Posted: April 20, 2004

Triathlon: Ironman Triathlon Captures Three Sports Emmy Awards

April 20, 2004 -- The 2003 Ironman Triathlon World Championship broadcast received three awards last night at the 25th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Ceremony in New York City. The 25th anniversary broadcast was honored in the categories of Outstanding Edited Sports Special, Outstanding Camera Work and Outstanding Opens and Teases. This year’s wins bring the total number of Emmys awarded to Ironman to 12 throughout the last 11 years.

“Winning three Emmy Awards is a great honor for me and the entire television crew, but I believe the real victory is for all those associated with Ironman. The awards represent the hard work of everyone involved – especially the athletes and volunteers. Their cooperation and remarkable efforts provide us with the soul of the Ironman broadcast,” says Ironman’s Executive Television Producer, Peter Henning.

For the first time ever, Ironman’s NBC broadcast made an exciting move to primetime viewing hours with a new two-part format. The broadcast, which aired on Saturday, December 6 from 5-6 p.m. EST and from 8-9 p.m. EST focused on the strength of the human body and spirit.

The show highlighted several examples of athletes proving that “Anything is Possible.” Among those stories were Julie Moss, infamous for her crawl to the finish line in 1982, Dick and Ricky Hoyt, an extraordinary father and son team, Richard Holcomb, a legally blind athlete and Marc Herremans, a former professional triathlete who overcame a paralyzing bike accident to cross this year’s finish line. Ratings for the broadcast were 1.9 rating/4 share for the lead-in broadcast and the signature broadcast received an incredible 2.5 rating/4 share. These figures are particularly exciting as the telecast went up against several other popular football events - the SEC Championship, the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Football.

Footage from the Ironman Triathlon first aired on television in 1980 as part of ABC’s Wide World of Sports. In 1991, the broadcast was moved to NBC where it became a stand-alone program. In addition to the Emmy recognition, the broadcast has also won three consecutive International Monitor Awards for global excellence.

Fox Sports Net will air a one-hour, “best of” special, with highlights of the event on Sunday, May 2 at 9 p.m. EST. The Emmy-award winning broadcast of the 2003 Ironman Triathlon World Championship will re-air on NBC on July 25th from 1:30 -2:30 p.m., EST. To purchase your own copy of the show, log onto ironmandvd.com.