ASU East senior Kyle Biggs is gearing himself up for a little running, biking and swimming this weekend ... 140.6 miles to be exact.
Biggs is participating in the Ironman Arizona Triathlon on Saturday, an event for which he's spent the last three months training.
He is one of more than 2,000 athletes to participate in Tempe's first Ironman Triathlon. The city has signed an agreement with Ironman for five races over the next five years.
"We're hoping for many more after that," said Travis Dray, event supervisor for Tempe.
Dray said Tempe is expecting 10,000 to 20,000 spectators throughout the day. The race begins at 7 a.m. and goes until midnight, giving participants 17 hours to complete the course. But the average time, Biggs said, is 12 to 13 hours.
The athletes are competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, in October. The 61 professional athletes racing Saturday are also competing for $75,000 in prize money, Dray said.
"My time goal is about 12:30," Biggs said. "Just to finish, I'll be pretty happy."
"I don't plan to break any record," he added.
Biggs said Tempe Ironman is his first triathlon, but he has competed in two half Ironman races.
"The full-length is the next distance for me to try."
The course includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.
The swim will take place in Tempe Town Lake, where athletes will swim a loop around the perimeter of the lake starting east of the Mill Avenue bridges. The run and bike ride will both take place on pre-plotted courses along East Valley streets.
Motorists should expect traffic delays throughout downtown and surrounding areas. Partial lane closures will cause slowing along Mill Avenue, Curry Road, Third Street, McClintock Drive, McKellips Road, Alma School Road, McDowell Road, Beeline Highway, Oak Street, North Center Street, North Mesa Drive, North Canal Bank Road and Gilbert Road.
For a complete list of closures and delays, go to www.ironmanarizona.com.
Reach the reporter at emilia.arnold@asu.edu.
