The Ironman 70.3 triathlon is returning to Central New York, according to Musselman Triathlon co-race director Bob Giardini.

Ironman, which is owned by the World Triathlon Corporation, bought the rights to put on the Musselman Triathlon in Geneva, Giardini told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.

The World Triathlon’s purchase of the rights means Central New York will now have an Ironman-branded race. The Syracuse Ironman 70.3 was discontinued in 2018.

The Musselman is a three-day event held in the second weekend in July that culminates with the 70.3 event, which includes a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run. The 2019 edition of the Musselman, which concluded Sunday, marked the 16th year the event has operated.

Two races will be offered in 2020 including a sprint distance on Saturday, July 18 , 2020 and the 70.3 on Sunday, July 19, 2020 according to a release issued by Ironman. The swim start and finish line will still be within Seneca Lake State Park, as well as Ironman Village which houses athlete check-in, pre-race briefings, and the Ironman merchandise store.

Giardini said the rights were sold to World Triathlon because he felt his organization couldn’t expand the race anymore.

“We didn’t have the breadth to grow this race,” he said.

He believes the World Triathlon can build the race.

The Musselman was individually owned for the first 11 years it existed by Jeff Henderson of Geneva. It has been owned by Score This, a corporation based in Buffalo, for the last five years.

Local organizations have benefited from over $160,000 in donations since the inception of the race, including at the forefront, the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva.

Giardini is hopeful the event will still generate money for the community.

At the Musselman Triathlon on Sunday, postcards were handed out that marketed the Ironman in Lake Placid on Sept. 8 and referenced the new Ironman Musselman 70.3 at the bottom of the card. Lake Placid was one of the closest Ironman events to Syracuse after the triathlon was discontinued.

The Syracuse triathlon included a 1.2-mile swim in Jamesville Reservoir, a 56-mile bike ride through parts of three counties and a 13.1-mile run in and out of Jamesville Beach County Park.

At the time the event was discontinued, Ironman encouraged triathletes to compete in its Lake Placid and Maryland events.