Waco’s First Ironman a Success Despite Swimming Cancelation

News 10 is reporting that Waco's first ever Ironman registered more than 3,000 participants on Sunday.

The Ironman was originally supposed to start on Saturday with the swimming portion set to take place in the Brazos River, however, recent rain and concerns over water cleanliness caused officials to cancel the swimming leg of the race altogether.

"Due to heavy rain and flooding that Waco and the surrounding areas in Texas have recently experienced, IRONMAN and local city officials have determined that in the interest of athlete safety, it is necessary to cancel the swim portion of the 2018 Bicycle World Texas IRONMAN 70.3 Waco triathlon," a statement said

Some participants were disappointed in the inability to complete the swimming portion of the Ironman.

"Bittersweet. I was looking forward to doing this one because it is part of the Ironman experience. But, the water is a little cold and murky. So, you know, safety comes first," Heather Buchanan said.

Despite the cancelation, the race went off without a hitch to the delight of everyone involved.

"I loved it,” said women's first-place finisher HaleyChura. “The volunteers were incredible. I mean it’s a first-year race, so you probably have a lot of first-time volunteers and they were so good on the bike and the run. And that was really really nice. I mean you never know what you're going to get with a first-time race, but Waco, you know, they hit it out of the park.”