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 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-
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.