The fun 5K that Cynthia Mitchell had on her September calendar will have to wait another year, as she’ll be 4,800 miles away with four other area triathletes in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France.
Mitchell, who lives in Athens, and Ashley Wells, of Huntsville, qualified Sunday for the championship during the 10th annual Chattanooga 70.3 event. Based downtown, athletes swam in the Tennessee River, and biked and ran throughout the city. Ruth Marie Oliver, Carolynn Sanders and Jennifer Smith, all of Huntsville, previously qualified for the championship.
The 70.3 championship is Sept. 12-13 in Nice, which previously has hosted three Ironman and 70.3 world championships. Athletes will “swim in the blue waters of the Côte d’Azur, ride through the storied hinterland of the Alpes Maritimes and run along the Promenade des Anglais.” Athletes have numerous chances to compete each year. Entry into the world championship is based on the Ironman Age Group Qualifying System; athletes are ranked “based on their performance relative to a global age-group standard. The athletes who perform the best on race day compared to this age-group standard, irrespective of age or gender, will rank the highest and earn qualifying slots. ”
Wells completed her first Ironman in autumn 2025 in Chattanooga, finishing in 14 hours 37 minutes. Oliver, Mitchell, Sanders and Smith have previously completed Ironman and 70.3 events.
Three categories of competition among the Ironman triathlons have different levels of training, nutrition and strategy. Olympic is a good entry point for those wanting to dip a toe in the triathlon waters. The 70.3 is more advanced, and the Ironman level is the original. The latter’s championship is Oct. 10 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
The three categories and distances:
Olympic
Swim: .93 mile
Bike: 25 miles
Run: 6.2 miles
70.3
Swim: 1.2 mile
Bike: 56 miles
Run: 13.2 miles
Ironman
Swim: 2.7 miles
Bike: 112 miles
Run: 26.2 miles
Joining a local club to learn more about triathlons is a good first step for anyone interested. The Team Rocket Tri Club has several events on its schedule, including the Rocketman Tri in August. This Olympic distance event is held on Redstone Arsenal, which offers the safe combo of river and roads. It also offers two duathlons, the next on June 6, and some kids events. The club has 280 members, a 12.5 percent increase from its 2025 roster, and offers weekly group swims, rides, runs and other events.
Ironman Gulf Coast 70.3
A handful of North Alabama triathletes completed the Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast triathlon May 9 in Panama City Beach.
The field started with a one-lap 1.2-mile swim in the Gulf of Mexico. That was followed by a 55.8-mile bike ride from PCB to Alys Beach, back and up Dogtrack Road to Ebro, and back down to PCB. They then had a 13.2-mile run in PCB.
Athletes and their event times:
— Matthew McMillian of Huntsville: 9:33 swim, 2:14:43 bike and 1:23:54 run;
— Drew Peele of Huntsville: 13:00 swim, 2:44:24 bike, 2:09:41 run;
— Kenny Marsh of Florence: 12:21 swim, 2:52:03 bike, 2:15:52 run;
— Michael Strobel of Huntsville: 11:41 swim, 3:00:13 bike, 2:08:59 run;
— Kasey Ezekiel of Florence: 13:02 swim; 2:51:22 bike; 1:58:21 run;
— Ellison Barrett of Florence: 12:26 swim; 3:00:01 bike; 2:05:33 run
Click on their names for links to other details. The 70.3 Gulf Coast and full triathlon in autumn are among the most popular on the schedule. Last autumn, about 20 Team Rocket Tri Club members competed in the full event.
Nashville Women’s Triathlon
Mandi Ellis of Madison led area finishers in the Nashville Women’s Triathlon sprint event on May 17 at Centennial Park in Nashville.
Ellis, 39, was 21st overall and finished in 1:04:52. She had a swim of 4:15, bike of 33:52 and run of 21:15.
Other area finishers included Lisa Burkman, 44, of Huntsville (6:48, 39:43, 27:16) and Melanie Nord, 56, of Toney (6:35, 53:48, 34:35).
The event was put on by Magic Sports Races, which puts on the Mountain Lakes Triathlon in Guntersville in July.
See all of the results here.
Ironman Texas
Anthony Tiffon of Huntsville completed the Ironman Texas on April 19 at The Woodlands.
Tiffon was 109th overall and 97th in the men’s division. He had a 1:03:46 swim, 4:30:41 bike and 3:29:51 run. His overall time was 9:13:49.
Athletes started with a 2.4-mile swim in Lake Woodlands, followed by the 112-mile bike on mostly closed roads. It ended with the marathon, voted by Ironman athletes as the “Best Run Course” in North America and No. 2 globally.
