The Vega IRONMAN Live Free Online will start Saturday with 20 hours of live coverage through IRONMAN Now on Facebook Watch, as well as on NBC Sports, ARD, and HR Fernsehen.
With approximately 2,500 athletes from 75 countries competing this year, IRONMAN officials anticipate more viewers than ever before for this event. The live broadcast will start at 4:25 a.m. HST as athletes go through body marking.
Key moments during race-day coverage include:
6:25 a.m.: Race Start – Male Professionals / Elite Athletes.
6:35 a.m.: Race Start – Female Professionals / Elite Athletes.
2:30 p.m.: Estimated time for the male winner to cross the finish arch on Ali‘i Drive.
3:30 p.m.: Estimated time for the female winner to cross the finish arch on Ali‘i Drive.
11:30 p.m.: Finish Line Party – A celebration of the Vega IRONMAN World Championship. The 2019 crowned champions will return to the celebratory finish line as supporters to cheer on the final finishers.
“We are excited to bring our global audience to the Island of Hawai‘i to experience over 20 hours of uninterrupted coverage of the 2019 Vega IRONMAN World Championship,” said Matthieu Van Veen, Chief Revenue Officer for IRONMAN. “Building off a record-breaking 2018 that saw over 20-million views, the audience this year will go behind-the-scenes from the very beginning of the most iconic event in endurance sports, witnessing the effort and emotion that goes into competing at the IRONMAN World Championship.”
In Germany, the event will be broadcasted on National Broadcast channel, ARD starting at 6:40 p.m., 7:37 p.m.–7:45 p.m. and 11:55 p.m.–3:45 a.m. In addition, the broadcast will be live regionally on HR Fernsehen from 9:45 p.m.–3:35 a.m. and continuously on Sportschau.de between 9:45 p.m. and 3:45 a.m., all Central European Time.
The Vega IRONMAN World Championship will be broadcasted in the US through the various platforms of NBC Sports including the live start of the race on NBCSN on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. ET with live reports airing on NBCSN and NBC throughout race day.