Sam Long (USA) Victorious During the Men’s IRONMAN VR2 Pro Challenge

April 12, 2020

Over 23,000 athletes from 130 nations registered to compete in IRONMAN VR2

TAMPA, Fla. (April 13, 2020) – Four professional men capped off the second edition of the IRONMAN^® VR™ Pro Challenge by taking to the virtual bike course and going head-to-head in a 5150^® Olympic distance race simulation. It was American Sam Long taking the top spot on the podium in a closely contested race.

Utilizing Official Virtual Cycling partner ROUVY’s augmented reality to race, the four professional men of Long, Sam Appleton (USA), David McNamee (GBR) and Tim O’Donnell (USA) all conquered the 40km bike on IRONMAN 5150 Boulder’s virtual bike course. Long completed the 5150-race simulation in a time of 1:02:13 while Appleton finished in second place with a time of 1:02:53. O’Donnell took third position with a finishing time of 1:03:44 as McNamee rounded out the four, clocking a time of 1:04:22.

The full broadcast of the men’s IRONMAN VR2 Pro Challenge can be viewed, HERE.

Professional men’s results:

In total, over 23,000 other athletes from 130 nations and all 50 states set out to participate in the IRONMAN Virtual Racing Series event, which began Friday, April 10 at 6 p.m. GMT (2 p.m. ET). The race requires athletes to complete three segments, including a 3km Run, 40km Ride, then 10km Run by the race close this evening, Sunday, April 12 at 11:59 p.m. GMT (7:59 p.m. ET). Competitors can complete the 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 50,000 members on the platform with thousands completing IRONMAN Virtual Club Challenges since its recent launch.

Athletes are able to compete anywhere, indoors or outdoors. IRONMAN VR2 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^®, 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 50+ 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.