IRONMAN VR Team Challenge Enters Final Week on Showcasing the EMEA Region on IRONMAN NOW Facebook Watch Page with Teams Taking on a Half-Distance Duathlon Simulation

April 22, 2021

- Team Michelle Enslin stretches lead on Team Elmar Sprink and Team Shane Williams going into the third and final week of competition for the EMEA portion of the IRONMAN VR Team Challenge - Simone Mitchell to join in the competition offering teams opportunity to bolster their run scoring with Pro Wild Card Lifeline - Third and final week of EMEA region competition taking place on Thursday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET (11:00 p.m. GMT); IRONMAN VR Team Challenge Asia Pacific Preview show and Introduction of Team Captains to air Wed., April 29

IRONMAN VR Team Challenge

• A champion will be crowned in the EMEA IRONMAN VR Team Challenge as the third and final week takes place on Thursday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET (11:00 p.m. GMT) as three teams from EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) face-off in a Half-Distance virtual duathlon to close out the three-week competition cycle.
• Professional triathlete, Simone Mitchell, will join this week’s competition providing the teams an opportunity to bolster their run scoring with Pro Wild Card Lifelines. Nikki Bartlett provided the PRO Wild Card for the run in Week 1, and Jesper Svenson provided the PRO Wild Card for the bike in Week 2.
• IRONMAN VR Team Challenge can be viewed on the IRONMAN Now on Facebook Watch page by visiting facebook.com/IRONMANnow.
• ICYMI: If you couldn’t tune in last Thursday, revisit the IRONMAN Team Challenge on the IRONMAN Now Facebook Watch page. Week 2 EMEA IRONMAN VR Team Challenge – Recap
• The IRONMAN VR Team Challenge will continue with three weeks of competition featuring teams from the Asia Pacific region.
• Three regional team captains and their respective age-group teammates will compete in their own three-week-long competition cycles covering Sprint, Olympic and Half-Distance virtual triathlons.
• Each teammate will be tasked with competing in either the swim, bike or run segments to help build the teams captain’s total score.
• The region’s team captain with the most cumulative points at the end of the three-week-long competition will receive a $5,000 donation to the charity of their choice from the IRONMAN Foundation Your Journey, Your Cause fundraising campaign.

Team EMEA Team Captains

EMEA Team Captains include former Welsh international professional rugby union player Shane Williams (UK), heart transplant athlete and inspiring keynote speaker Elmar Sprink (Germany) and IRONMAN World Champion, IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion and IRONMAN African Championship age-group winner Michelle Enslin (South Africa). These captains are tasked with forming a duo of athletes to join them each week for the competition scoring. This week’s athletes include:

Team Michelle Enslin – Fundraising for IRONMAN 4 the Kidz

• Michelle is a veteran triathlete, multi-time IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa, IRONMAN 70.3 Durban and IRONMAN African Championship age-group winner, 2018 IRONMAN World Championship age-group winner (coming second in her age-group category in 2019), 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship age-group winner (placing fifth in her age-group category in 2019) and IRONMAN 4 the Kids Ambassador. Michelle is an energetic and uplifting individual which she channels into her love for triathlon, charity and loving on animals.
• Michelle’s teammates for this round include one of South Africa’s top age-group triathletes Travis Johnston on the bike,and 37-year-old South African aspiring marathon runner Luyanda Tshangana will be taking on the run.

Team Elmar Sprink – Fundraising for HDZ Kinderherzzentrum (HZD Children’s Heart Center)

• During IRONMAN Austria in 2010, Elmar Sprink was forced to withdraw after experiencing physical discomfort. This started the search for the cause of his condition. He was placed on a heart transplant donor list in the summer of 2011 and in June 2012, a suitable heart was found. Exactly 757 days after the operation, on July 6, 2014, Sprink was back competing in triathlon events and finished his first IRONMAN with the new heart in Frankfurt. Learn more about Elmar here.
• Elmar’s teammates for this round see the return of Germany’s three-time professional World Championship MTB Marathon rider Peter Schermann on the bike and German age group athlete Pia Jensen will be taking on the run.

