The Ironman Group promoted Keats McGonigal to senior vice president and managing director for its North American business.

McGonigal joined The Ironman Group in 2007 as an intern working onsite at the Ironman Coeur d’Alene event near his hometown of Spokane, WA. He later moved into the role of race director and, after becoming a full-time employee in 2009, rose steadily in responsibilities by taking on diverse leadership roles in the company in the North American region as senior race director, regional director and, most recently, as vice president of operations for North America.

McGonigal also has multiple Ironman finishes, including the Ironman World Championship triathlon and the 2022 Ironman California and 2023 Ironman Coeur d’Alene triathlons.

In his new role as senior vice president and managing director for The Ironman Group’s North American business, McGonigal leads the region’s more than 75 full-time employees and over 55 annual events across multiple sporting disciplines. He and his team are responsible for triathlon and running events through the Ironman, Ironman 70.3, Rock’ n’ Roll Running Series, and the region’s UTMB World Series brands and events.

“Keats has demonstrated tremendous leadership over his tenure with The Ironman Group, and with his vision, experience and commitment to our athlete community, I have full confidence in his ability to lead and grow our North America business,“ said CEO Scott DeRue. “For over 46 years, North America has been a thriving and vital region for The Ironman Group, and with Keats at the helm, our North America team is well positioned to extend our leadership and be a source of innovation and inspiration for mass participation sports around the world.”

The Ironman Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the Ironman Triathlon Series, the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Series, 5150 Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n‘ Roll Running Series, Ironkids, World Triathlon Championship Series, running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and City2Surf, UTMB World Series trail running events including the Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB, Tarawera Ultra by UTMB and Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB, and Epic Series mountain bike races, including the Absa Cape Epic.

Images courtesy The Ironman Group