Ironman UK, Bolton’s annual three-day weekend of sport in July, will not take place this year, organisers have announced.
The event will now take place next year, with the Night Run on July 2, the Ironkids event on July 3 and the Ironman UK triathlon on July 4, 2021.
For full information see https://www.ironman.com/im-uk
Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr David Greenhalgh, said: “Events all around the world are being affected by the coronavirus and we fully support Ironman’s decision.
“In the current situation it is absolutely the right thing to do – public safety has to be the priority.
“We understand that people will be disappointed. The Ironman weekend is one of the biggest sporting events in our region, and along with the Food and Drink Festival it’s one of the best weekends in the year for our town.
“Athletes train so hard for the triathlon, the children love Ironkids and the Night Run was so popular last year.
“To everyone who was going to take part this year – we hope to see you next year and we promise we will work with Ironman to make next year’s events the best yet.”
He added: “We want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding."
The triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim in Pennington Flash, a 112-mile bike ride in and around Bolton, finishing with a marathon into Bolton town centre.
The borough has been home to the country’s longest running Ironman race for the past 11years and a total of 3,500 children were registered for Ironkids this year.
Night Run is a 5k fun run for all ages and it took place for the first-time last year.