North Carolina location beats Hilton Head in race for Ironman

Hilton Head's loss was Wilmington's gain.

Only hours after informing Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce officials that an Ironman race wouldn't be coming to the Lowcountry in 2016, the World Triathlon Corp. announced on its website, Ironman.com, that the group had purchased the Beach2Battleship triathlon in Wilmington, N.C.

The event will be renamed Ironman North Carolina, and registration for the Oct. 22, 2016, event will open Friday.

"It's certainly a hotspot for triathlon and a hotspot for us," Steve Meckfessel, managing director of global race operations for Ironman, told the Wilmington Star-News. "From the first of May through end of year, we have races in this region. All of our races are sold to capacity, and we've been looking off and on for 18 months for the next host community for one of our races.

"(We had) gotten pretty far along with some potential deals, but we thought from a timing perspective it would be a good idea to reach out here ... and acquire instead of launching a brand new event."

One of those potential deals was with Hilton Head.

According to Meckfessel, Ironman had been negotiating with Wilmington for about six months. That roughly coincides with the timing of Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner's concerns about the race route being made public.

"We'd been engaged with Hilton Head with the hope of securing permits and community support for the event," Meckfessel said. "We'd been grinding away with the hope of securing a race in Hilton Head and Bluffton.

"But it was a rocky road in respect to getting all the permits and certainly in respect to addressing the sheriff in regards to road closures. When we felt six months ago the support for the road closures wasn't there, we had a decision to make."

Ultimately, he said, the fact that Wilmington had successfully held a race for eight years made it a better option in light of the traffic concerns of Hilton Head and Bluffton.

The event was expected to bring thousands of racers and family members to the area and estimated to inject $10 million a year over five years into the local economy.

Hilton Head Island town Councilman Bill Harkins said Ironman's decision is a huge loss for the community.

"It's probably incalculable," Harkins said. "The Ironman activity, historically for a venue like Hilton Head, will draw from 26 countries and draw active participants from every state in the country. On balance, the runners come from all walks of life, but their average income is above $100,000."

Harkins said the average competitor brings two or more family members, enough to fill all the hotel rooms on the island in the days before and after the race.

But the race isn't just about the business. Harkins said the event would have showcased the community, particularly the participation of volunteers from all walks of life.

"The money is important," he said, "but ultimately the other things are more important."

Harkins disputed many of Tanner's arguments, particularly the facts surrounding the closing of U.S. 278. He said it was in the contract with Ironman that there would be safe access on 278 for emergency vehicles and no one would be trapped in their community, even during the race.

Meckfessel said Ironman is more than open to coming back to the Lowcountry when it comes time to add another race in the Southeast.

"We love the location, the Hilton Head brand, the accessibility off I-95, the number of athletes in the area," Meckfessel said. "It aligns well with us and aligns well with what we're looking for."

Bill Miles, the CEO and president of the Hilton Head/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, hasn't given up hope, either.

"I would certainly like to think and hope that the possibility of it still happening in the future might come to fruition," Miles said Wednesday.

But some are not as optimistic.

Without some changes, GoTriSports' Alfred Olivetti, a proponent of the race, doesn't feel like things can move forward.

"I think the likelihood of events of this scale or economic impact without a change in attitude is not good," he said Wednesday. "The arguments (the sheriff) has are valid and legit, but that's his job. He needs to do his job like every other public official."

"The position that I have as sheriff is to ensure public safety," Tanner said on Wednesday. "Based on my career here in Beaufort County, this event was too big of a challenge for our road network to handle."

Ultimately, Meckfessel had good things to say about Hilton Head's effort.

"As far as the other community partners, I've never had such a satisfying experience that I've had with Hilton Head," Meckfessel said. "It was an enjoyable yet challenging negotiation. I love the spirit of Hilton Head. That will resonate for years. And when the next opportunity rolls around, two or three years from now, we will certainly call on Hilton Head."

Follow sports editor Mike McCombs on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBGsports.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 7:13 PM with the headline "North Carolina location beats Hilton Head in race for Ironman."