CAMBRIDGE — Ironman triathlon organizers announced last week that after assessing event scenarios, “and to best meet the needs of our athletes and the Cambridge community, we are pleased to share the 2020 Ironman 70.3 Eagleman triathlon is now scheduled to take place on September 19, 2020 and will be held in conjunction with the 2020 Select Blinds Ironman Maryland (IMMD) triathlon.”

Athletes that are registered for the event will be receiving an email with further information. If you have additional questions, please contact eagleman70.3@ironman.com. While we are prevented from holding the event on the original date, we are looking forward to providing athletes with an exceptional race experience in the future.

“Now that the official announcement has come out, let me address some of your questions/concerns about sharing the day with Eagleman,” Race Director Angie Hengst said on May 12. “First, know that your race will remain virtually unchanged. Eagleman is the event that needed to be moved and therefore Eagleman will look different this year so that it can fit within the IMMD footprint.”

As for athlete numbers, Ms. Hengst said, “We will not be racing two full events (which would equal over 4,000 athletes). Realistically, we expect around 2,500, total, which is well within our athlete cap for any individual race and what we know the course and community can handle. Neither race was sold out going into this and there will be a percentage of Eagleman athletes that defer or transfer their slot.

“Finally, expect this and all races in the COVID-19 world we are now living in to look and operate differently than you’re used to. As with all events, we will adhere to all state/local directives regarding our ability to race and will continue to monitor these in the coming months. Do know we are taking community safety and the CDC recommendations very seriously and will be implementing changes and protocols to make sure all athletes, volunteers, staff and residents remain safe.”