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.
Matthieu van Veen, Chief Revenue Officer for The IRONMAN Group, said: “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.”
Nigel Morris, Managing Director of Nirvana, added: “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.
“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.
