IRONMAN CEO Andrew Messick to Retire

Andrew Messick will retire from his roles as President and CEO of the IRONMAN Group at the conclusion of 2023, according to an announcement from IRONMAN.

Messick will retain his role on the Board of Directors and remain a stakeholder.

“Being the CEO of The IRONMAN Group has been the professional honor of my life – the most meaningful and purposeful work experience I have had — and I am filled with gratitude for the support of my team members, our partners, and the athlete community over the past 12 years,” said Messick. “I have given all I have to this job and my life has been enriched by the opportunity to build incredible events, meet athlete community members from all over the world, and lead an incredibly dedicated group of colleagues.”

Messick has held the role of CEO since 2011, when he left AEG to join IRONMAN. Under Messick’s tenure, IRONMAN has radically transformed its business from primarily a licensing business to an event production company, in the process becoming the largest organizer of mass participation events worldwide. During the process, IRONMAN has diversified into events beyond triathlon, including into the running and trail communities with the Rock n Roll Running Series and UTMB.

Messick has also overseen IRONMAN’s transition of ownership multiple times, including to its current holding under Advance. It was Messick’s leadership that was cited as a key to Advance’s acquisition: “Our partnership with Andrew and confidence in his leadership were critical to Advance’s decision in March of 2020 to acquire The IRONMAN Group while an unprecedented and unpredictable pandemic disruption to the live events industry was well underway,” said Janine Shelffo, Chief Strategy & Development Officer at Advance. “It is thanks to his steady stewardship that The IRONMAN Group has emerged from that disruption well poised to capitalize on the tremendous long-term opportunities we see
ahead.”

IRONMAN also has developed their transfer, deferral, and payment plan policies all during the course of Messick’s leadership.

Messick concluded, “Leaving this leadership role with IRONMAN is difficult, as my love for this company runs deep. I did my first IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons nearly two decades ago, long before I had any affiliation with the organization. What I have learned and seen at the races have been some of the most meaningful experiences of my life.”

Over the course of the next couple of months we will be writing a series of articles about the successes and challenges that IRONMAN faced during Messick’s leadership era.