Ironman Maryland and 70.3 Eagleman to continue through 2028

With the announcement that Ironman Mont-Tremblant has been discontinued, Canadian long-distance athletes and Americans on the east coast will still be able to look forward to Ironman Maryland being on the calendar for the next five years. Ironman announced today that it has reached a deal with the Dorchester County Department of Tourism to continue both Ironman 70.3 Eagleman and Ironman Maryland through 2028.

Both events are hosted in the historic town of Cambridge, which has served as a popular long-distance triathlon destination for almost 30 years. The Eagleman event got its start in 1996 and was one of the most popular and prestigious half-Ironman events in the United States before becoming an Ironman 70.3 event in 2014, the same year the full-distance race started. The flat, fast race courses and proximity to Washington D.C. have long attracted large fields to the events.

This weekend’s Ironman Maryland race begins with a 3.8-km swim in the Choptank River, followed by a 180-km ride through rural Dorchester County running through the scenic Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, and caps off with a 42.2-km run through downtown Cambridge and coastal neighborhoods with a finish at picturesque Long Wharf Park. The Eagleman 70.3 race follows a similar route over half the distances and finishes at Gerry Boyle Park.

Pro racing

While the 70.3 race has a long history of attracting many of the sport’s biggest names, this weekend’s Ironman race will host a pro field for the first time. Included in the men’s field are Canadian Cody Beals, who is a four-time winner of the 70.3 race in Cambridge (and has two runner-up finishes, as well), American Sam Long and Austria’s Michael Weiss.

You can see the full pro start list here.

Americans Alice Alberts and Meredith Kessler highlight the women’s field, along with Canada’s ageless wonder, Mel McQuaid, who graces the cover of our September issue. (McQuaid is the first 50-year-old to qualify for Kona as pro.)