in Their By Marianne Hamilton
About the Author Marianne L. Hamilton is a veteran journalist and marketing writer whose work appears in regional and national publications. When not race walking, hiking, or teaching water aerobics, she is Board Chair of Art Around the Corner and the Special Events Manager for DOCUTAH. She and her husband, Doug, are also co-administrators of the St. George Wine Club and race directors for the Huntsman World Senior Games and National Senior Games. Marianne was crowned Ms. Senior Italy Universe 2019–2020 and the Senior Pageants Group’s 2020–2021 Senior Games Ambassador. She is a proud breast cancer survivor.
As competitors in the 2021 IRONMAN®70.3 World Champ ionship sprint, limp, or crawl across the finish line in September, a very special sight will come into view: The iconic IRONMAN M-Dot logo, glistening in the sunlight, will welcome them at the roundabout at Main and Tabernacle in Historic Downtown St. George. Since its installation in March 2021, the thirteen-foot, nearly 6,000-pound metal sculpture has prompted countless photos, videos, and selfies. And this fall, the monument is sure to become known around the globe.
The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship logo welcomes visitors heading north on Main Street.
When St. George successfully contracted to bring the 70.3 contest to town, the Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office and St. George City staff knew it would be important to have world-class artwork in place for the world-class race. “We live in a land of endurance, and we host one of the most scenic and challenging endurance races on earth,” said Kevin Lewis, Director of the Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office. “Across the globe, this race showcases the characteristics of the area and the enduring qualities of people who live here. This new work of art is a symbol of all that this event means to our community and a tribute to what our community inspires in race participants all over the world. In securing the World Championship, we’re truly being recognized as an IRONMAN destination worldwide, and this piece celebrates that.”
To find the right artist (or artists) to craft the sculpture, Greater Zion and the City of St. George turned to the Art Around the Corner Foundation (AACF), the nonprofit organization that has brought quality public art to St. George for the past seventeen years. AACF was tapped to write a Request for Proposal, which was then distributed to the organization’s network of Utah-based artists. Said Marc Mortensen, City of St. George Support Services Director, “We felt it was appropriate to limit the proposals to artists who reside in our state since our goal is to show off the very best that Utah has to offer during IRONMAN. With the high concentration of creative talent in Utah, we were confident that we’d find the perfect concept.” The bet paid off: A proposal from father-and-son metal artists Richard Prazen, a professor of metal arts at Salt Lake Community College, and Josh Prazen caught the eye of the Greater Zion and City teams, who each contributed $30,000 to commission the work. The Prazens envisioned a four-sided cube, three of which would feature the athletic competitions in the event—swimming, cycling, and running—with the fourth side emblazoned with the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship logo.
“As soon as we saw the preliminary drawing that Rick and Josh submitted and read their description of the piece, we knew it would be a winner,” said Mortensen. “The Prazens planned to use rusted steel to represent our red rocks and mountains, with contrasting stainless steel depicting the athletes and the sky. It was a big, 28 www.saintgeorgewellness.com
