I'm not a pro anymore, but I still got this email and I don't feel bad posting it. Seems like a good way to leverage consumer interest and provide more colorful commentary and perhaps initiate better drafting control at a select few events in 2015.
"As we begin the 2015 season, we wanted to share plans that will further improve one of our key initiatives for this season - driving awareness and exposure of our professional athletes. This will be accomplished in part through improved coverage that integrates advanced data tracking and detailed competitive analysis of the IRONMAN World Championship, IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship and our five regional IRONMAN Championships.
For all of these events, we will produce IRONMAN Live, a hosted online show with extensive, in-depth coverage of the professional race. A cornerstone of this enhanced coverage will be live GPS tracking for all professional athletes. After a successful pilot at the IRONMAN World Championship in 2014, our first beta test will be at the IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship in Melbourne on March 22, 2015. The data will be integrated into IRONMAN's new digital athlete tracking platform, IRONFAN. In addition, you will be given the opportunity to opt-in to transmit biometric and power data, which will be used for commentary on IRONMAN Live starting at Melbourne and integrated into IRONFAN later this year.
Our goal is to draw more attention to and improve engagement with our sport, and we believe that this is a major step forward as it combines long-distance GPS tracking with multi-sport biometric and power data. By leveraging this technology, we will create a more colorful and comprehensive experience for fans and the media.
Here are some important details regarding this initiative:
"As we begin the 2015 season, we wanted to share plans that will further improve one of our key initiatives for this season - driving awareness and exposure of our professional athletes. This will be accomplished in part through improved coverage that integrates advanced data tracking and detailed competitive analysis of the IRONMAN World Championship, IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship and our five regional IRONMAN Championships.
For all of these events, we will produce IRONMAN Live, a hosted online show with extensive, in-depth coverage of the professional race. A cornerstone of this enhanced coverage will be live GPS tracking for all professional athletes. After a successful pilot at the IRONMAN World Championship in 2014, our first beta test will be at the IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship in Melbourne on March 22, 2015. The data will be integrated into IRONMAN's new digital athlete tracking platform, IRONFAN. In addition, you will be given the opportunity to opt-in to transmit biometric and power data, which will be used for commentary on IRONMAN Live starting at Melbourne and integrated into IRONFAN later this year.
Our goal is to draw more attention to and improve engagement with our sport, and we believe that this is a major step forward as it combines long-distance GPS tracking with multi-sport biometric and power data. By leveraging this technology, we will create a more colorful and comprehensive experience for fans and the media.
Here are some important details regarding this initiative:
- Every professional athlete participating in a world championship or regional IRONMAN championship will be required to wear the GPS tracking device during the entire bike and run portions of the race.
- The dimensions of the unit are 99 x 55 x 22 mm and the weight is 115g; it is pictured below (left) with an iPhone 5 shown for scale.
- IRONMAN will also provide athletes with specially-designed pouches for the unit to be work during the bike and run legs. We are sensitive to sponsorships for nutrition and race belts, so you can choose to use a pouch or belt of your own to hold the device.
- In advance of the competition, each athlete will be given the opportunity to opt-in or opt-out of transmitting biometric data. For those who opt-in, the data will be used for commentary of race coverage on IRONMAN live starting at Melbourne and integrated into IRONFAN later in the year."
Last edited by:
James Haycraft: Jan 30, 15 10:07