The majestic "Showboat Branson Belle."

The “Ironman 70.3 Branson” triathlon will be held in Branson, Missouri on September 19. It will test the physical fitness and endurance of its triathletes as they compete against each other in swimming, bike racing and running events in an effort to win part of the $25,000 prize money and qualify for the “2010 Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Florida.

Keeping with the Ironman and the triathletes theme and remembering that Branson is often referred to as the “live music show capital of the world,” one could wonder if there would be a place for a “Showman 72.4Z Branson” competition. It would pit some of the world’s best “Showathletes,” those who see multiple Branson shows in a day, against each other in a competition to see who could see the most Branson shows in one day. The winner gets absolutely nothing except one of the most entertaining days they will ever have in their life.

In the spirit of the occasion, Tammy Johnson, Director of Operations for the Branson Tourism Center, (BTC), one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services. said, “Imagine the challenge, so many shows and just one day. If I wanted to see as many Branson Shows as possible in one day, I would start at www.BransonOnTheWeb.com (BOTW) because it has Branson’s best search engine, not only for shows but for attractions and lodging too.”

With just a few mouse clicks Showathletes or anyone else, can quickly generate a list of shows sorted by date and time. The BOTW search for September 18, the day before the “Ironman 70.3 Branson” lists dozens of live shows of every type from which Showathletes could pick. One competitor might start the first leg of the competition with The Twelve Irish Tenors at 10 a.m. followed by NOAH the Musical at 1:00 p.m., the Showboat Branson Belle at 4:00 p.m. and Jim Stafford at 8 p.m. Another might start with Down Home Country at 10 a.m. followed by Yakov Smirnoff at 2:00 p.m., Dixie Stampede at 4:40 p.m. and the Acrobats of China at 8 p.m. The variety of choices of Branson’s live shows are almost endless.

Now this writer will be the first to admit that there will probably never be a “Showman 72.4Z Branson” competition and if there was there would be many winners in terms of the maximum number of shows a competitor can fit into one day. “Even at that though,” said Johnson with a twinkle in her eye, “It’s a win for everyone because each competitor would have had an exciting fun filled day of  great Branson live entertainment.”

For additional information or tickets for any of the shows mentioned in this article or any of Branson’s other shows and attractions or for lodging arrangements please contact the Branson Tourism Center. They can be reached by either calling their toll free number 1-800-785-1550 or through their website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.