TEMPE, Ariz. — The area around Tempe Town Lake was packed all day Saturday, as people were either sweating it out on the course or screaming on the sidelines.
All of it was for the Ironman 70.3. That’s 70 miles of running, swimming, and biking.
The breakdown?
Fifty-six miles cycling, 13.1 miles running, 1.2 miles swimming.
The training leading up to a competition like this is intense.
"Ryan trains about 15 to 18 hours a week," one spectator said of his son.
"Probably for the past year honestly, every single day she’s out with a trainer," said another.
Families were motivating, and just plain making fun of their loved ones as they passed by with signs and t-shirts.
"She was 16-years-old here, she absolutely is mortified of this picture from the 90’s so when she’s like getting tired, I can show her this picture and her blood will boil," one friend said of a sign she made.
Supporters were able to track their athletes every step of the way on the Ironman app.
The event ended around 4 p.m. with an award ceremony.
The full Ironman race will be held in Tempe on Nov. 21.
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