Ironman Parent World Triathlon Corp. Set To Buy Rock 'N' Roll Marathon Series

Ironman owner World Triathlon Corp. is expected to announce as early as Friday that it has acquired the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon series, sources with knowledge of the deal said. In the deal, WTC adds 29 annual running events, including seven outside the U.S., to its growing stable of participatory endurance properties. The deal is not entirely unexpected. Since the Dalian Wanda Group acquired the WTC in 2015, it has been pursuing a global roll-up strategy in pursuit of bigger global market share in the highly fragmented race business. In April, World Triathlon CEO Andrew Messick told the SBJ that Rock ’n’ Roll was a potential acquisition target. Terms are not known. In 2012, Calera Capital acquired the Competitor Group, owner of the Rock ’n Roll series, in a deal valuing the company at $250M. Since then, Competitor Group has divested triathlon properties and returned focus to its core running business, CEO Josh Furrow said in March. Spokesmen for Ironman and the Competitor Group did not reply to messages seeking comment.