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SPRINGFIELD — Rain and its accompanying sewer overflows put a stop to the swim portion of the Ironman 70.3 Western Massachusetts on Sunday.
It is the second time the 1.2-mile swim in the Connecticut River was canceled because of high bacteria levels in the water caused by sewage overflows that took place after Saturday night thunderstorms.
The run and bike portions of the race continued as planned.
“Unfortunately from a weather perspective, it is hard to control that,” Roland Nel, race director, said. “We were disappointed, but a lot of the athletes stopped and said, ‘We thank you.’ We will always make sure the health and safety of the athletes is foremost.”
But for some, the second cancelation in four years of the race is giving them second thoughts about returning.
“I’m concerned about the swim. It’s been canceled two times now,” said Emerson Kiefer, of Hartford, Connecticut, who finished third and is a member of the Top Gunz training team. “The run, that is my strongest discipline. … The bike was great. It was beautiful."
Race organizers told competitions that all qualifying slots would be awarded based on the bike and run portions.
The Ironman brand is owned by the same company as The Republican and MassLive.com.
Stay tuned for additional coverage at masslive.com.
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