text: Tourism officials urge community support for Ironman site visit - Sun Community News & Printing
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  Tourism officials urge community support for Ironman site visit
  Lake Placid is one of the three finalists in contention to host the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championships, an event tourism officials say will be the biggest since the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. Pictured above: A pair of athletes take a break in Lake Placid on Monday, July 13.
  LAKE PLACID — The Olympic Region has already learned that if you build it, they will come.
  Now, they're hoping if you cheer loud enough, they will come and bestow the gift of the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championships upon the High Peaks.
  Lake Placid is amongst the three finalists of the 40 cities who submitted RFPs to host the blow-out annual event.
  Officials from the Ironman governing body will make site visits to Keene, North Elba, Jay and Wilmington on July 23.
  Jim McKenna, CEO of the bid organization, the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, hopes townspeople will come in droves, making noise and hanging banners, to drum up enthusiasm and excitement, which will hopefully rub off on the decision-makers.
  The others are Chattanooga, TN and St. George, UT.
  If selected, the games will bring 4,500 athletes from 90 countries to the region, said McKenna.
  Like Ironman Lake Placid, the world championships includes swim, bike and run components.
  But the duration of the races will be much different.
  The multi-day event will be held the week following Labor Day, which is typically a quiet week for tourism.
  McKenna estimated a direct spend of $15.4 million.
  "The potential economic impact of this event is tremendous," said North Elba Supervisor Roby Politi in a statement.
  Essex County would get about $616,000 from the four percent sales tax, and about $154,000 from occupancy tax.
  McKenna noted lodging infrastructure development in Clinton, Franklin and Hamilton counties would also see a bump.
  In addition, by being selected, IronMan has a built-in international marketing operation, a measure that will create the most global buzz for the region since the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, McKenna told Essex County lawmakers on Monday.
  He encouraged them to rally their troops.
  While hosting the event comes with costs, McKenna said he remained confident that the state will step up with funding assistance.
  "We think it will be a very positive thing for our area," he said. "The competition is tough, but as a seasoned Ironman race host city, we think we have a very strong chance."
  A decision is expected to be handed down next month.
  Lake Placid has hosted the oldest full-distance Ironman event in the continental United States for 16 years. This year's event, featuring some 2,500 athletes, will take place on July 26.