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 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, said officials.
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; Langkawi, Malaysia; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; and Taupo, New Zealand.
This weekend’s race will transport athletes to Chattanooga, home of the Little Debbie IRONMAN Chattanooga presented by McKee A Family Bakery, a town that has warmly hosted IRONMAN athletes and fans of the sport for years. A favorite on the North American circuit, this event features rolling hills and a course that tested the world’s best athletes at the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. This longer VR is perfect for ramping up the volume.
This marks the second stop on IRONMAN VR World Tour and sees an increase in the virtual bike distance.
Two formats are available for IRONMAN VR30 Chattanooga and participants can opt to complete a swim/bike/run (Swim 2000m, Bike 80km, Run 8km) or run/bike/run (Run 2km, Bike 80km, Run 8km) and results will be split accordingly.
Athletes can compete against their peers on the original racecourses powered by ROUVY with competition running from 6 a.m. on Thursday to 7:59 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Weekly Schedule
Sunday, Oct. 25
8:00 p.m. ET (Monday 12:00 a.m. GMT) – IRONMAN VR30 Training Workouts Open
Thursday, Oct. 29
6:00 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. GMT) – IRONMAN VR30 Chattanooga Opens
Friday, Oct. 30
2:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. GMT) – IRONMAN VR30 Training Workouts Concludes
Sunday, Nov. 1
7:59 p.m. ET (11:59 p.m. GMT) – IRONMAN VR30 Chattanooga Concludes
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 Americas:
Swim (2000m) - Inspired by IRONMAN Florianopolis, focuses on body position in the water; Affectionately called "Floripa" by the locals, Florianopolis encompasses Santa Catarina Island and boast 42 beaches across its sun-soaked coastline.
Bike (60 min.) - Inspired by IRONMAN Maryland, focus on holding that aero position; Cambridge, Maryland, a charming historic town situated along the Choptank River, hosts the 112-mile mostly flat course that winds through the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
Run (60 min.) - Inspired by the IRONMAN Canada-Penticton, focus on building durability and power over rolling terrain; A classic on the circuit, IRONMAN Canada-Penticton debuted in 1983 as one of the first international qualifying events for the IRONMAN World Championship
IRONMAN VR Asia: IRONMAN VR31 Chattanooga (Nov. 2 – Nov. 8)
There won’t be a lot of time to pack those bags again for the long trip to Asia, host of IRONMAN VR31 Malaysia in Langkawi between Nov. 5-8. Sure, those beaches look pretty and have drawn athletes from all around the world, but “hot and humid” is the name of the game when it comes to conquering the two-loop bike course on this paradise island. Participants will be required to complete a 2000-meter swim (drills), 40km ride, and 15km run between 6 a.m. ET (10 a.m. GMT) between Thursday, Nov. 5 and 7:59 p.m. (11:59 p.m. GMT) on Sunday, Nov. 8.
IRONMAN VR The Americas – October 26-November 1
IRONMAN VR Asia – November 2-8
IRONMAN VR Africa – November 9-15
IRONMAN VR Oceania – November 16-22
IRONMAN VR29 Austria-Kärnten
In total, over 5,000 participants participated in IRONMAN VR29
Athletes represented 46 states and 115 countries, regions, and territories
Over 1,300 IRONMAN TriClub members signed up for IRONMAN VR29
The IRONMAN Virtual Club platform has reached more than 121,000 members since the inception of the platform
More than 17,000 TriClub members are registered on the IRONMAN Virtual Club platform
To date, 125 athletes have completed all 29 IRONMAN VR races. Over the past 29 weeks of racing, these athletes have completed at least 438km of running and 1441km 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.
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.