 59-year-old from Salt Lake City has competed in numerous Ironman events despite losing his sight to glaucoma. He relies on his support network to guide him and help him get through difficult times.
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