Collaborations with luxury brands? A branded hotel? A luxury training vacation?
For Scott DeRue, chief executive officer of the Ironman Group, anything is possible.
That expression is also the motto of the sports company that organizes 225 events in 54 countries across the sports of triathlon, road running, trail running, road cycling and mountain biking. Its marquee event is the Ironman triathlon, a grueling race that consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run.
That passion is what DeRue intends to capitalize on as he lays out his strategy to grow the Ironman brand.
“The last 10 months have been incredibly inspiring to me,” he said. “There’s a highly engaged and passionate community built around our sport.”
While his primary goal is to better serve the athletes that compete at his races, that reach can be much wider, he believes.Right now, Ironman has deals with performance brands including Roka, best known for its wetsuits and eyewear; Hoka, a favorite running shoe of endurance athletes; Santini, which manufactures its race kits; Lululemon, which makes Ironman-branded training apparel, and Timex, which has a long history making watches sporting the Ironman name. Starting next year, Zoot Sports will become the exclusive triathlon and cycling apparel partner for all owned Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events globally.
About 10 months ago, the Ironman Group, which is owned by Advance, the privately held family-owned company behind Condé Nast and American City Business Journals, poached Equinox president DeRue to become its CEO. Since taking on the role, DeRue has immersed himself in the world of Ironman, even partaking in a half-Ironman race, called an Ironman 70.3 to indicate the total distance traveled by the athletes, in Wilmington, N.C., last month.
DeRue, a dedicated endurance athlete who has competed in ultramarathons and summited Everest, Denali and Kilimanjaro, among others, said the North Carolina race was his first triathlon. And like many other participants, he’s now hooked. He completed the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in a highly respective time of 5:45.
“I had a blast,” he said. “I found out I can’t swim in a straight line, but I finished with a smile on my face. And I saw firsthand how engaged the community is. There are not many brands that people tattoo on their bodies.”
About 10 months ago, the Ironman Group, which is owned by Advance, the privately held family-owned company behind Condé Nast and American City Business Journals, poached Equinox president DeRue to become its CEO. Since taking on the role, DeRue has immersed himself in the world of Ironman, even partaking in a half-Ironman race, called an Ironman 70.3 to indicate the total distance traveled by the athletes, in Wilmington, N.C., last month.
DeRue, a dedicated endurance athlete who has competed in ultramarathons and summited Everest, Denali and Kilimanjaro, among others, said the North Carolina race was his first triathlon. And like many other participants, he’s now hooked. He completed the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in a highly respective time of 5:45.
“I had a blast,” he said. “I found out I can’t swim in a straight line, but I finished with a smile on my face. And I saw firsthand how engaged the community is. There are not many brands that people tattoo on their bodies.”
About 10 months ago, the Ironman Group, which is owned by Advance, the privately held family-owned company behind Condé Nast and American City Business Journals, poached Equinox president DeRue to become its CEO. Since taking on the role, DeRue has immersed himself in the world of Ironman, even partaking in a half-Ironman race, called an Ironman 70.3 to indicate the total distance traveled by the athletes, in Wilmington, N.C., last month.
DeRue, a dedicated endurance athlete who has competed in ultramarathons and summited Everest, Denali and Kilimanjaro, among others, said the North Carolina race was his first triathlon. And like many other participants, he’s now hooked. He completed the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in a highly respective time of 5:45.
“I had a blast,” he said. “I found out I can’t swim in a straight line, but I finished with a smile on my face. And I saw firsthand how engaged the community is. There are not many brands that people tattoo on their bodies.”
About 10 months ago, the Ironman Group, which is owned by Advance, the privately held family-owned company behind Condé Nast and American City Business Journals, poached Equinox president DeRue to become its CEO. Since taking on the role, DeRue has immersed himself in the world of Ironman, even partaking in a half-Ironman race, called an Ironman 70.3 to indicate the total distance traveled by the athletes, in Wilmington, N.C., last month.
DeRue, a dedicated endurance athlete who has competed in ultramarathons and summited Everest, Denali and Kilimanjaro, among others, said the North Carolina race was his first triathlon. And like many other participants, he’s now hooked. He completed the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in a highly respective time of 5:45.
“I had a blast,” he said. “I found out I can’t swim in a straight line, but I finished with a smile on my face. And I saw firsthand how engaged the community is. There are not many brands that people tattoo on their bodies.”