Ironman milestones during Andrew Messick’s tenure as Ironman President and CEO

Since Andrew Messick took over from Ben Fertic as the President and CEO of Ironman, the company has undergone incredible growth, expanding to running and cycling, and becoming the world’s largest organizer of mass participation events. Here’s a breakdown of some of the changes the company has undergone since 2011 provided by Ironman:

• Grew company from a licensing-focused triathlon company to the largest organizer of mass participation events in the world. Some highlights include:
  • The Ironman and Ironman 70.3 brands have been introduced into more than 30 new countries with expansion in every continent and region
    • Ironman grew from 25 races to 44 globally
      • Registered participation increased from approximately 52,000 athletes to over 95,000 athletes
      • Growth of the sport has led to two days of racing for the most important event in triathlon, the Ironman World Championship
        • In 2022, First ever Ironman World Championship outside of Hawaii
        • In 2022, First ever two-day Ironman World Championship
        • In 2023, First ever co-hosted Ironman World Championship – men in Nice, France and women in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i
      • Ironman 70.3 grew from 54 races to 124 globally
        • Registered participation increased from approximately 85,000 athletes to over 200,000 athletes
        • Growth transformed the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship into the triathlon world’s second most important race along with the introduction of global rotation in 2014
      • Meaningful growth in the rate of female participation in Ironman and Ironman 70.3 leading to a dedicated day of racing for female competitors at the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 World Championship triathlons
        • Ironman World Championship participation by female athletes increased from approximately 560 athletes in 2011 to approximately 1,800 athletes in 2022
        • Ironman 70.3 World Championship participation by female athletes increased from approximately 600 athletes in 2011 to approximately 2,100 athletes in 2022
      • To encourage diversity and engagement in our sport, created programs and initiatives like Race for Change, Women For Tri, All World Athlete, Tri Club, IRONMAN U, PC/ID and Open Category race divisions
    • Company has shifted from triathlon-only to endurance sports globally:
      • 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.
      • Truly global company with 25+ offices around the world
      • Built a global and multi-cultural leadership team by hiring the best, and promoting talented people into leadership positions, increasing our size to 600 full-time staff
      • Nearly 70 acquisitions, from small races led by passionate founders and entrepreneurs to large race series and companies that provided the infrastructure and teams allowing us to succeed.
      • Groundbreaking partnership with UTMB that resulted in the creation of the UTMB World Series, the world’s most important series of ultra trail running events. We now have 16 trail running events in our portfolio across Europe, Oceania, Africa and North America and believe passionately in the future of trail running
      • Acquired the famed Haute Route cycling series that allows amateur riders to race like a professional in the most famous cycling locations
      • Creation of the Epic Series of mountain biking races, anchored by the most important race in the world, the Absa Cape Epic
      • Establishment of an exciting portfolio of running events including the Rock n Roll running series, the Standard Charter Singapore Marathon, City2Surf in Sydney, Australia and the Auckland and Queenstown marathons in New Zealand
      • Acquired FulGaz virtual cycling, the most realistic indoor riding experience connected fitness application aimed at preparing athletes for real-world events

The Ironman Group Timeline Under Messick

• 2011
  • Andrew Messick joins World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) as Chief Executive Officer
  • Ironman begins process of shifting from a licensing model to one in which majority of events are owned by Ironman
  • Development of processes for consistency and measurement of event quality for all events under the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 brands
  • Ironman 70.3 World Championship relocates to Henderson, Nevada
• 2012
  • Ironman acquires USM Events in Australia, establishing the current team and structure in Oceania along with prestigious events in Mooloolaba, Noosa, Geelong and Cairns.
  • Ironman launches TriClub program to help clubs drive membership, provide networking opportunities, and create a sense of friendly competition, while working together to build and share the benefits of triathlon
• 2013
  • Ironman acquires races in Copenhagen, Vichy, Barcelona, Kalmar, Kraichgau
• 2014
  • Ironman 70.3 World Championship begins global rotation with first stop in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada
  • Ironman acquires the Auckland Marathon
• 2015
  • Dalian Wanda Group purchases World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) from Providence Equity Partners
  • Women For Tri is launched with a goal to increase and support female participation in triathlon
  • Ironman All World Athlete program is created as a way to reward age-group athletes hard work, dedication, and performance across Ironman and Ironman 70.3 racing
  • Ironman U is launched as an innovative online education and certification platform that offers instruction for coaches and endurance athletes of varying skills and abilities
• 2016
  • WTC expands into cycling with acquisition of Lagardere endurance event portfolio, inclusive of Cyclassics Hamburg, World Triathlon Series events, and the Queenstown and Hawkes Bay International Marathons among 20+ total events
  • The company acquires the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, one of the largest running events in the world
  • WTC expands into mountain bike racing with the acquisition of the highly regarded Absa Cape Epic mountain bike race in South Africa and Swiss Epic event in Switzerland
• 2017
  • WTC acquires Competitor Group Holding (CGI), owners of the signature Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, becoming the largest running company globally
• 2018
  • WTC enters trail running with the acquisition of Ultra Trail Australia
  • Ironman partners with Facebook Watch to provide live coverage and global distribution of professional Ironman racing. This leads to creation of Ironman Now media property
• 2019
  • World Triathlon Corporation becomes The Ironman Group to better represent the organizational portfolio that goes well beyond triathlon; it leverages the reputation of the Ironman triathlon brand while distinguishing it from the multidisciplinary endurance sporting organization of which it has become part
  • The Ironman Group acquires Sunrise Events, Inc., long-time licensee to a portfolio of award-winning endurance races in the Philippines
  • The Ironman Group acquires the City2Surf in Sydney, Australia—the world’s largest fun-run, which sees over 80,000 participants annually
  • The Ironman Group joins Infront and Wanda Sports China as part of Wanda Sports Group in becoming a publicly traded company on Nasdaq: WSG
• 2020
  • Advance and Orkila Capital acquires The Ironman Group
  • In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, The Ironman Group creates the Ironman Virtual Club, Ironman Virtual Racing Series, Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Racing Series, and Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon Virtual Racing Series to provide athletes a free engaging and competitive alternative experience that showcases Anywhere is Possible with the loss of in person events
  • The Ironman Group launches Race for Change with the mission to remove barriers to equity for its athletes, in the sport of triathlon, and in the communities where Ironman athletes and first-time hopefuls live, train and race while doing the same with its internal workforce
• 2021
  • Acquisition of the famed Haute Route cycling series, providing amateur cyclists the ability to ride like a pro in iconic cycling destinations where key stages of the Grand Tours take place
  • The Ironman Group partners with UTMB in creation of UTMB World Series, creating the world leading trailing running series
  • Acquisition of FulGaz to enhance the athlete experience connecting in person events with virtual training platform
• 2022
  • Due to continued impact of COVID-19, Ironman holds 2021 Ironman World Championship in St. George, Utah in May 2022, the first IRONMAN World Championship to ever take place outside of Hawai`i
  • Ironman as able to return to Hawai`i in October 2022 and hosts first ever two-day Ironman World Championship
• 2023
  • Ironman adds Nice, France as co-host for the Ironman World Championship as independent race dates for men and women are established to create dedicated race days and focused race coverage opportunities