See the route and road closures for Ironman 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley 

Ironman 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley is back for its third year, as thousands of athletes and volunteers are getting set for Sunday’s race.

The event will begin 7 a.m. Sunday morning with a 1.2-mile swim in Foster Sayers Reservoir in Bald Eagle State Park, followed by a 56-mile bike ride to State College and a 13.1-mile run through Penn State’s campus. Top athletes are expected to start crossing the finish line around 10:45 a.m., and the full race is expected to finish around 4 p.m.

In previous years, the finish line was located on the 50-yard line of the football field, but it will be moved outside of the stadium to Curtin Road due to Beaver Stadium’s ongoing renovations.

Around 1,500 athletes participated in last year’s race, according to Eric Engelbarts, the executive director of the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance. Engelbarts said Tuesday there are about 1,100 athletes registered so far, and he’s hoping to approach last year’s total by this weekend.

Below are more details about the race’s route, as well as road closures.

Swimming (1.2 miles)

The race will begin at 7 a.m., with athletes staggering their entrances into the water with a rolling start. They’ll swim in a loop around Foster Sayers Reservoir that features two right turns. Each athlete will have 1 hour and 10 minutes to complete the swimming portion.

Bicycling (56 miles)

Next, the athletes will hop on their bicycles and head toward Beaver Stadium. Along the way, they’ll pass through Mill Hall, Hublersburg, Centre Hall and other towns. Below is the turn-by-turn directions.

• Right out of transition on Main Park Road

• U-Turn on Main Park Road

• Right on North Eagle Valley Road/Highway 150

• Right on Beach Creek Ave

• Right on North Water Street/State Route 64 Nittany Valley Drive

• Right on Jacksonville Road

• Left on Hubler Ridge Road

• Right on State Route 64/Nittany Valley Drive

• Continue Route 64/East College Avenue

• Left South Harrison Road

• Left on South Main Street/Route 144

• Right on West Church Street/Upper Brush Valley Road

• Right on Linden Hall Road

• Right on Boalsburg Road

• Left on East Branch Road

• Right on South Atherton Street

• Right on University Drive

• Right on Dauer Drive

• Right on Commuter Drive

• Finish at Beaver Stadium

Running (13.1 miles)

Finally, the athletes will run two laps around Penn State’s campus, finishing the race on Curtin Road outside of Beaver Stadium. Here’s the full route:

• Exit Transition toward Dauer Road

• Turn left on Dauer Drive

• Turn right on Commuter Drive

• Turn right on Curtin Road

• Turn left into Beaver Stadium

• Turn right onto West Shore Home Field

• Turn right to exit Beaver Stadium

• Turn right onto Curtin Road

• Turn right at Curtin Road

• Make U-Turn on Curtin Road at The Nittany Lion Shrine

• Turn left on Curtin Road

• Turn right on Bigler Road

• Turn right on Pollock Road

• Turn right on West Campus Drive

• Make U-Turn on West Campus Drive

• Turn left on North Barnard Street

• Continue straight onto Pollock Drive

• Turn right on Pattee Mall

• Turn right on Pollock Drive

• Turn right on Mifflin Road

• Turn left on McKean Road

• Turn right on Hastings Road

• Turn left on University Drive

• Turn right on Dauer Drive

• (Begin Lap 2), repeat above path

• (To finish) Turn left on Commuter Drive, then turn right on Curtin Road

Road closures

This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

Sam Woloson

Centre Daily Times

Sam Woloson is a news intern for the Centre Daily Times. He graduated from Penn State in May 2025, where he spent time as a football reporter and the managing editor of The Daily Collegian.