Marbella: first Spanish city to host the Ironman World Championship

Marbella has become the first Spanish city to host the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon World Championship which will take place in 2025. The event, which was announced at Fitur, will last two days and attract more than 6,000 athletes from all over the world.

Marbella will be the fourth European city and the first Spanish city to host this world event following in the footsteps of Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria, in 2015; Nice, France, in 2019; and Lahti, Finland, in 2023. This year it will take place in Taupo, New Zealand (2024), which will offer qualifying places for the IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella 2025 World Championships and is expected to see a large influx of triathletes come to experience the region and try to qualify for next year’s World Championships.

The international format championship began in Clearwater, Florida, in 2006, and has since been held in notable destinations around the world.

The Secretary General for Sport of the Junta de Andalucia, José María Arrabal, expressed his satisfaction, “for choosing Marbella for this important international competition. We are convinced of the possibilities that our land has for holding major sporting events, and that is our commitment, to bring to Andalucia the best sporting events that also generate wealth, tourism and promotion of sport at the same time”.

Marbella is the perfect destination

The Mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, said that, “Marbella is the perfect destination to host such a well-known international event as the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella Triathlon World Championship and we are very happy to have been selected to welcome an event of such magnitude”.

“Marbella joins an exclusive group of cities that have demonstrated a long history of successfully hosting IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 events, and offers the perfect backdrop for a memorable and exciting experience for both athletes and fans,” said Diana Bertsch, representing The IRONMAN Group. “Marbella has consistently proven that it can deliver a racing experience with a venue worthy of hosting a World Championship. Full of culture and a highly reputable holiday destination, the city is very accessible internationally via Malaga airport and will undoubtedly be an incredible trip for any athlete, their family and friends.”

Historically, more than 200,000 athletes have participated annually in qualifying races, with more than 100 global events. With more than 5,000 athletes from around the world, IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon participants range in age from 18 to 85 years old. For more information, please visit www.ironman.com/im703-world-championship.