Posted: June 6, 2004

Triathlon: Ironman Takes Its Show On The Road

Tarpon Springs, FL – Summer is “road trip” season and the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), organizers of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship will join in by hitting the road with a new mobile marketing campaign called Experience Ironman. The tour will log more than 12,000 miles over 20 weeks to reach consumers at popular cycling and running events throughout the country.

In an effort to increase awareness for Ironman and the Ironman-branded product line, the Experience Ironman campaign will travel to 18 events between now and November, participating in expos in each location. The vehicle visiting each of these 18 events is a 36-foot truck that is emblazoned with photography of Ironman athletes in action. The initiative follows on the heels of a successful 2003, in which Ironman celebrated its 25th anniversary. The mobile marketing tour hopes to reach more than 500,000 active consumers with demonstrations on how Ironman-branded products could enhance their training, fitness levels and/or performance.

“We have an impressive group of Ironman products and we want to showcase them to those who make fitness an important part of their lives. What better way to do that than hit the road and bring these products directly to them?” says Bill Potts, vice president of marketing for Ironman.

Expo visitors will be able to ‘test-drive’ items like the TIMEX Ironman BodyLink System, Ironman Fitness Treadmill or one of the new B.O.B. Ironman Running Strollers. Additional products such as Ironman sunglasses by FosterGrant, hats, sports bags and apparel will also be on display. Cycling products like gloves, aerobars, pedals and accessories will be available for purchase. Ironman ambassadors will help showcase the products.

The Experience Ironman team, consisting of athletes, Keris Dahlkamp and Gus Samarco, will make the first stop on the tour at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Minneapolis. Nature Valley is a cycling event listed among the top professional bike races in the country and part of the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival, a five-day celebration of bicycling in Minnesota. The following weekend, the Experience Ironman vehicle will make its way to Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth. Then, it’s off to other events such as the Peachtree Road Race, the SkyBank Triathlon and the New York City Marathon.

“We’re thrilled for the opportunity to share the Ironman story with active consumers. These are the people who can fully benefit from Ironman products, and as opinion leaders, we hope they will carry the Ironman message to others,” says Potts, who received suggestions from Ironman’s sponsors and licensees to put the tour together.

For more information on Experience Ironman, to view photos of the truck or follow along in the Experience Ironman adventure in the coming weeks, log onto ironmanlive.com.