TAMPA, Fla. / LONDON (March 25, 2019) – IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Holdings Company, is excited to announce the continuation of unprecedented live event coverage on the IRONMAN Now® Facebook Watch page which will feature 17 events from around the world in 2019. Available globally to fans on Facebook, the coverage debuts on Sunday, April 7 with the Standard Bank IRONMAN® African Championship taking place in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa.
The events covered this season will come from 11 different countries and four continents. The storylines are rich with intrigue as three regional championships will be featured along with first edition events in Cork, Ireland and Vitoria, Spain, and live coverage on Facebook Watch coming to Australia for the very first time. Additionally, IRONMAN Florida will enjoy its return to Panama City Beach as the city continues its recovery and reopens its doors to the world following the devastation of Hurricane Michael last October. Long-standing IRONMAN triathlons in Lake Placid, New York and Tempe, Arizona will also join the likes of IRONMAN Wales which is globally known as one of the most challenging events on the circuit.
The extensive coverage continues with the 2019 IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship taking place on Sept. 7-8 in Nice, France where nearly 6,000 of the best triathletes in the world will converge on the French Riviera for the largest event in the series’ history.
The IRONMAN World Championship, which takes place annually in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i, will again receive robust week-long programming, culminating in nearly a full-day of live race coverage on October 12. Last year’s IRONMAN World Championship included more than 20 hours of comprehensive live race day coverage, including everything from the early morning body marking to the final hour finish line celebration.
IRONMAN will produce its live coverage for a connected audience, incorporating unique viewer interaction through Facebook Watch Parties, real-time polls, fan discussion, and user generated content from spectators along the course.
The fully produced live event coverage will be hosted by past champions of IRONMAN events, including Dede Griesbauer, Rachel Joyce, Matt Lieto, and Michael Lovato, as well as IRONMAN World Champions and Hall of Famers Paula Newby Fraser and Greg Welch.
Live race coverage of the following events as well as a range of on-demand programming will be available globally via the IRONMAN Now Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/IRONMANnow.
2019 IRONMAN Now Facebook Watch Schedule
April 7 Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship – South Africa Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa
April 27 Memorial Hermann IRONMAN North American Championship – Texas The Woodlands, Texas, USA
May 5 IRONMAN Australia Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia
June 9 IRONMAN Boulder Boulder, Colorado, USA
June 23 IRONMAN Ireland, Cork Youghal, Cork, Ireland
June 30 Mainova IRONMAN European Championship – Frankfurt Frankfurt, Germany
July 7 IRONMAN Austria – Kärnten Klagenfurt, Austria
July 14 IRONMAN Vitoria – Gasteiz Vitoria, Spain
July 28 ViewSPORT IRONMAN Lake Placid Lake Placid, New York, USA
August 18 KMD IRONMAN Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark
Sept. 7-8 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Nice, France
Sept. 15 IRONMAN Wales Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom
Sept. 21 IRONMAN Italy Emilia-Romagna Cervia, Emilia Romagna, Italy
Sept. 29 Little Debbie IRONMAN Chattanooga presented by McKee A Family Bakery Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Oct. 12 IRONMAN World Championship Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i, USA
Nov. 2 IRONMAN Florida Panama City Beach, Florida, USA
Nov. 24 IRONMAN Arizona Tempe, Arizona, USA
For more information on IRONMAN and events in the IRONMAN Group portfolio, visit www.ironman.com.