Top athletes descended on Frankfort today for the third Ironman 70.3 Michigan race. Nearly 1,500 competitors swam 1.2 miles, rode a 56-mile bike course, and ran for 13.1 miles for a total of 70.3 miles.
Organizers say the event ran smoothly . “We heard over and over again how this town rolled out the red carpet for the athletes and their guests,” said Race Director, Joel Gaff Jr.. “Add nearly perfect weather conditions along with the town’s hospitality and it makes for an incredible event.”
Ironman attracted athletes from 45 states plus Washington D.C. along with participants from 12 countries.
Two participants included Team Agar. Jeff and Johnny Agar are a father and son team in which the son was born with cerebral palsy and doctors thought the boy would never walk. He has overcome the odds and now participates in long-distance endurance races as a team. Team Agar finished the race in just over eight hours. “This was fantastic,” said Johnny’s mother, Becki. “The people here are wonderful, kind and welcoming.”
For the first time the Frankfort race hosted a professional field. The top male finisher was Jackson Laundry who finished the race in 3:36:48. The top female competitor was Tamara Jewett with a total time of 4:05:05. Both athletes were from Canada.
The Frankfort Ironman race is designed to give an economic boost to the region when travel slows, and before the fall colors attract visitors. “This is a world-class event that introduces this area to a whole new group of people,” said Trevor Tkach (Tah-koch), Traverse City Tourism, President. “Every year we see great enthusiasm for this race both from the athletes and the community.”
Full race results are available at https://www.ironman.com/im703-
