While The IRONMAN Group’s mission is to provide exceptional, life-changing race experiences for athletes of all levels, from their first step to the finish line, we can only accomplish this by providing the safest possible environment, and safeguarding the citizens of our host communities.

COVID-19 has substantially altered the global sports landscape and will have material impact on the mass participation industry in the immediate term. We want to reassure you that the health and well-being of our community is our primary concern. To this end, we are doing our part to communicate effectively and follow public health agencies and governmental authorities’ recommendations.

We expect that there are going to be substantial and widespread event postponements in the coming weeks and months. The decision to proceed, restrict, modify or postpone an event will be based on availability of community resources and ongoing event-specific risk assessment in coordination with the relevant healthcare and government authorities and the IRONMAN Global Medical Advisory Board, an independent medical advisory board focused on health and safety.

For events that will continue, The IRONMAN Group, along with the IRONMAN Global Medical Advisory Board, has outlined a series of pragmatic and practical actions designed to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 or any other infectious agent to athletes and to members of our host communities. These steps will help athletes achieve their goals while allowing communities to secure the benefits of hosting mass participation sporting events. They will be implemented worldwide at all IRONMAN Group events beginning March 19 and will continue indefinitely.

Self-care and Risk Minimisation
Athletes who are sick or have been potentially exposed to an infectious agent must not compete or attend events, as this puts others at risk. As a community, we each have a personal responsibility to protect each other by complying with this rule.

We ask that all athletes, volunteers and partners follow the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for basic protective measures against the new coronavirus:

Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.
Regularly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash your hands with soap and water, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Practice good respiratory hygiene. Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of used tissues immediately and appropriately in a bin.

Providing Flexibility to Athletes 
Certain races will be postponed or cancelled due to the outbreak and we will communicate these as soon as practical. Our goal will be to move the race to a date later in the year. We work in close partnership with the relevant public health authorities in the territories where the races take place and err on the side of safety for our athletes and the host community. If an event cannot occur on the scheduled date, we will take the following actions:

Postponement:  Registered athletes for events that are postponed due to COVID-19 by the local health authorities are automatically transferred to the rescheduled date. For those that the new date does not work, we will allow deferrals into the same event the next year.
Cancellation: Registered athletes for events that are cancelled due to COVID-19 by the local health authorities are automatically deferred to the same race in 2021.
Other options: We are vetting other options to allow displaced athletes to race in 2020 and will communicate those in due course.
Athletes in Quarantined/Restricted Territories: For athletes in certain designated quarantine or restricted territories who have registered for races that take place before June 1, 2020 and have NOT been postponed or cancelled, we will aid in finding alternative races later in the season.

For those who are sick, feel unwell, or have been potentially exposed to an infectious agent in advance of a race that will take place, do not come to the race; instead seek medical care. Once you have done so, contact the relevant Athlete Services representative for your race and we will attempt to find you another solution.

Safe Event Experience 
In order to provide the safest experience for our athletes, we are instituting the following at our races, effective March 19.

Reinforcing Social Distancing in all elements of the event

The hours of on-site event registration will be expanded.
Athletes will be allowed to pick up their athlete race kit/race bib and immediately exit expo area.
Athlete density will be decreased by increasing individual race space staging, corrals, etc.
No-handshake behaviour will be encouraged for the duration of the event.
Athlete briefing information will be available digitally only.
Non-core, high-contact services (e.g. wetsuit peeling) will be suspended.

Hygiene First

Staff and volunteers who are interacting with participants pre-race, on race day and post-race will be provided gloves.
Hand-washing stations and sanitation stations around the venue for athletes, volunteers and spectators will be increased
No-touch waste disposal stations and receptacles will be rolled out as available.
Frequently touched surfaces at race venue locations such as workstations, product distribution areas, tables and electronic devices will be cleaned regularly.
When possible, on-course food and fluid supplies will be single use/single serving closed packaging
Athletes planning to return home by airplane or rail are encouraged to avoid travel post-event for 24 hours allowing their immune system time to recover post-race.
No onsite interviews or press conference with professional athletes.
No handshake/contact on the race podium.
Printed document distribution will be eliminated.

Medical Service

Education and awareness training regarding signs and symptoms of COVID-19 will be provided to all medical and volunteer staff.
Frequent communication with health authorities and healthcare facilities will be implemented to assist in assessment, referral and initial management of suspected COVID-19 illness of staff, participants, volunteers, and spectators.

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This is a highly dynamic situation and we will continue to adapt and adjust as appropriate. We appreciate your patience in the coming days and weeks. We recognise that this is a challenging time but our community will endure. We are inspired by your  ambition, and endeavour to be worthy of your commitment. As further updates are available, they will be posted at www.ironman.com/updates and www.runrocknroll.com/updates in addition to our individual event sites and social media pages. Thank you for your continued support, and we wish you the best in health and wellness.”

