IRONMAN Virtual Club Launches 2021 IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series Bringing Stunning Geographic Elements of Iconic Race Locations Around the World to the Virtual Racing Community

February 23, 2021

– Six-month-long training program includes weekday workouts, month-long challenges and virtual races that will take IRONMAN VR athletes on a tour of various terrains that make up some of the best IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 race destinations 

– New series to include two IRONMAN VR Championship Series virtual races offering athletes the opportunity to earn qualifying slots to the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Presented by Utah Sports Commission

TAMPA, Fla. (February 23, 2021) – Building on the success of the IRONMAN^® VR™ World Tour held in 2020, IRONMAN Virtual Club™ (VC™) has launched the next evolution of virtual racing with the 2021 IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series. The new series will consist of six months of training-length challenges highlighting some of the best geographic elements that IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3^® courses have to offer. Themes including “Flat and Fast,” “Coastal,” “Urban,” “Athlete’s Choice,” “Countryside” and “Alpine” terrains are all designed to provide IRONMAN VR athletes a comprehensive and realistic approach to their virtual training experience. In addition, the new IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series will see the return of two IRONMAN VR Championship Series events, allowing athletes to earn one of 100 qualifying slots offered for the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Presented by Utah Sports Commission being held in St. George, Utah, United States this September.​

“The new IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series offers athletes of all skill levels an opportunity to experience some of the most exciting elements that have made our world-class events so unique,” said Andrew Messick, President & CEO for the IRONMAN Group. “As athletes continue to utilize IRONMAN VR while training for their upcoming live and in-person races, we are also pleased to provide them with two IRONMAN VR Championship Series events as a way to stay competitive and earn a slot to this year’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in St. George.”

Each month will offer rotating Sprint, Olympic, and half-distance VR races inspired by the following types of terrain encountered by IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 athletes all over the world. The month of March will focus on “Flat and Fast” courses designed as a perfect introduction and starting point for IRONMAN VC athletes looking to step into live and in-person events. Featured events will include IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman, IRONMAN Western Australia, IRONMAN 70.3 Davao, and IRONMAN 70.3 Lahti Finland. Progressing monthly, the terrain will vary offering athletes a chance to experience “Coastal,” “Urban,” “Athlete’s Choice,” “Countryside” and “Alpine” themed virtual challenges and races. In addition to the traditional schedule of three weekday workouts and one weekend IRONMAN VR that features various race distances, there will also be multiple month-long challenges offered, allowing athletes to chase a certain number of kilometers for the month in whatever sport they like and on their own time.​

IRONMAN VR9 will kick off the IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series with a sprint distance simulation. Each week, the race window will open on Thursdays at 5:00 a.m. ET (10 a.m. GMT) and concludes on Sundays at 6:59 p.m. ET (11:59 p.m. GMT). In addition, the IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series will offer Classic and Challenger options for each event as well as both swim-bike-run and run-bike-run options allowing athletes of all abilities to participate in the action.

2021 IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series monthly schedule:

2021 IRONMAN VR Championship Series

The IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series will also see the return of IRONMAN VR Championship Series with a new single-race format to reward top-performing athletes with the opportunity to earn IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship qualifying slots. The 2021 IRONMAN VR Championship Series will be integrated into the IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series. Athletes will have the choice to compete during the half-distance virtual races on April 22-25 (IRONMAN VR16 Championship Series) or May 20-23 (IRONMAN VR20 Championship Series). Athletes will have the opportunity to race virtually with 100 qualifying slots (50 for each event) on the line to the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Presented by Utah Sports Commission, taking place in St. George, Utah, September 17-18, 2021.

The IRONMAN VR Championship Series is automatically open to IRONMAN Virtual Club subscribers with IRONMAN, IRONMAN 70.3 or IRONMAN VR racing history. To log an official result and be eligible for IRONMAN VR Championship Series points, athletes must meet the eligibility qualifications and agree to comply with all specified race requirements and rules. As in the previous editions, athletes must complete all three segments within 12 hours. Athletes’ third leg (run) must be finished within 12 hours of the start of your first leg. You may choose to begin your 12-hour race period at any time within the official race window.

Further details including rules and regulations will be forthcoming and can be found here.

The IRONMAN Virtual Club offers athletes tangible rewards and collectible merchandise for athletes to show off their accomplishments. Limited edition IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series finisher bundles including terrain specific themed finisher medals will be available throughout the series at www.ironmanstore.com/ironman-vr.

Athletes can register for the IRONMAN VR All-Terrain Series or find additional details and specifics regarding the IRONMAN VR Championship Series as well as IRONMAN VC platform at 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 IRONMAN Virtual Club

The IRONMAN^® Virtual Club™ (VC™) brings the global IRONMAN^® community together virtually week-after-week. Launching in April of 2020, the platform gives athletes from around the world access to IRONMAN U Certified Coach curated workouts, training resources, and challenges that prepare athletes to compete in the IRONMAN Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series. Athletes have the opportunity to train, compete, earn, and be rewarded as they set their goals towards a successful year of racing. In addition, through the Race Honorably campaign, IRONMAN’s goal is to provide an exceptional virtual racing experience with credible results that requires athletes to do their part by entering accurate data. Additional details about the IRONMAN VC platform can be found at www.ironmanvirtualclub.com/.

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^®, 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 hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

About Advance

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, 1010data and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 17,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.