Baker Institute New Ironman Series Partner

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and Ironman Oceania are pleased to announce a unique partnership aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles.

As part of a commitment to providing evidence-based health information about the role of lifestyle in driving better health, one of Australia’s most established medical research institutes, the Baker Institute, is pleased to partner with IRONMAN Oceania, part of the iconic global IRONMAN ®  triathlon brand.

The Baker Institute will be a series partner at IRONMAN ® events in Australia from 2018 until 2020 and will work with IRONMAN Oceania to share its’ scientific and health experts in areas such as sports cardiology with the IRONMAN community.

Ironman Oceania Managing Director Dave Beeche said he is looking forward to the enormous synergies that the partnership between the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and IRONMAN ® Oceania will provide IRONMAN competitors and other endurance athletes.

“Our goal at Ironman is to provide athletes with the best athlete experience possible and to assist them to achieve their personal goals and reach their full potential. This includes not only their race performance but their general health and well-being.”

“We are excited to join with the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute to provide our athletes with access to the very best research, advice and education possible in the areas of cardiovascular health, core fitness and strength, good nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle.”

Baker Institute Director, Professor Tom Marwick said: “Our commitment to driving better health through research aligns with IRONMAN ® Oceania’s commitment to sustaining a healthy lifestyle.”

“The unwavering commitment by IRONMAN competitors to building and maintaining their core fitness and strength, adhering to good nutrition and living a lifestyle that promotes a healthy mind and body is key to preventing disease,” Professor Marwick said.

“We can learn a lot from endurance athletes, and equally, we are building a sound body of evidence to assist these athletes in terms of health education and prevention, particularly with regards to cardiovascular health, which is why we’re delighted to be part of this unique partnership.”

Just as triathlon involves pushing the mind and body to its limits, the Institute is also engaged in examining the physiological impact of exercise on metabolic health – including that of endurance athletes – to advance prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Researchers at the Baker Institute are global leaders in examining the effect of exercise on cardiovascular health using exercise testing and specialised heart imaging to measure the heart’s ability to respond to the haemodynamic challenge of exercise.

Experts like Sports Cardiologist, Associate Professor Andre La Gerche also want to understand what the long-term health benefits of endurance exercise are, the causes of sudden cardiac death and the effect of exercise on heart rhythm disorders.

As part of the Institute’s commitment to providing evidence-based information to the community, the Institute will host a Sports Cardiology Seminar for Athletes on Thursday, 23 November. The seminar, targeted at endurance athletes or those with a keen interest in heart health, will be presented by A/Professor La Gerche.