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Hurricane Helene forces organizers to cancel swim at Ironman Chattanooga

High rain fall expected to raise water levels and increase river flow to dangerous levels

The hurricane that is wreaking havoc on many American south-eastern states has forced Ironman Chattanooga officials to cancel the swim for Sunday’s race. The storm hit the Florida coast as a category 4 hurricane, but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moves inland, according to news reports. In addition to the 1.2 million homes that have lost power in Florida due to the storm, hundreds of thousands of people have lost power in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina as the storm moves northwards and inland. Tennessee has also been affected – in a post on Facebook, Ironman Chattanooga officials wrote:

“Based on the forecast for significant rainfall and increased flow rate in the Tennessee River, Ironman and local officials have determined that in the interest of athlete and water safety assets, it is necessary to cancel the swim portion of Sunday’s Ironman Chattanooga triathlon.”

The race will now begin with a bike time trial start.

According to the statement, “the area is expected to receive three to five inches (7.6 to 12.7 cm) of rain,” which will lead to a significant increase in water levels and generate “additional flow with a rate three times higher than the limit deemed safe for swimming in the Tennessee River.” Officials would also be unable to “deploy several of the water safety assets that are necessary to ensure a safe swim.”

The down-river swim in Chattanooga has often led to fast times and also has tended to attract athletes who aren’t as strong swimmers. Two of the pre-race favourites, Sam Long and Joe Skipper, routinely trail the fastest swimmers out of the water, but are renowned for the bike and run skills.

Earlier this year the swim at Ironman Canada was also cancelled due to cold water conditions.

Breaking news: Ironman Canada swim cancelled due to cold water

Here’s the full notice posted on the Ironman Chattanooga Facebook page: