Clearwater Beach Hosts First Athleta Iron Girl Event Sunday

The Athleta Iron Girl is a series of races designed for women who either want to push themselves to endurance limits, or just see if they have what it takes to complete a marathon-type event.

And girls of all ages will get their chance to test their toughness starting at 7 a.m. Sunday as the race debuts at Clearwater Beach.

About 3,000 women will run the half-mile marathon course that begins and ends at Pier 60. A 5K race that loops around Memorial Causeway.

The Iron Girl kicks of the national race series. What began in 2004 with two events has grown into a 13 race series, with different events taking place all over the country.

Clearwater has been preparing to host this Iron Girl for the last two years, as the half marathon will be Athleta’s initial foray into a race of that length.

The unique thing about the events is that they are for women only. This allows the entrants to compete in a more relaxed atmosphere. In fact, mother/daughter teams are even welcome to participate in the 5K race.

Prizes are awarded for the top three finishers in each age group, and each runner receives a medal and a goodie bag.

For spectators, the course will be lined with entertainment zones that feature DJs playing motivational songs by request.

Traffic should be pretty heavy, so shuttle buses will run to and from the beach to help alleviate the congestion.

Participants can still sign up to compete in either race. Entrants must be at least 14-years-old to run in the marathon.

Visit Iron Girl.com for more information.