PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. The Gulf Coast Ironman took to the streets of Panama City Beach on Saturday.

Race officials said the efforts of volunteers behind the scenes made today a success for everyone involved.

For participants in the 70.3-mile race, crossing that finish line is the end goal. However, what happens after they cross the finish line? Volunteers are there ready to assist them in whatever way. Whether that means helping them get hydrated, or fed, or assessing any potential medical concerns. One finish line captain has met racers ‘ finish line needs for 13 years. Letters Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive fills local food banks “The athletes as they come across the finish line. There is a few different stations that they have to stop to get their medal, their hats, potentially a T-shirt, get their timing chip removed, and just to make sure that it’s a smooth process for them once they’ve put in all the hard work to do what they’re doing to run this race,” Ironman finish line captain Toni Owens said. While Owens’ finish line duties didn’t change this race, the course did. Race officials had been monitoring weather conditions all week, and Saturday morning, they made some gametime or racetime decisions. 1800 athletes participated in the race, but unfortunately, the swim portion was cancelled. “We make all our decisions based on safety at the last possible minute. So this morning around 4:00, we figured it wasn’t going to be ideal conditions for our athletes, our volunteers to make it safely out there and take care of things properly. So we made a conscious decision based on Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Panama City Beach Police. Our experts and our water safety folks to make a very well-educated call to cancel the swim, unfortunately,” Visit PCB Gulf Coast Ironman director Ben Rausa said. Rausa says they notified the athletes before the start of the race, and the adjustment went smoothly. No traffic or race timelines were affected.