IRONMAN Extends Partnership with Nirvana to provide Enhanced Travel and Race Experiences for Athletes starting in 2023

November 22, 2022

Partnership will now cover over 100 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races across North America, Europe and Oceania; Athletes will enjoy benefits such as competitive rates at hotels close to event start, early breakfast on race day, secure storage for bikes, and dedicated Nirvana support team

TAMPA, Fla. / LONDON, UK (November 22, 2022) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – IRONMAN and Nirvana Europe Limited, the British-based sport specialist travel agency, have extended and expanded their partnership across North America, Europe, and Oceania to provide enhanced travel and race experiences for athletes starting in 2023. Nirvana has been the official travel partner to the IRONMAN^® European Series since 2005, providing accommodation, bike logistics, and travel services for athletes.

The enhanced partnership will provide athletes with a one-stop shop of options when they are registering for an IRONMAN^® or IRONMAN 70.3^® race. Athletes will be able to book accommodation directly from Nirvana during the registration process, as well as add special services that will make their race experience as smooth as possible, such as priority check-in, bike maintenance, fast-track to swim start and race-site familiarization, among other experience enhancements.

When booking their accommodation through Nirvana, athletes can take advantage of competitive rates at specially selected hotels close to the event start or registration hub. Hotels will be managed by the Nirvana team to respond to athlete needs through a range of services to minimise stress over the race weekend, such as an early breakfast on race day morning, secure storage space for bikes, and dedicated support staff on site. Athletes will have also access to a dedicated team at Nirvana who will support their travel arrangements whether traveling alone or with their entire family.

“We are continually looking for ways to enhance athlete experiences and relieve athletes of unnecessary stress in the run-up to race day so they can focus all their attention on training and preparation. Nirvana has been successfully arranging athlete and spectator event travel at IRONMAN events for over 17 years in Europe and has a deep understanding of both the athlete and spectator needs. Not only will this enhanced partnership enable us to help a broader athlete base outside of Europe, it will also help streamline the athlete process when it comes to sorting their event logistics,” said Matthieu van Veen, Chief Revenue Officer for The IRONMAN Group.

Nigel Morris, Managing Director of Nirvana, adds: “We are delighted that our long-term partnership with IRONMAN is going to allow us to service more athletes on a global basis to not only make their race weekend experience stress, free but also to provide the athletes and their family with a first-class travel experience.”

Morris continues: “Over the years, IRONMAN and Nirvana have worked together to understand the customer journey to and from the event and remove as many points of stress as possible. The new partnership and system integration will deliver an improved on-line service bringing the event, accommodation, and athlete services together within the booking journey. We see this as the first step in a process of continuous improvement, with both organizations working together to develop new, innovative ways to enhance the overall athlete experience.”

Athletes who already registered for a 2023 race will have the option to add on these services at any time via their Active account.

For more information on IRONMAN and events in The IRONMAN Group portfolio, visit www.ironman.com. For more information on Nirvana, visit www.nirvanasportstravel.com.

###

Contact details

• IRONMAN EMEA media related inquiries may be directed to: emeapress@ironman.com
• IRONMAN North America media related enquiries may be directed to: press@ironman.com
• IRONMAN Oceania media related enquiries may be directed to: craig.heydon@ironman.com
• Nirvana media related enquiries may be directed to: jack.franks@nirvanaeurope.com

About Nirvana

Nirvana started business over 20 years ago delivering the travel and accommodation infrastructure around the Great North Run, the world’s biggest half marathon. Today it is a strategic partner and major supporter of some of the world’s biggest sporting events and their athletes, officials, and dignitaries. However, at its heart, it is still a family business passionate about sport and travel. Over the years the company has developed a well-defined process the “Nirvana Way” of providing its customers with a portfolio of services to support their event. This level of service has been acclaimed by sports men and women at all levels from world champions to the charity fun runner. From the outset Nirvana established itself as a partner to sporting events, working with the organisers to design and deliver fully integrated travel and accommodation infrastructure around the field of play. As the event industry has grown it has become clear that integrating the sporting event, travel and logistics reduces potential “points of stress” and significantly improves the customer experience. For more information, visit www.nirvaneurope.com.

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^® Running Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and City2Surf^®, UTMB^® World Series events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, Epic Series™ mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events including Haute Route^®, 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. Catering to the full athlete experience, the company portfolio also includes FulGaz^® virtual cycling, the most realistic indoor riding experience connected fitness application aimed at preparing athletes for real-world events. 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 hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group.

About Advance 

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, 1010data and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 17,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.