LAKE TAHOE — Ironman Lake Tahoe, set in one of the world’s premier vacation destinations, will offer athletes a beautiful, challenging experience in a picturesque venue. The inaugural event is scheduled for Sept. 22, 2013, and will be the first full-distance Ironman event in California since 2001.

“Lake Tahoe’s natural beauty and experience in hosting world-class endurance events have made it one of the world’s most appealing sports destinations,” said Steve Meckfessel, managing director of Global Race Operations for WTC. “The launch of a full-distance Ironman event in California has been a long time coming. We’re confident this race will develop into a cornerstone of the global Ironman series.”

The race will start with a two-loop, 2.4-mile swim in the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe at King’s Beach, which has an average water temperature of 65 to 70 degrees in September. Athletes will enjoy a lakeside transition before starting a two-loop, 112-mile bike course that is comparable in difficulty to the bike routes at Ironman Lake Placid, Ironman Canada and Ironman Wisconsin. Cyclists will travel along the lake into Tahoe City before following the Truckee River past Squaw Valley and into the town of Truckee. From there, the course turns south back toward Lake Tahoe, has a short loop in Martis Camp, continues past Northstar and climbs to Brockway Summit. After a descent back down to Kings Beach, athletes will complete a second loop, and then a final, flat 17 miles to finish the bike course at Squaw Valley. With a transition at Squaw, runners will proceed along the Truckee River bike path into Tahoe City, and continue south along the shores of Lake Tahoe to a turnaround in historic Homewood, Calif. The largely flat run course finishes along the cobbled corridors of the Village at Squaw Valley.

Ironman Lake Tahoe will be a P-2000 race with a $75,000 professional prize purse. Additionally, the race will offer 50 age group slots to the 2014 Ironman World Championship taking place on Oct. 11, 2014.

Registration for the inaugural Ironman Lake Tahoe is now open online at www.ironmanlaketahoeCA.com. For more information on the Ironman brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Athlete inquiries may be directed to laketahoe@ironman.com.