Ironman Acquisition coverage in Wall Street Journal: 'Raymond Britt . . . foresees continued growth from the (Ironman) brand'

By Raymond Britt

Ironman Triathlon's parent company, World Triathlon Corporation, will be acquired by China's Dalian Wanda, according to Wall Street Journal's Pulitzer Prize winning sports journalist Kevin Helliker.

Helliker called before publishing the article, asking my view of what impact the acquisition may have on Ironman races and the brand.

I told Kevin that the Ironman racing series, triathlete participation, and brand recognition will continue to grow well after the acquisition.

My perspective is based on extensive experience racing and analyzing Ironman since 1997, as a:

  • 29-time Ironman, including a 3-time The Ironman Triathlon World Championship finisher
  • Strategist, conducting comprehensive statistical analyst of dozens of Ironman events, hundreds of thousands of Ironman finishers, spanning multiple years
  • Journalist/Analyst/Photographer contributing articles and analytics to Wall Street Journal, CNN, USA Today, ESPN, Triathlete Magazine and others

It requires tremendous commitment and determination to race an Ironman Triathlon. And a great deal more to qualify for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona (the one you've seen on NBC). 

 More than 60,000 triathletes try each year, but only about 2000+ win coveted Kona Slots (1700+ qualifiers, plus lottery winners, etc.).  We know what it takes; we've qualified for Kona three times. Kona is everything you expect and more. It takes hard work to get there, but it's worth it.