IRONMAN acquires Vineman Triathlon and IRONMAN 70.3 Vineman; Vineman Triathlon joins IRONMAN U.S. series and becomes IRONMAN® Vineman
IRONMAN announced today the acquisition of multiple events from Vineman, Inc. IRONMAN will now own and operate the Vineman Triathlon and the IRONMAN® 70.3® Vineman triathlon the latter of which was a charter member of the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship global qualifying series in 2006. The Vineman triathlon will be rebranded as IRONMAN® Vineman and will take place on Saturday, July 30, 2016.
“Vineman has been an iconic race for more than 25 years and we feel privileged to have the Vineman team and events join the IRONMAN family,” said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of IRONMAN. “The acquisition of these races furthers our commitment to Northern California and we look forward to continuing the growth and history of these great events.”
The IRONMAN Vineman triathlon will feature a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run through beautiful Sonoma County’s wine country. The IRONMAN Vineman course is a tour of Sonoma County vineyards & wineries, which passes through five distinct regions. The swim takes place at Johnson’s Beach in the Russian River, one of the most rustic and beautiful swim venues you’ll see in the sport. The bike course is a mix of terrain, and travels through the Russian River, Dry Creek, Alexander Valley, and Chalk Hill grape growing regions. With slightly less than 4,000 feet of climbing for the entire bike course, athletes find the course to be challenging but not overwhelming. The out-and-back, run course takes the athletes to the finish area through scenic country roads of Sonoma County. This will allow athletes to see their fellow competitors, family, and friends more often. IRONMAN Vineman will offer 40 age-group slots to the 2016 IRONMAN World Championship taking place in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i on October 8. Professional athletes will compete for a total prize purse of $50,000 USD.
The IRONMAN 70.3 Vineman triathlon will remain on July 10, 2016 and feature a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run, and will be a qualifying event for the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Professional athletes will compete for a total prize purse of $50,000 USD. The point-to-point event begins at Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville and takes athletes past hundreds of vineyards and dozens of wineries before it finishes at Windsor High School in Windsor. The course is a tour of Sonoma County’s beautiful wine country, passing through four different grape growing regions: the Russian River Region, the Dry Creek Valley, the Alexander Valley, and Chalk Hill.
“When we started these events in 1990 our goal was to produce them at the highest possible level and provide each entrant with a fantastic racing experience,” said Russ Pugh, Founder of the Vineman events. “We are satisfied that we have achieved this over the past twenty-six years. In an effort to continue to provide athletes with an exceptional event, we made the decision to team with IRONMAN. We look forward to working with IRONMAN to keep the IRONMAN 70.3 Vineman triathlon as one of the most popular events in the world and to build IRONMAN Vineman into a race with similar status. We are thrilled to be a part of the IRONMAN family of events.”
