IRONMAN VR World Tour Makes a Stop in Asia Highlighting the Tropical Destination of Langkawi for IRONMAN VR31 Malaysia

November 4, 2020

- IRONMAN VR Asia to feature the tropical, hilly, and demanding race of IRONMAN Malaysia, Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah that takes athletes through the rich culture and tradition of the island - More than 122,000 members from around the globe have now registered on the IRONMAN Virtual Club platform continuing to prove #AnywhereIsPossible

IRONMAN^® VR World Tour™

• The IRONMAN VR World Tour: Spotlight on Asia
• The five-week long IRONMAN VR^® World Tour focusing on specific regions of the world kicked off Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 22.
• Participants have the unique opportunity to virtually travel to 20 stunning race locations around the globe (five through IRONMAN VR events and 15 through IRONMAN VR workouts) and enjoy elements of some of the most coveted races the sport has to offer.
• Each race week will challenge athletes to complete three optional workouts inspired by real-world IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 events and IRONMAN VR races in destinations such as Klagenfurt, Austria; Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA; Langkawi, Malaysia; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; and Taupō, New Zealand.

IRONMAN VR31 Malaysia

This weekend’s race transports athletes to Langkawi, Malaysia, located within a cluster of tropical islands that attract visitors all over the world. IRONMAN Malaysia takes athletes on a truly Malaysian cultural journey through the tropical, hilly, and demanding terrain passing traditional villages (also known as ‘kampungs’), mangrove clusters and rainforest vistas. Surrounded by turquoise sea, the Jewel of Kedah will celebrate its sixth edition in 2021.

• This marks the third stop on the IRONMAN VR World Tour.
• Two formats are available for IRONMAN VR31 Malaysia and participants can opt to complete a swim/bike/run (Swim 2000m, Bike 40km, Run 10km) or run/bike/run (Run 2km, Bike 40km, Run 10km) and results will be split accordingly.
• Athletes will compete against their peers on the original racecourses powered by ROUVY with competition running from 6 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. GMT) on Thursday’s to 7:59 p.m. ET (11:59 p.m. GMT) on Sunday’s.

Weekly Schedule

Sunday, Nov. 1

• 8:00 p.m. ET (Monday 12:00 a.m. GMT) – IRONMAN VR31 Training Workouts Open

Thursday, Nov. 5

• 6:00 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. GMT) – IRONMAN VR31 Malaysia Opens

Friday, Nov. 6

• 2:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. GMT) – IRONMAN VR31 Training Workouts Concludes

Sunday, Nov. 8

• 7:59 p.m. ET (11:59 p.m. GMT) – IRONMAN VR31 Malaysia Concludes

Training Workouts

Throughout the week, the IRONMAN VR World Tour will feature training workouts in the swim, bike, and run disciplines tied thematically to the region. See below for this week’s training workouts in Asia:

• Swim (2500m) – Inspired by IRONMAN Malaysia focus on developing controlled pace inspired by Malaysia’s shielded lagoon swim.

• Bike (60 min.) – Inspired by ALVEO IRONMAN 70.3 Davao, Philippines, focus on developing skills needed to pass other riders, especially needed in the wide roads of the city of Davao.
• Run (55 min.) – Inspired by the Regent Aguila IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines in Cebu, focus on mental strength that you will need to pass the Finish Line – only to head back out and do it all over again.

Looking Ahead

IRONMAN VR Africa: IRONMAN VR32 South Africa (Nov. 9 – Nov. 15)

The IRONMAN VR World Tour will head to the Southern Hemisphere for IRONMAN VR Africa. With a focus on developing pacing strategies in shorter distances, helping athletes taper and prep for the final week of racing, IRONMAN VR Oceania. These three Africa-themed workouts including a swim inspired by IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa, a bike workout by IRONMAN African Championship, and a run inspired by IRONMAN 70.3 Durban, all culminate in the weekend’s VR race IRONMAN VR32 South Africa. Participants will be required to swim or run 1.5km, ride 20km, then run 5km between 6 a.m. ET (10 a.m. GMT) between Thursday, Nov. 9 and 7:59 p.m. (11:59 p.m. GMT) on Sunday, Nov. 15.

• IRONMAN VR Africa – November 9-15
• IRONMAN VR Oceania – November 16-22

IRONMAN VR30 Chattanooga

Facts & Figures

• In total, over 4,100 participants participated in IRONMAN VR30
• Athletes represented 46 states and 108 countries, regions, and territories
• Over 1,100 IRONMAN TriClub members signed up for IRONMAN VR30

IRONMAN Virtual Club What to Know:

• The IRONMAN Virtual Club platform has reached more than 122,000 members since the inception of the platform
• More than 17,000 TriClub members are registered on the IRONMAN Virtual Club platform
• To date, 117 athletes have completed all 30 IRONMAN VR races. Over the past 30 weeks of racing, these athletes have completed at least 448km of running and 1521km of cycling

Race Honorably Campaign

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 can be found on the IRONMAN VC platform at www.ironmanvirtualclub.com.

Finisher Bundles

IRONMAN Virtual Racing Series, including the IRONMAN VR World Tour offers athletes tangible IRONMAN VR Finisher Bundles and other IRONMAN Virtual Racing Series merchandise through www.ironmanstore.com/ironman-vr.

IRONMAN Foundation – IRONAID COVID-19 Support Fund

This week, the IRONMAN Foundation is will host its first IRONAID Food Drive in conjunction with Visit Panama City Beach IRONMAN 70.3 Gulf Coast and Visit Panama City Beach IRONMAN Florida. Event participants and supporters may drop off donations of non-perishable food items at Athlete Check-In in IRONMAN Village Nov. 4 through Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. CST. Additionally, in partnership with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club, the IRONMAN Foundation’s Rock This Town^® program launched the Rock This Town Turkey Trot. Runners are encouraged to run a 5K or more between US Thanksgiving on Nov. 26 and Giving Tuesday on Dec. 1. For every runner that signs up, Rock This Town will donate $1 to Feeding America for those facing hunger this holiday season.  According to Feeding America, each $1 donation will provide 10 meals to individuals facing food insecurity. Through the IRONMAN Foundation’s IRONAID COVID-19 Support Fund grants, Operation IRONAID Nutrition, and Operation IRONAID Face Masks in partnership with Framebridge and supported by Good360, over 230 organizations have been supported since March. Applications for the fifth round of IRONAID COVID-19 Support Fund grants are also being accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 15, 2020. For more information about IRONAID visit ironmanfoundation.org/ironaid.

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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^®, 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 (www.advance.com), a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.