This exciting new job, with a package worth up to £50,000, allows you to:

Choose when you want to work – work around your day job when works for you
And where you work: around your usual day-to-day commitments, whether this be around the school-run/your full-time job/in your kitchen or on the beach
You spend your time simply writing or vlogging about the active things in life you love
Includes free holidays – package includes two holidays for you and up to 3 family members – relax as hard as you like with an exhilarating range of summer and winter holidays in the Alps, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Sardinia and Spain
Gives you all the gear you need – a new bike, a paddle board, tennis racquet, ski gear and active wear courtesy of our generous partners
Work for Neilson on a one-year contract with a salary of £15,000

The competition will be judged on votes first and foremost and the level of support garnered throughout participant’s campaigns to become Neilson’s COO, with the hashtag #GetYourActiveOn key to driving awareness.

The five candidates with the highest number of public votes will then be selected for final interviews at Neilson Active Holidays HQ.

To apply visit: https://www.neilson.co.uk/ambassador

David Taylor, CEO at Neilson Active Holidays said, “Activity, inspiration, health, encouraging people to try something new or spend more time doing things you love are all at the heart of what we do here at Neilson, therefore with the creation of this new role we really hope the successful candidate will ignite some oomph and look forward to this being the start of our mission in helping the UK to get active.”

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Ryan Sosna-Bowd of RnR Sport comments “Hopefully, we can encourage some of the triathlon community to apply for this role, it’s a great chance to not only promote an active lifestyle but a multi-sport active lifestyle, and get more people inspired into swim-bike-run.”

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The president of the Director-General of World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the Covid-19 pandemic is “accelerating” and that there are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide.

This is the first time the modern Olympic Games have been postponed, although they have been cancelled twice before.

In a statement the Chief Executive of the British Olympic Association, Andy Anson, said: “It is with profound sadness that we accept the postponement, but in all consciousness it is the only decision we can support, in light of the devastating impact COVID-19 is having on our nation, our communities and our families.

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“Alongside UK Sport and the BPA, we have consulted with the National Governing Bodies of summer Olympic and Paralympic sports and with athlete representative groups, including our Athletes’ Commissions and the British Athletes’ Commission. It is with their input and support that we have an unanimous view that the impact of COVID-19 on athletes’ training and preparation means their regimes are now compromised irreparably. It is time for them to stop thinking about Tokyo 2020 for now and be home and safe with their families.”

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The leaders of the Tokyo games said that “the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.”

To help athletes develop essential positive thinking and goal setting skills, each plan also includes sessions from The Sufferfest Mental Toughness Program. Drawing on decades of experience at the highest level of the sport, the plans were designed by the Wahoo Sports Science Team to help athletes improve their fitness while remaining indoors and maintain motivation in the midst of this unprecedented crisis.

“The current pandemic has disrupted every aspect of our daily lives,” said David McQuillen, head of the Wahoo Fitness Sufferfest division. “While all of us at Wahoo Fitness know that there are far more important things than that next workout, we also know that there is comfort, solace, and meaning to be found in exercise. Social distancing and self-Isolation brings with it many challenges for athletes trying to maintain or even improve fitness. Our Sports Science Team developed these comprehensive, four-week plans specifically to help homebound athletes redefine their goals, train responsibly, and use their time inside to get stronger both physically and mentally.”

The new ‘All-In’ plans are structured, progressive, and designed to provide enough training load to allow athletes to stay fit without too much intensity.  Each plan offers a different area of focus, and are designed to take the place of outdoor and group activities.

Cyclists can vary the number of rides as well as their strength training level and multisport athletes are given out-of-the-pool strength training plans as well as treadmill alternatives. To help manage so many early season race cancellations, athletes focusing on cross-training can use this time to develop the strength and fitness needed to support their primary athletic goals, while the yoga-focused plan is organised so athletes can gradually ramp into the hard sessions, which is especially important for those who have never done yoga before.

In order to ensure that the plans are accessible to everyone, The Sufferfest is offering new users a free month subscription through the promo code ALLINSUFPLAN.

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https://thesufferfest.com/

Get 220 Triathlon delivered to your door

We are here for you. If you’re used to buying our magazine from the shops, you can order by 30th March and receive our next 3 issues delivered to your home. This offer is risk-free, doesn’t require starting a Direct Debit and offers you a 15% saving with no delivery charge. If you are happy to set up a *Direct Debit with us we can offer you greater savings and your first 6 issues for just £9.99. Pick what works for you and you’ll soon be receiving  direct to your door. Stay safe everyone

*After your first 6 issues your subscription will continue at £21.45 every 6 issues. If you cancel your subscription within 2 weeks of receiving your 5th issue you will pay no more than £9.99

Live overseas?

