IRONMAN has announced the acquisition of the Mass Participation Division of TITAN Experience, one of Ireland’s leading mass-participation, sponsorship and event-management companies.
IRONMAN and TITAN Experience have had a long-standing relationship in the Irish and UK market working together on operating events under the IRONMAN and Rock ‘n’ Roll Series brands, namely the Affidea Rock ‘n’ Roll Dublin Half Marathon, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Liverpool Marathon and the IRONMAN 70.3 Dún Laoghaire events.
TITAN Experience, which was founded in 2005 by Eoin Conroy and Declan Byrne, is known for operating and growing a wide variety of events and experiences in Ireland – including those within the IRONMAN and Rock ‘n’ Roll Series brands and others, such as the KBC Bank Dublin Night Run, which brings to life the unique concept of a 10-kilometre night-time run, and the Great Dublin Bike Ride, billed as the only cycling event of its kind in Dublin.
TITAN Experience co-founder, Declan Byrne, will join IRONMAN as Managing Director for the UK and Ireland, as part of the acquisition. In his new role, Byrne will lead the IRONMAN team across both countries and will be responsible for IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series events, and other mass-participation athletic events in the UK and Ireland.
‘Key staff members from TITAN Experience have also joined IRONMAN to ensure the events continue to be delivered at the highest level and that competitors will receive the same great athlete experience.’
“We are tremendously excited to become part of the IRONMAN family and have really enjoyed working with the IRONMAN team across their portfolio of world class mass participation events,” said Declan Byrne, Managing Director for United Kingdom and Ireland. “Personally, in my new role as Managing Director for UK and Ireland, I am relishing the opportunity to grow and develop the IRONMAN portfolio of mass participation events in the territory and bring the knowledge and experiences that I have developed over the past decade to a global stage.”
He continued, “IRONMAN is the global leader in the mass participation space and it’s a huge complement to what we have built here that has brought us to this point in our 13-year entrepreneurial journey.”
“TITAN Experience has been a long-standing and fantastic partner to the IRONMAN family and has helped build innovative and world-class events,” said Shane Facteau, Chief Operating Officer of IRONMAN. “The transition of operation of these events to IRONMAN will serve to further strengthen and market them to a broader audience.”
Since 2013, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dublin Half Marathon has been one of the most popular and scenic running events in Ireland. On August 11-12, 2018, runners in this event will experience live music along the 13.1-mile course and journey along the River Liffey, past Christchurch Cathedral and the Guinness Brewery. Following the run, athletes are treated to a finish-line concert and festival.
On August 19, 2018, Dún Laoghaire will host approximately 2,000 athletes, who will take on the IRONMAN 70.3 Dún Laoghaire triathlon. 2018 marks the fourth year of the event.
IRONMAN has also just announced the launch of the first full distance IRONMAN event in Ireland – IRONMAN Ireland Cork, taking place in Youghal, Co. Cork on Sunday, June 23, 2019.
