Ironman: do people who run for fun alter community-level crime occurrence?

The Ironman Triathlon is a globally recognized event; however, there is a lack of research concerning its influence on crime in host cities. This study examines the extent to which the Ironman Triathlon, as a multi-day and mobile event, influences crime across and within the host city. Using city-wide and census tract-level crime data surrounding the May and September 2019 Ironman Competitions held in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) analyses explore the potential temporary effects of the event. Results indicate city wide changes in crime, as well as tract-specific effects, but most achieved only marginal statistical significance, and all were limited to the May event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]