The IRONMAN Group & WePlay

For 9 years, IRONMAN and WePlay have worked hand-in-hand to grow and strengthen the global sports endurance community, running targeted, paid advertisements that support ticket sales of their mass participation events across a variety of international markets and diverse athlete audiences. WePlay’s Account Director and IRONMAN veteran (having worked on the account for 5 years), Zygimantas Koncius, has had plenty of experience pushing event sales over this time, optimising and budget shifting during busy campaign event periods to ensure the best possible outcomes.

And this exciting work will continue… with WePlay extending this partnership with IRONMAN for another year of collaboration and strategic campaign execution. We asked Zygi what his favourite campaigns were to work on and how good preparation leads to effective results.

1. Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2024 – WePlay partnered with The IRONMAN Group to drive registrations for the 2024 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™, Southeast Asia’s only World Athletics Gold Label race. WePlay executed a data-led, multi-platform campaign focused on strategic audience segmentation and emotionally resonant messaging. The results?
   • 50% increase YOY in registrations
   • 25% improvement in CPA
   • 45% boost in return on ad spend
2. Epic Series (Mountain Biking)—The Epic Series is a portfolio of the most premium mountain bike stage races. Teams of 2 take on the trails across the series. Over the years, the team has improved the cost efficiency of the Epic Series events. An example of this is the Swiss Epic event’s year-on-year gains across the board, with the campaign CPA dropping 58% and overall registrations increasing by 112%.
3. UTMB (Trail Running) – UTMB aims to unite trail running communities with leading international events across Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa and the Americas. The key event wins were the Andorra Trail 100, Mozart 100, and the Istria 100, delivering huge reductions in CPA and high ROAS, showcasing the optimisation approach the team has. Across the entirety of the event 6,420 registrations were secured. With refined experience, the WePlay team has maximised the efficiency of the clients’ value across the board.

IRONMAN’s future is bright, with global participation surpassing 200,000 athletes in 2024, a new record. The 30–34 age group now represents the largest segment, reflecting a strong influx of younger endurance athletes. Notably, participation among under-30s has surged, with a 39% increase in IRONMAN first-timers and a remarkable 66% rise in IRONMAN 70.3 participants in this age group since 2019.

This growth is matched by increasing enthusiasm across the endurance community, as athletes are committing earlier than ever; 32 global events for 2025 have already sold out. The expansion into emerging markets and the integration of digital training platforms are also fueling accessibility and engagement like never before.

In North America, female participation in long-distance events is up 10% year over year, showing positive momentum, although it still lags behind the recovery pace of male participation compared to pre-COVID levels. Globally, women account for just 18% of full IRONMAN and 26% of IRONMAN 70.3 participants, underscoring a gender gap in the sport. A recent global survey of over 10,000 women highlighted key barriers to entry, including concerns around time commitment, training resources, and community support.

These insights are shaping future outreach and inclusivity efforts, ensuring that as IRONMAN continues to grow, it also evolves to better support and attract a more diverse athletic base. Programs targeting youth development and regional mentorship are expected to play a pivotal role in shifting long-term trends.

The partnership between WePlay and The IRONMAN Group stands as a testament to long-term strategic alignment and consistent delivery at scale. Through a shared commitment to grow, innovate, and perform, the collaboration continues to evolve, driving measurable impact across a global portfolio of endurance events. Here’s to another 9 years! The partnership’s focus on data-driven storytelling and tailored digital campaigns is helping to deepen audience engagement and elevate the athlete experience worldwide.

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