Posted: November 20, 2004

Triathlon: Registration for 2005 Florida Half-Ironman At WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort Now Open to General Entry

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The 2005 Florida Half-Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort is now open for general entry registration.

The event, which will take place on Sunday, May 22, will feature 30 qualifying spots to the 2005 Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, as well as 300 qualifying spots to Ironman North America Ironman-distance events. Athletes will be able to compete for 50 qualifying spots each to Ironman USA Lake Placid, Subaru Ironman Canada, Ironman Wisconsin, Ironman Florida, Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene and Ironman Arizona.

The inaugural event in May featured more than 1,800 athletes from around the world, as well as a stellar professional field.

This year’s event will feature a new run course, which is expected to be more spectator and athlete-friendly.

“We learned a lot in our first year at Disney,” said Ironman North America President Graham Fraser. “While the first event was successful, we have made some changes that we feel will make things easier for both athletes and spectators.”

The major change will be a new run route, 90 percent of which will be on paved roads, with the rest on packed trail. Look for a complete course update in early 2005.

Athletes competing in the event will begin at 7 a.m. on Clementine Beach at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. The triathlon will include a 1.2-mile swim through Bay Lake, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run.

The Florida Half Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort will also feature a Kids Race and a Race Expo, where participating athletes will have the opportunity to purchase special tickets to the WALT DISNEY WORLD® theme parks.

“The goal is to make a family-oriented festival around an Ironman event. Ironman triathlons are family events where spouses and children of athletes attend to cheer on their athlete,” added Fraser. “The agreement with Walt Disney World, the premier family vacation destination in the world, makes sense and offers a unique venue to host an event. It offers a great weekend for the entire family, not just the triathlete.”

Ironman North America events fill very quickly, so athletes who are interested in registering for the event should log onto www.floridahalfironman.com and click on entry to register. General entry for the event is $185 until Dec. 15, $200 from Dec. 15 - March 15, 2005 and $225 after March 15, 2005.

Special travel packages offering accommodations and theme park tickets are available to participating athletes by contacting Anthony Travel at 1-800-736-6377 or by visiting their web site at www.anthonytravel.com.

For more information on the Florida Half-Ironman at WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort, log onto www.floridahalfironman.com.