JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nearly 2,000 athletes took on Jacksonville’s first full Ironman triathlon Saturday, pushing through scorching heat and a grueling 140.6-mile course that tested even the most seasoned competitors.
Pedro Gomes of Scottsdale, Arizona, crossed the finish line first with a time of 8 hours, 30 minutes and 41 seconds.
Jennifer Sylva of Jacksonville was the first woman to finish, with a total time of 9 hours, 42 minutes, and 14 seconds.
A course that demanded everything
The race covered three legs: a 2.4-mile swim in the St. Johns River, a 112-mile bike ride making two loops through Duval County and St. Johns County, and a 26.2-mile marathon to close it out, covering three loops through downtown and Riverside.
Athletes described the conditions as unforgiving. “I felt like it was really, really hot,” one competitor said. “It started getting really, really hot in the middle of the bike. It was windy. The finish line never came close. It felt like it was never ending. So it really plays mind games with you. But yeah, it was challenging. It was a lot slower than I thought it would be.”
Years of preparation for a landmark event
Jacksonville’s ability to host an event of this scale has been years in the making. Saturday marked the city’s first time welcoming a full Ironman — a milestone that officials say required extensive planning and coordination.
The city has secured the event for at least two more years.
Traffic snarls draw biggest complaints
The loudest criticism of the weekend centered on traffic. Road closures created hours-long backups for residents across both Duval and St. Johns counties.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan acknowledged the frustration and said she plans to address the traffic concerns after gathering feedback from athletes, Ironman organizers, and community members.
“I always wait to get the reviews from the actual athletes, and that’s what I’m waiting to hear,” Deegan said. “All we’ve heard so far is really positive stuff, but I want to get all the feedback and then we’ll see, but so far it seems like it’s going very well.”
The mayor defended the disruption as a worthwhile tradeoff. “I know some people have been a little upset about some of the traffic issues, but as I always say to them, events like this are always going to be a little disruptive for one day, but the return on the investment we get for that is tremendous,” she said. “We’ll try our best to make sure we’re communicating, but I think that one day of disruption is so worth what we get back.”