Athletes Survey at Ironman70.3 Monaco 2009
61 athletes interviewed during race week at the Expo Village
- 79% men
- 92% lived in Europe
- average age of 41 years, which closely matches the average age of all athletes in the race
The following is a summary of some of the findings out of the survey
Asked about sustainability in general and in this race...
- 90% think that the race has a significant impact on the environment (55% completely agree)
- 89% are concerned about sustainable development
- 100% said they strongly agree or tend to agree with the idea that all events must minimize their impact on the environment
- 75% say they prefer to participate in environmentally friendly races
- 96% of respondents say they "strongly agree" (66%) or "somewhat agree" that the Monaco IRONMAN 70.3 is an environmentally responsible event
Although considering that results can not be highly representative these results nevertheless show evidently that sustainability and environmental protection are important ot the athletes when participating in events. This means that initiatives like the 4vita program are fundamental and have an acceptance in the public.
Asked about the 4vita program in specific and whether and if yes, where the athletes have heard of 4vita...
- 58% have thought about all the program activities 4vita.
- 56% of athletes said they have heard of 4vita before coming to the event site
- Of the remaining 44%, 52% said they had heard of 4vita for the first time in the booth 4vita.
They were also asked to give some feedback on the 4vita booth and 81% of respondents valuated the booth lively and educating.
This results showed that the stand on site is essential for sensitization of the people. Personal contact highers the chances to get people involved by giving information, answering questions and discussing the topic.
We also asked for the way the athletes prepared themselves for the race: 98% of the interviewed athletes were amateurs and out of this only 33% followed a personal training plan.
This shows us that still a large number of athletes don't prepare their races in a sustainable way. A Ironman70.3 is a tough challenge for the human body and it should be prepared for this physical effort. Consequently we need to enforce our efforts to reach the athletes to change their attitude in this and care about their body!
