Will the Ironman Endurance Triathlon to Come to Santa Cruz?

The Ironman is one of the toughest competitions in the world and a group of local athletes wants to bring the 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run to Santa Cruz in 2013.

They will make a presentation before the Santa Cruz City Council Tuesday at the 3 p.m. session.

Ten cities around the country have qualifying events leading to the finals in Hawaii in October, which supporters claim bring in millions of dollars in hotel and restaurant revenues.

There are qualifying stages in St. George, UT; Coeur d’Alene, ID; The Woodlands, TX; Lake Placid, NY; New York City, NY; Louisville, KY; Madison, WI; Panama City Beach, FL; and Tempe, AZ. Coeur d'Alene claims the competition brought in $7 million in revenue.

Like the Olympic Committee, the World Triathlon Association asks other cities to submit bids on the event, and the Santa Cruz enthusiasts want the council to support the bid.

The proposal before the council claims that there is no expense on the table yet, however cities in the past have posted bid fees of $50,000 and more to get the event, which brings in as many as 1,800 athletes, 20,000 spectators and requires at least 400 hotel rooms.

If a bid is accepted, it would mean the competition would come to Santa Cruz for five consecutive years.

Sponsors envision the swim competition off Main Beach and the running and biking heading to the north of Santa Cruz. The race takes 17 hours and takes days of set up.

The athletes hope the fees of providing police, lifeguards and permits could be offset by corporate sponsorships from the greater Bay Area.