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Officials announce traffic, parking information ahead of inaugural Springfield half-triathlon

Declaring this "isn't our first rodeo," Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno voiced confidence in the parking and traffic logistics for the inaugural Springfield Ironman half-triathlon on June 11, 2023.
Paul Tuthill
/
WAMC
Declaring this "isn't our first rodeo," Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno voiced confidence in the parking and traffic logistics for the inaugural Springfield Ironman half-triathlon on June 11, 2023.

The competition on June 11th coincides with other entertainment events

Ahead of a busy weekend of events, officials in Springfield, Massachusetts today announced public safety and traffic plans.

There will be temporary street closures beginning Saturday to accommodate the inaugural Springfield Ironman half-triathlon where about 1,500 participants will compete over a 70-mile course that runs through a half-dozen western Massachusetts communities beginning and ending in the city of Springfield.

The event is expected to draw thousands of spectators. Additionally, there are two sold-out concerts by rock superstar Bruno Mars at the MassMutual Center this weekend. On Thursday, when the Ironman athletes and their fans are expected to start checking into their hotel rooms, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have a comedy show scheduled that evening.

Also, it is restaurant week in Springfield.

At a news conference to announce traffic and parking information, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno voiced confidence in the city’s planning for the events.

“This is not our first rodeo,” Sarno said. “Every time we’ve had big events everything has gone very very well and smoothly.”

The Ironman event takes place Sunday, June 11th beginning at 6 a.m. with a 1.2- mile swim in the Connecticut River. That is followed by a 56-mile bicycle race from Springfield through Agawam, Southwick, Granville, Westfield, West Springfield and back to Springfield. It concludes with a 13.1 mile run to the finish line in front of City Hall.

Dave Christen, a regional director with the Ironman competition, said the best locations for spectators will be Riverfront Park and Court Square.

“Bring your lawn chairs, bring your clappers, bring your thundersticks and lets have a good time,” he said.

To accommodate the Ironman event, there will be several temporary partial street closures beginning Saturday. The information is on the city of Springfield’s website along with a map showing the locations of nine public parking garages and lots where officials said there are more than 9,200 spaces.

Springfield police will be highly visible directing traffic and patrolling in the area, said Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood. Two mobile command centers will be operational. Surveillance cameras will monitor the entire triathlon course. The Springfield Fire Department will have boats in the Connecticut River. Staff is being added for the day at the emergency dispatch center.

“Our goal, obviously, throughout all this is to keep everyone safe and make Springfield a very desirable place to come visit,” Clapprood said.

Ironman is expected to generate as much as $5 million in additional economic activity for the region, said Mary Kay Wydra, President of the Greater Springfield Visitors and Convention Bureau.

“As promoters of western Mass, we at the bureau and at our Western Mass Sports Commission couldn’t be more excited,” she said. “An event like this will really put us on the map.”

Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris said her department along with the Ironman event organizers are keeping tabs on the air quality. The smoke that has blanketed the region from wildfires in Canada is expected to dissipate by the weekend.

The record-setting tenure of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. The 2011 tornado and its recovery that remade the largest city in Western Massachusetts. The fallout from the deadly COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Those are just a few of the thousands and thousands of stories WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill has covered for WAMC in his nearly 17 years with the station.