With a digital subscription 220 Triathlon magazine will be available on your device as soon as each issue is published

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A 220 Triathlon Magazine subscription is the first step towards reaching your goal, whether it’s your first triathlon, you’re chasing that elusive PB or you’re taking on the elite. Whatever your level, gaining that extra ounce of performance over water, road and track is what this magazine is all about. With your 220 Triathlon subscription, you have the experts on hand to encourage and guide you every step of the way.

*After your first 6 issues your subscription will continue at £21.45 every 6 issues. If you cancel your subscription within 2 weeks of receiving your 5th issue you will pay no more than £9.99

Live overseas?

With a digital subscription 220 Triathlon magazine will be available on your device as soon as each issue is published

Advertisement

A 220 Triathlon Magazine subscription is the first step towards reaching your goal, whether it’s your first triathlon, you’re chasing that elusive PB or you’re taking on the elite. Whatever your level, gaining that extra ounce of performance over water, road and track is what this magazine is all about. With your 220 Triathlon subscription, you have the experts on hand to encourage and guide you every step of the way.

The race was set for 5 July in Roth, Bavaria, and regularly attracts 200,000+ spectators and 6,000 long-distance athletes for what we’ve previously voted as triathlon’s greatest event.

Here’s a slightly-condensed version of the statement from Challenge, who have already confirmed that the race will return in July 2021.

Dear friends of DATEV Challenge Roth

It is with a heavy heart we have made the decision to cancel DATEV Challenge Roth on 5 July 2020 due to the current global health crisis with the SARS-CoV-2-Virus. After consulting with the authorities, it is the only responsible choice to make.

We, the Walchshöfer family, together with the entire Challenge team, are deeply saddened by this cancellation. It was the most difficult decision we have had to make since Challenge was founded 19 years ago in 2002. We struggled for a long time, considered every possible alternative, but the continued spread of this terrible virus, that has reached almost every country in the world, led us to the painful realisation that there is no alternative but to cancel this year’s race.

Since Challenge was founded, it has been – and continues to be – our philosophy to put the well-being of the athletes at the heart of everything we do, regardless of the circumstances. Now we have reached a point where we can no longer guarantee the health and physical safety of the athletes, nor the high level of competition you expect.

We have been greatly concerned by the many registered athletes from so many countries whose training conditions are subject to massive restrictions, are affected by curfews, or who, in some cases, have even contracted SARS-CoV-2-Virus. We strongly believe in our responsibility for the athletes and it is important we live up to this responsibility. Therefore, we have no other choice.

Caring for our athletes, and also for all our volunteers and everyone involved in Challenge, is always the top priority at DATEV Challenge Roth, now more than ever. We are particularly thinking of our more than 7,500 volunteers who are the heart and soul of our event and who we must not and do not want to put at risk. The same applies to the emergency and rescue workers involved in the organization. In the current difficult situation, they are working almost around the clock to help people and, yes, to save lives. We cannot put any additional burden on them.

Germany and the whole world are facing a huge challenge. The ever-increasing number of cases, and unfortunately deaths, forces us to rethink and adapt our own view of many things that are dear to us as we face this cruel reality. We have to learn that sport, especially our beloved sport of triathlon, actually isn’t the most important thing in life. At the moment it’s about things that are bigger and more important than triathlon. It’s about curbing an aggressive and deathly virus, and all of us can only hope and believe that it will be defeated soon.

If we keep in mind the enormous consequences and implications this pandemic imposes on the global population, the cancellation of a sporting event – be it as big as DATEV Challenge Roth – is almost irrelevant, nothing but a grain of sand the desert. We should keep this in mind during this time so it is easier for all of us to gain a clear perspective.

We don’t want to complain about the economic side of this event cancellation. On the other hand, we cannot hide the fact this has significant financial consequences for us. We have already made advance payments in many areas, ordered large quantities of equipment, materials and event technology and commissioned services. We will have to carry many of these costs. This will undoubtedly have a major impact on our company, the result of which is still unknown.

But we will not desert you!

Despite this difficult situation, we are reiterating our promise to our athletes: We stand by our word and will, contrary to many other organizers, reimburse entry fees minus the administration fee!

We have also planned registration for the next DATEV Challenge Roth on 4 July 2021. One thing is certain: EVERYONE who was registered for DATEV Challenge Roth 2020 will have the right to register for DATEV Challenge Roth 2021 before anyone else.

We will be back next year. And we will celebrate with you all at the largest triathlon party ever on 4 July 2021 in Roth!

Until then: take care and above all, stay healthy.

See you at the finish line in 2021 in Roth!

Yours in friendship.

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Alice, Felix and Kathrin Walchshöfer with the entire Challenge team

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