Judith Corachan (ESP) and Joe Skipper (GBR) take Titles during The IRONMAN Vr5 Pro Challenge Weekend

May 4, 2020

Approximately 15,000 athletes from 123 nations registered to compete in IRONMAN VR5

TAMPA, Fla. (May 4, 2020) –The fifth edition of the IRONMAN^® VR™ Pro Challenge saw four professional women compete Saturday and four professional men compete Sunday on the IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder 90 km bike course utilizing Official Virtual Cycling partner ROUVY’s augmented reality. It was Judith Corachan of Spain winning the women’s race and Joe Skipper of Great Britain taking the top honors in the men’s race.

In what was the closest finish contested to date, Judith Corachan took the top spotby a mere two seconds with a finishing time of 2:24:12, whileJackie Hering (USA) finished in second place with a time of 2:24:14 in the professional women’s race. Paula Finlay (CAN) took third position with a finishing time of 2:30:23 while Kimberley Morrison (GBR) rounded out the group clocking a time of 2:38:28.

The full broadcast of the women’s IRONMAN VR5 Pro Challenge can be viewed, HERE.

Professional women’s results:

 On Sunday, it was the professional men’s turn to hit the course where Joe Skipper (GBR) was the victor, completing the IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder 90 km bike course in a time of 2:05:51. Professional athlete, Eneko Llanos (ESP) came in second with a time of 2:11:19 while Eric Lagerstrom (USA), finished in a time of 2:16:44. Bart Aernouts (BEL) unfortunately had connectivity issues with the race butwas able to jump back in the competition unofficially upon resolving the issue. While not part of the official IRONMAN VR5 Pro Challenge, age-grouper Will Draper from Great Britain scored the second fastest time of the day with a 2:08:20. Draper, like all other registered age-group athletes in IRONMAN VR, had the ability to ride alongside the Pros by logging onto the ROUVY platform.

The full broadcast of the men’s IRONMAN VR5 Pro Challenge can be viewed, HERE.

Professional men’s results:

 In total, approximately 15,000 athletes from more than 123 nations and all 50 states set out to participate in the IRONMAN VR5, an increase of 4,000 athletes registered to compete in the first offering of an IRONMAN 70.3 half distance race simulation, IRONMAN VR1. IRONMAN VR5 requires athletes to complete a 5 km Run, 90 km Ride, and 21 km Run between Friday, May 1 at 2 p.m. ET (6 p.m. GMT) and race close this evening, Sunday, May 3 at 7:59 p.m. ET (11:59 p.m. GMT). Competitors can complete the three segments in any order and are not required to do the segments consecutively. Athletes are able to compete anywhere, indoors or outdoors. Bringing the IRONMAN community together virtually, the IRONMAN^® Virtual Club™ continues to grow and now has more than 85,000 members on the platform with thousands completing IRONMAN Virtual Club Challenges since its recent launch.

IRONMAN VR5 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.