Team Shane Williams – Fundraising for the Velindre Cancer Charity

• RetiredWelsh professional rugby union player most famous for his long and successful tenure as a wing for the Ospreys and the Wales national team. Shane is the record try scorer for Wales, and is fourth on the international list of leading rugby union test try scores. He is Wales’ most capped winger and is considered to be one of the greatest wingers to play the sport. Learn more about Shane here.
• Shane’s teammates for this round include 26-year-old Welsh professional Marathon Runner and coach, Josh Griffiths and up and 21-year-old up-and-coming professional triathlete Will Draper from the Isle of Man.

Upcoming Broadcast Schedule

Thursday, April 22

• 7:00 p.m. ET (11:00 p.m. GMT) – EMEA Week 3: Half-Distance

Wednesday, April 29

• 7:00 p.m. ET (11:00 p.m. GMT) – IRONMAN VR Team Challenge Asia Pacific Preview show and Introduction of Team Captains

Thursday, May 6

• 7:00 p.m. ET (11:00 p.m. GMT) – Asia Pacific Week 1: Olympic Distance

EMEA Week 2 Recap:

 Athlete Performance:

• Combined Bike Times:
  • Team Enslin: 0:54:58
  • Team Sprink: 0:56:16
  • Team Williams: 0:56:32
• Combined Run Times:
  • Team Enslin: 0:34:57
  • Team Sprink: 0:36:00
  • Team Williams: 0:38:49
• Athletic Total:
  • Team Enslin: 1:29:55 (45 points)
  • Team Sprink: 1:32:15 (40 points)
  • Team Williams: 1:35:21 (25 points)

Social Media and Engagement:

• Team Enslin: 25 points
• Team Sprink: 20 points
• Team Williams: 15 points

In-Broadcast Challenges:

• Team Enslin: 20 points
• Team Sprink: 25 points
• Team Williams: 15 points

Overall Standings After Week 2:

• Team Enslin: 180 points
• Team Sprink: 170 points
• Team Williams: 115 points

Rules and Processes

• Each region competes in its own three-week-long competition and consists of a Sprint, Olympic and Half-Distance virtual triathlon simulation. The teams from North America competed during round one in a triathlon format on March 18; EMEA is taking part in round two in a duathlon format which started on April 8 and Asia Pacific will begin their portion of the competition on May 6.
• Three team captains and their chosen team members will compete simultaneously against each other in their respective swim, bike, and run segments (EMEA will take part in a duathlon format).
• Scoring is not only based on athletic performance; however, with the live audiences’ help, points will also be awarded for social media engagement and In-Broadcast Challenges.

 Scoring Categories:  

• Athletic Performance: Each week, team captains and their team members will test their endurance by competing in each of the respective disciplines of the Sprint, Olympic, or Half-Distance virtual triathlons. The scores for their swim, bike, and run segments for each distance are cumulative and combined with their selected team members’ swim, bike, and run times.
• Social Media and Engagement: During the three-week-long competition, team captains will be given social media challenges; following each engagement, viewers will get the opportunity to vote on their favorite post, awarding the winning team with more points.
• In-Broadcast Challenges: Throughout each region’s three-week-long competition, In-Broadcast Challenges will require athletes to think on their feet to show off their triathlon knowledge, helping them to earn more points and move them up on the team leader board.

IRONMAN Foundation

Team captains will set up IRONMAN Foundation Your Journey, Your Cause fundraising campaigns where they will be able to collect donations for a charity and cause that is important to them. The winning team from each regional showcase will receive a $5,000 donation from the IRONMAN Foundation to further grow their Your Journey, Your Cause fundraising campaigns. To learn more about the IRONMAN Foundation and Your Journey, Your Cause visit here.

For additional details on the IRONMAN VC platform, visit  www.ironmanvirtualclub.com/.  Questions about the IRONMAN Virtual Racing Series can be directed to 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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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^®Running Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship 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.

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