Imogen Simmonds (SUI) And Andi Boecherer (DEU) Put in Top Performances During IRONMAN VR8 Pro Challenge

May 25, 2020

- Over 18,000 athletes from 132 nations registered to compete in IRONMAN VR8 - IRONMAN Virtual Club platform reaches 100,000 members from around the globe looking to prove #AnywhereIsPossible

TAMPA, Fla. (May 23, 2020) – The eighth edition of the IRONMAN^® VR™ Pro Challenge saw four professional women and four professional men battle on a 40 km portion of the newly offered IRONMAN Arizona bike course utilizing Official Virtual Cycling partner ROUVY’s augmented reality. After the conclusion of an exciting day of racing, Imogen Simmonds of Switzerland claimed top honors in women’s race while Andi Boecherer of Germany topped the podium in men’s competition.

During IRONMAN VR8 Pro Challenge, a single-day event held on Saturday, four professional women and four professional men, took to their trainers looking to stake their claim as champion. On race morning, the professional women started with a three-minute lead on the professional men’s athletes. The first professional woman and top professional man that crossed the finish line first would earn the victory as IRONMAN VR8 Pro Challenge champion.

In the women’s professional race, Imogen Simmonds (SUI) claimed the victory with a time of 57:34, while Fenella Langridge (GBR) finished in second place with a time of 58:03. Susie Cheetham (GBR) took home third position with a finishing time of 58:28 as Maja Stage Nielsen (DNK) rounded out the professional women’s field clocking a time of 1:00:30.

Professional women’s results:

In the men’s professional race, Andi Boecherer (DEU) claimed the victory with a time of 52:49, while Patrick Nilsson (SWE) finished in second place with a time of 53:46. Chris Leiferman (USA) took third position with a finishing time of 53:51 as Kevin Collington (USA) rounded out the group clocking a time of 55:24.

Professional men’s results:

An added twist to the race format for IRONMAN VR8 Pro Challenge saw top professional men and women team up and compete together for a single day of racing. Not only were individual results on the line but also team bragging rights. It was Team Simmonds and Boecherer claiming the top spot with a combined finishing time of 1:50:23. Cheetham and Leiferman took second with a time of 1:52:19, edging out Team Langridge and Collington who finished third with a time of 1:53:27. Nielsen and Nilsson rounded out the pairs of professional women and men in fourth with a time of 1:54:16.

Professional Team Competition results:

The full broadcast of IRONMAN VR8 Pro Challenge can be viewed, HERE.

Bringing the IRONMAN community together virtually, the IRONMAN^® Virtual Club™ continues to grow having reached 100,000 members on the platform with tens of thousands completing IRONMAN Virtual Club Challenges since its recent launch. IRONMAN VR8 saw the launch of two new divisions, Challenger and Classic. Athletes that compete in the Challenger Division are required to complete their activities outdoors or on the ROUVY augmented cycling reality platform. This division offers an officially regulated, truly competitive race experience. The Classic Division will still offer athletes the flexibility to race indoors or outdoors and with any preferred equipment. Additional details can be found on the IRONMAN VC platform at www.ironmanvirtualclub.com/.

IRONMAN VR8 leaderboard updates can be found by visiting the IRONMANVR Facebook Page.

Full details and specifics regarding the IRONMAN Virtual Club are available on www.ironmanvirtualclub.com. For questions about the IRONMAN Virtual Racing Series, athletes can email ironmanvr@ironman.com. For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Media related inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.

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About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series^®, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS^®, ITU World Triathlon Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf^® presented by Westpac, Ultra-Trail^® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with more than 235 events across 55+ countries. On March 26, 2020, Wanda Sports Group (Nasdaq: WSG) entered into an agreement to sell The IRONMAN Group to Advance; closing is anticipated in mid-2020. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.