Breaking a taboo in triathlon: Starting next year, the Ironman World Championships will be split up and no longer held for both men and women in the legendary Hawaii venue. As the organizers announced, in 2023 the women will determine their world champion on October 14 as traditional in Kailua-Kona, while the men will start outside the Pacific island.
Where and when the men’s race will take place will be announced next January. Nice is traded as the favorite for the location. 2024 is to be swapped, the men will then be guests in Hawaii once more, the women have to move.
The decision, which has been rumored for a long time, caused some harsh criticism among the top triathletes. “For me, the Ironman World Championship belongs to Hawaii. That’s where our sport was born, that’s where it belongs. Our sport thrives on the myth of Hawaii,” said former world champion Patrick Lange of the Hessenschau: emphatically. “That’s where our sport was born, that’s where it belongs.” For Lange, greed for profit is the reason for the “revolution”: “The cow will probably be milked until it falls dead.”
The race over the traditional distances of 3.86 km swimming, 180.2 km cycling and 42.195 km running has been held in Hawaii since 1978, since 1982 under the name Ironman. The only exception so far: The 2021 World Cup, which was postponed due to the corona pandemic, was made up for in May 2022 in Utah.
In 2022 there were two World Cup editions, since October also started in Hawaii. The men’s and women’s races were held separately over two days for the first time. The event was heavily criticized due to skyrocketing costs for participants.
