• by Karl Greenberg , June 8, 2011

The best-known non-team sports event in New York is the yearly ING New York City Marathon. Millions watch around the world, and thousands participate. Better yet, it is part of the fabric of the city tied to the New York Road Runners Club, and its famous president who started the marathon, Fred Lebow.

The Tampa, Fla.-based World Triathlon Corporation is hoping to create its own space in New York's sports landscape by bringing the Ironman U.S. Championship to the metro area next year. It will be the first time that an Ironman competition -- a grueling 140.6-mile race comprising a marathon-length run, bicycle race and swim -- will be held in the region.

The course will include a 2.4-mile swim in the Hudson River; a 112-mile bike ride on the Palisades Parkway in Bergen and Rockland Counties, New Jersey; and a 26.2-mile run beginning in New Jersey and finishing in Manhattan's Riverside Park.

New Jersey's governor Chris Christie and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the race will bring $50 million to the region along with 2,500 athletes from around the world. The race is a qualifier for the 2012 Ford Ironman World Championship, which takes place in Kona, Hawaii during the fall.

New York City has actually had a triathlon for the past 11 years -- the New York City Triathlon, produced by Korff Enterprises, with Nautica as title sponsor -- but the new event brings marketing muscle and media coverage via WTC's relationship with NBC, which covers events like the well-known Kona race.

Mike Pine, chief sales officer of the WTC, who came to the organization half a year ago after working for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, said the deal to put the Ironman U.S. Championship in New York culminates a seven-year effort. Logistical issues notwithstanding, said Pine, there was no question about having the U.S. Championship anywhere else. "I think it goes back to New York City as a mecca," he said. "Doing an event in New York -- home of Madison Square Garden -- even for our sport helps take us from niche to mainstream. It's a huge step for us; it opens new doors for us."

Pine added that the sport is not so niche, pointing out that WTC does 184 events globally per year -- making it the world's largest sports event provider. He said the shift toward mainstream has been helped by a focus on social media and greater consumer interest in individual health.

While NBC will likely carry the New York event, Pine said, its length of up to 17 hours gives weight to the value of social media as a media platform. He said the company will also stream key moments of the race on ironmanlive.com.

WTC is looking for sponsorship deals from companies in the financial, health insurance, airline, and hotel sectors. Pine said the last championship race in Kona brought in 5.2 million impressions, 1.2 million of which were uniques.