44 states, 12 countries represented at 46th annual IRONMAN 70.3 Muncie triathlon

SELMA, Ind. — Thousands of people descended upon Delaware County on Saturday, July 12, for the annual Muncie IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon.

First held in 1980 under the name Muncie Endurathon, this year's IRONMAN marked the 46th annual triathlon in Muncie and the 15th under the IRONMAN 70.3 banner. With over 700 athletes participating in the race and hundreds of spectators, Prairie Creek Park was buzzing from before sunrise until awards were presented at 3:30 p.m.

Like most IRONMAN events, Muncie drew athletes from all over the United States — and a few from outside it. Forty-four U.S. states and 12 different countries (not including the U.S.) were represented among this year's athletes.

"People don't know what to expect, you know, because a lot of people have never been in the great Midwest here," race director Ken High said. "There's a few things they are always amazed about: a lot of corn, a lot of beans, and how friendly everybody is. We send out a pretty robust athlete survey afterwards, and every single time, the positive comments are about the volunteers, the local people."

The mid-July weather was tough, but not overwhelming. Temperatures stayed in the mid-to-high 80s, and the heat index peaked at 96, according to the National Weather Service. According to High, there were very few, if any, medical issues despite the heat and strenuous nature of the race.

The race began at 6:30 a.m. with a 1.2 mile swim in the Prairie Creek Reservoir. The swim was followed by 56 miles of biking, and the athletes finished by running a half-marathon of 13.1 miles. One thing that separates Muncie's course from other IRONMAN events is the fact that the bike and run courses are closed to vehicular traffic until the race is completed, creating a safer and less mentally taxing environment for the athletes.

Bryan Mooney of Boulder, Colo., was the overall men's title winner, finishing with a time of 4:03:59. Born and raised in Oak Park, Ill., and a graduate of Indiana University, he cherished the opportunity to return to the Midwest. Mooney had raced the Muncie course twice before and finished second both times, but the third time proved to be a charm for him.

"To come back a third time and take the win, it means a lot," Mooney said. "It was a super hot, tough day, especially those last six miles in the run was a real struggle, but happy to make it to the finish line first and take the tape."

The overall women's title winner was Victoria Feng of San Francisco, Calif., who finished in 4:42:20 for her first overall win. Unlike Mooney, Feng had never raced the Muncie course, and the Indiana heat was a different beast compared to the mild summers of northern California, but she fought through the heat in uncharted territory for a successful day.

"I'm really happy," Feng said. "I came here just to kind of test myself in the heat. I've never really explored Indiana, Indianapolis or Muncie. Everyone was so nice, and it was a great time. I feel like when I race in California, I can recognize some of the names, but here, I just didn't know what the girls were going to be like. Everyone was super strong, and the vibes were just amazing."

Both Mooney and Feng raced in and won the 25-29 age divisions for their respective genders. The top age-graded times were Emmanuel Iodice of Argentina for the men, who ran 4:06:19 in the 40-44 age division for an age-graded time of 3:48:09, and Julia Weisbecker of St. Paul, Minn., for the women, who ran 5:12:41 in the 55-59 age division for an age-graded time of 4:33:29.

Contact Cade Hampton via email at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: 44 states, 12 countries represented at IRONMAN 70.3 Muncie triathlon