Great Falls may be host to the Ironman race for the next three summers.

The Great Falls Tourism Business Improvement District is proposing to host the annual event in and around Great Falls on Aug. 15, 2027, Aug. 13, 2028 and Aug. 12, 2029.

City Commissioners approved a support services agreement with the TBID, with the TBID as host, during their Oct. 6 meeting.

The agreement does not guarantee the race will occur as the TBID has a separate host venue agreement with World Triathlon Corporation, the Ironman organizers, and more details are yet to be finalized, Rebecca Engum, director of Great Falls Montana Tourism and Central Montana Tourism, told The Electric earlier this month.

City considering agreement with TBID to potentially host Ironman race

The Convention and Visitors Bureau and TBID boards approved moving forward with a host venue agreement on Sept. 24, contingent on city commission support.

The agreement “establishes a three-year framework for planning and reimbursing city support,” according to the city staff report, and does not approve a particular course, road closures, permits, use of city property or personnel.

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For each event year, the TBID must submit operational plans, identify funding and work with the appropriate city departments on an annual service plan, according to the staff report.

“Only services expressly approved in an executed plan will be committed,” according to the city staff report.

The TBID is the local lead entity for hosting Ironman events and is responsible for “planning, producing, staffing, financing, and conducting the events, including services outside an approved city plan and coordination with agencies or property owners outside city jurisdiction,” according to the city staff report.

During the Oct. 6 city commission meeting, Aaron Weissman, owner of Teriyaki Madness, supported the Ironman, saying it would bring thousands of athletes, teams and families to Great Falls.

He said the event has a projected $18 million local economic impact and the opportunity is larger than one race.

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Weissman said it would put the Great Falls community in a small group of regional Ironman hosts and bring people who might not have otherwise visited.

“I believe this can benefit Great Falls not only during race week but also for years afterward,” Weissman said.

He said local businesses need the lift as they’re facing rising costs, inflation, and lower sales than 2024, which forces staffing reductions.

Mayor Cory Reeves said the Ironman would be “awesome for the community,” and commissioners voted unanimously to approve the agreement with TBID.

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The Park and Recreation Advisory Board was scheduled to consider a letter of support for the Ironman event during its Oct. 12 meeting but didn’t have a quorum and Jim Sergeant said he was told by the mayor that it was a done deal and the city didn’t need the letter.

During the meeting, Jessica Compton, deputy Park and Recreation director, said that the department director, Toby Hazelbaker was on the committee involved with organizing the event and would share the route at a later date.

The plan is for a full-distance Ironman triathalon, which includes:

• 26.2-mile run
• 2.4-mile swim
• 112-mile bike ride

She said that Gibson and Elks Riverside parks would likely be used for staging and an athletes’ village and the Mansfield Convention Center was being considered for a racer’s dinner.

Compton told the board that volunteers would be needed.

Engum told The Electric earlier this month that Tourism is working with multiple public agencies and entities to help bring Ironman to town, including the Montana Department of Transportation, Cascade County, Teton County, City of Fairfield, Lewis and Clark County, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana Highway Patrol and Northwestern Energy, among others.

Engum said discussions have been happening for the last four months and they’re working on development agreements with each partner depending on their role.

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Great Falls Montana Tourism will pay the annual licensing fee to host an Ironman event and will also cover other associated costs so that local government agencies will not incur costs, Engum said.

Great Falls Montana Tourism has committed to investing $530,000 the first year, $539,330 the second year and $552,339 the third year, assuming the first year meets specific expectations including marketing, visitation and work burden, Engum told The Electric.

Engum said the hope is that the event brings a significant number of people to Great Falls, which would fill hotel rooms and those visitors would spend money in local restaurants and shops.

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Coeur d’Alene also hosts an Ironman event and Engum said Great Falls has more hotel rooms than the lake town.

St. George, Utah, a city of about 95,000 about an hour from Zion National Park, hosted its last Ironman event in 2025.

Engum said hosting Ironman had helped land the area on the PGA and LPGA tours.

Local officials estimated that the race averaged about 1,800 competitors, according to local reporting.

Cour d’Alene hosts a half-distance race and last year had about 1,100 participants, according to local reporting and the Lake Placid full race this summer included 2,237 finishers in the race’s official results.

For comparison, the number of registered participants in the local Icebreaker race in downtown Great Falls each April, according to Park and Rec, was:

• 2026: 2,424
• 2025: 2439
• 2024: 2515
• 2023: 2242

Under the agreement between the city and TBID, city personnel remain under city control and may be reassigned for emergencies or public needs.

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The agreement requires the TBID to obtain the World Triathlon Corporation’s limited joinder, which addresses the organization’s compliance, insurance, indemnification, and inability to commit city resources, but WTC does not become a general party to the agreement between the city and the TBID.

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The agreement requires the TBID to reimburse the city for actual costs attributable to each event at city-established rates that wouldn’t have otherwise been incurred.

Those costs include, according to the city staff report:

• applicable regular and overtime personnel costs
• vehicles and equipment
• supplies
• contracted services
• permit or facility charges
• event-caused damage
• directly attributable administrative costs (capped at 10 percent of direct costs)

The annual plan will itemize anticipated services, rates, a not-to-exceed amount, and any advance payment or security, which may not exceed 25 percent of the city’s estimated costs.

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Under the agreement, the city must obtain TBID approval before exceeding the approved budget, except for bona fide public-safety emergency costs.

Annual estimated costs aren’t yet available until the annual service plan is developed, according to the city.

City police, fire, public works, park and recreation and legal were involved in drafting and negotiating the proposed agreement and will review proposed city services during the annual planning process, according to the city.

During the city Park and Recreation Advisory Board’s July and August meetings, staff and the board discussed the potential Ironman events.

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Toby Hazelbaker, Park and Rec director, said in August that it wasn’t a sure thing until the city received a full proposal on cost estimates.

“We don’t quite understand what their costs are,” he said.

During the July meeting, Hazelbaker said that the Ironman group had come to look at Great Falls recently for a potential race.

“They were enamored with town,” he said.