Ironman Kalmar has been a yearly occurrence in the city of Kalmar, Sweden for ten years after the previous race, Järnmannen, was picked up by the Ironman organisation. After the takeover, the event has gone from being a national success to being an even greater international success which is shown by the result of Ironmans participation surveys where each year Ironman Kalmar is at the top of many categories. The reason for this can be connected to many different aspects of the race but mainly the proud citizens of the town and their welcoming aura and place attachment, which is present in many parts of the race, from the unique landmarks incorporated into to the course and the first-timers who’ve never done an Ironman before, to the tens of thousands of people in the crowd being present through most of the course cheering for the participants.