Georgia gets a Ironman 70.3 race:

The cat is out of the bag and Georgia is getting a Ironman 70.3 race in Augusta in September 2009.

Here is the official word:

June 2, 2008 -- Today, Ironman, in conjunction with Premier Event Management, announces a new Ironman 70.3 Event scheduled for 2009 in the southeastern United States. Ironman 70.3 Augusta will take place in the classic southern city of Augusta, Georgia on Sunday, September 27, 2009 with a field limit of 2,000 athletes.
Premier Event Management, producers of the several major triathlons across the United States including the Nautica New York City Triathlon, Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens and the Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans, is excited to bring Ironman 70.3 to the city of Augusta. “The city of Augusta and its aggressive sports council has been simply fantastic to work with on the planning of this inaugural event,” said race director, Bill Burke of Premier Event Management.
Ironman 70.3 Augusta will offer athletes the unique opportunity to race in two states, as the cycling portion of this event will take athletes into the great state of South Carolina. Prior to the bike portion, athletes will swim a 1.2 mile point-to-point course in the Savannah River exiting at the Augusta Rowing Club Complex and the Augusta public boat launch. Athletes will then cycle a single-loop 56 mile bike course through the beautiful countryside of South Carolina before returning to the Georgia side of the Savannah River and the city of Augusta, Ga. Finally, athletes will run a two-loop course consisting of 13.1 miles, through the downtown community of Augusta finishing near the Augusta Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. Athletes will be vying for 50 age group slots to the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 being held in Clearwater, Florida and a $25,000.00 professional prize purse.
To recognize the 4th of July, Premier Event Management is offering athletes a one-time discounted registration fee to the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Augusta. Register online anytime throughout the month of July at http://www.ironmanaugusta.com/ beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1, 2008 until July 30, 2008 and receive a $10.00 discount on your 2009 Ironman 70.3 Augusta entry. Ironman 70.3 Augusta is limited to 2,000 athletes, so don’t be left out of this new event.
For further information on the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Augusta event or other events produced by Premier Event Management, check out http://www.pem-usa.com/ or call 866-454-6561. For more information on Ironman and the 70.3 Event Series, visit http://www.ironman.com/.
WWW.IRONMANAUGUSTA.COM