Ironman 70.3 Lubbock “postponed”
For weeks we’ve wondered if it was really going to happen. With race after race on the Ironman calendar being “postponed” or “rescheduled,” Ironman 70.3 Lubbock remained as the lone event slated to take place in June.
That all ended this morning when Ironman announced that the event would not be taking place this weekend after Texas governor Greg Abbott reported that the state is facing a “massive outbreak of COVID-19.”
Here’s the official statement from the Ironman.com update page:
We regret to announce that the 2020 Core Power IRONMAN 70.3 Lubbock triathlon cannot take place on June 28 due to the acceleration of COVID-19 infections in Texas. In accordance with our IRONMAN Safe Return to Racing protocol, the health and safety of our community is of utmost priority and in alignment with remarks made by Governor Abbott on Tuesday, June 23, it would not be responsible to host the event at this moment in time.
IRONMAN Group President and CEO Andrew Messick shared, “We are grateful to Mayor Pope of The City of Lubbock and his fine team of professionals, along with our long-time partners Mike and Marti Greer, for their outstanding work to do everything possible to host this race. But ultimately the COVID-19 headwinds in Texas right now are just too strong for the race to happen. We look forward to when we can return to Lubbock.”
All registered athletes of the 2020 Core Power IRONMAN 70.3 Lubbock triathlon will be receiving an email with further information. If you have additional questions or do not receive the email with further information, please contact lubbock70.3@ironman.com. In what has been a continually evolving and challenging time globally, we recognize that the change at this late juncture will come as a disappointment but look forward to providing athletes with an exceptional race experience in the future.
Ironman 70.3 Lubbock was previously known as Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs and has been a mainstay on the Ironman 70.3 circuit for years. This would have been the 31st edition of the event. The race name was changed this year after a new finish was organized at the campus of Texas Tech University.