Santa Rosa officials tout $20 million in benefits from Ironman series, complaints drop sharply

The Ironman race series hosted by Santa Rosa wrapped up its third year Saturday, marking what city officials called the smoothest event yet, while some residents continue to question the community value and inconvenience of street closures and traffic delays.

About 2,100 participants began the swim, bicycle and footrace early Saturday, with nearly 2,000 of them crossing the finish line in Old Courthouse Square, said race director Dave Reid. The large triathlon requires a number of temporary road closures primarily in downtown Santa Rosa, creating delays and for some motorists an unexpected annoyance prolonging their weekend commutes.

“Our Chalk Hill (Road) drive into Windsor on Saturday morning was nearly 30 minutes versus a normal 12 minutes,” said Ron Williams, of Santa Rosa. “I don’t believe the soft numbers on benefits are worth the disruption to residents.”

He added that the Ironman represents just two of three such countywide endurance events annually when including the Levi’s GranFondo cycling ride. Others on social media complained about their race’s impact on their weekend plans.

But county business leaders and race organizers say the impacts are a small price to pay for the substantial economic boost Ironman has provided in the first several years of a five-year contract.

In 2018, the 70.3-mile race resulted in more than 8,500 visitors to the county, including competitors and family members, according to an economic impact report sponsored by the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber. That led to more than $11 million in total financial gain, which, when combined with the $9 million from the full 140-mile race each May, totals roughly $20 million in local spending and makes any irritation worth it, business representatives say.

“Unequivocally yes. We certainly recognize it’s a bit of a headache for some people, but it provides such a tremendous benefit,” said Peter Rumble, CEO of the Santa Rosa Chamber. “It’s legitimately people coming in from out of the area and injecting a significant amount of money into the community.”

For comparison, the worldwide draw of Russian River Brewing’s annual Pliny the Younger release has an economic impact over its two-week run estimated this year at $4.2 million. The boost from Ironman is five times greater in just two days, officials said.

Some local hotels and restaurants say the extra spending clearly came their way.

“Oh yeah, we were packed,” server Shovanny Delgado said of post-race patronage at Gerard’s Paella in downtown Santa Rosa. “It was a pretty crazy event.”

Each year, the Ironman Foundation charitable arm also kicks down thousands of dollars in grants to groups, from nonprofits to high school athletics programs, that volunteer on race day. It makes donations to local initiatives, as well.

Over three years, those charitable contributions have topped $300,000 in Sonoma County, said Reid, including $70,000-plus in cash and in-kind pledges for 2019.

Before the full-distance race in May the foundation partnered with in a restoration project along an area of Mark West Creek affected by the Tubbs fire in October 2017.

“Certainly the general member of the public may not see the direct benefit, but we see it as being in the community and trying to be good neighbors,” said Reid. “And between the two events, the economic impact trickles down into the community as people spend a lot of money with local businesses.”

Sales tax paid on goods and services, and the tax on hotel stays, goes toward funding services across the county, from road maintenance to public safety salaries, said Raissa de la Rosa, Santa Rosa’s economic development manager. Ironman also covers the overtime cost of having Santa Rosa police officers who work the event and manage traffic flow.

Ironman’s contracts for other services, including food suppliers and lodging providers, expand the event’s economic benefit, de la Rosa noted.

“This is something that is pretty far-reaching,” she said. “It honestly sells out hotel rooms and helps small businesses, plus a number of contracts with locally owned businesses that benefit from this.”

The first year of the race series under the Ironman banner, in 2017, resulted in what she described as complaints from residents - in calls and emails - in the triple digits, de la Rosa said. This year, featuring an identical course from 2018, only 35 complaints came in leading up to the Saturday event, she said.

One collision between a motorist and a triathlete took place on the bicycle course, when the driver veered onto the closed course, around cones and hit the competitor, who suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital, said Santa Rosa police Sgt. Summer Gloeckner. Even so, she agreed the second year of the same course helped to alleviate resident stress and allow officers to work on small adjustments to improve traffic flows where possible.

“Overall, it was a really successful event,” she said. “It does impact traffic, but for two days out of the year we do our best and there’s always an alternate route that may just take longer to get there and require a little more patience. But again, there’s always a way to get where you’re going if you just plan it out a little in advance.”

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin Fixler at 707-521-5336 or kevin.fixler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kfixler.