(November 13, 2009 – Oxnard, California) Iron Man Magazine Publisher John Balik reported today that the Pro Fight Supplements Iron Man Pro bodybuilding contest, originally slated to take place on Saturday, January 23, 2010, is being rescheduled for an as of yet undetermined date. The contest, which celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2009, is one of the longest running IFBB Pro shows in the world.
For the last six years, the Iron Man Pro has been held in conjunction with The Bodybuilding.com Los Angeles Fitness Expo, produced by National Fitness Productions. With over 20,000 attendees, 250 exhibitors, and an incredible line-up of fitness, physique, martial arts and strength contests, it is one of the country’s largest and fastest growing consumer fitness expos.
“The Expo has been a huge success and is growing every year” said Balik. “But when it was held in late February, two weeks before the Arnold Classic to accommodate the Iron Man Pro, some companies just couldn’t exhibit at it. Shipping their booths coast-to-coast and asking their staff to work back-to-back expos was just too much for some of them.”
So when National Fitness Productions elected to move the Expo to the third weekend in January last year, dozens more companies were able to come out from the Midwest and East Coast to exhibit. However, as Balik noted, “for the pro bodybuilders, it meant having to train and diet through the holiday season and then try to peak again six weeks later for the Arnold and other IFBB contests that follow it.”
“And in spite of the huge crowds that attend the Expo and the myriad of sponsors that support it, ticket sales to the Iron Man Pro continue to decline, making it a challenge to produce the contest profitably.”
Balik added, “The quality of the athletes is the cornerstone of any events success. The rich twenty year history of the Iron Man Pro is the direct result of the wonderful IFBB athletes who have supported it. From the first winner, Shawn Ray, to the 20th, Silvio Samuel, and the current Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler, the list of champions is a who’s who of IFBB Pro Bodybuilding.”
Balik went on to say he is investigating alternative dates and venues at which to hold the Iron Man Pro, either in late February just prior to the Arnold Classic, or perhaps in May around the time of the New York Pro Show.
Moving the Contest to either of these time slots would mean the bodybuilders could gear their training and dieting for multiple shows on back-to-back weekends, giving them chances for multiple paydays and Mr. Olympia qualifying finishes. In turn, the deeper line-ups will hopefully draw more fans to the contests which would be good for the promoters, the sponsors and the sport.
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I’m always impressed by what these people go through to take part in the Ironman event.