On July 2, Happy Valley will host the IRONMAN 70.3, a grueling competition showcasing thousands of the regions top athletes. The event is known for it’s true test of endurance, with a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run. The event will allow athletes to witness multiple regions of Centre County, and will end at the 50-yard line in Beaver Stadium. However, the event is only possible through the generous volunteers that make it happen.

The information in this story relates to this course as my client, Happy Valley Hospitality and Adventure Bureau, have blogged about this event in an effort to raise volunteers. The newsmaker in this story would be prospective volunteers as well as the athletes involved in the event. Many athletes that are competing are based in the United States, with some hailing from European countries as well. The publics interested in this story would be all athletes who compete in triathlons, prospective tourists to Happy Valley, and prospective volunteers for the IRONMAN 70.3.

As the PR person for the competing athletes and prospective volunteers, the audiences I would need to concern myself with would be more potential athletes and volunteers. Spokespersons for the event have stated that 1,500 volunteers will be required in order for the event to flourish, and they currently only have a few hundred. This is a positive story for the brand of Happy Valley Hospitality and Adventure Bureau as it demonstrates a unique event for Happy Valley, however, the current lack of volunteers can be viewed as negative. As the PR person, I would focus on social media campaigns in order to add as many volunteers as possible. The current volunteers and athletes can also do the same in order to add as many volunteers and athletes as possible.

The blog post should be a minimum of 400 words describing your personal reactions to the news and what PR folks should do next.

Personally, I love the fact that an event as unique as this one will be taking place in Happy Valley. I will be here over this Summer (2023), and will not only attend parts of the event but am also considering volunteering. PR folks ought to post as many social media posts as possible and should reach out to all Centre County publications. These could include the Daily Collegian, Centre County Times and State College Magazine. Through these efforts, the IRONMAN 70.3 ought to be able to reach their volunteer threshold.

https://dispatch.happyvalley.com/blog/thousands-of-athletes-compete-in-ironman-70-3-pennsylvania-happy-valley-and-thousands-of-volunteers-make-it-possible-heres-how-you-can-help