As of 12:27 p.m | Reading time: 4 minutes
The Ironman World Championships in Hawaii had to be canceled twice. In 2022, the 2021 edition will be made up for in St. George. Then the highlight returns to Hawaii. Get the status quo, schedule and more – here’s everything you need to know regarding Hawaii 2022.
NAfter a two-year break due to the pandemic, the triathlon elite will return to Hawaii in 2022. On the Big Island, where the Ironman World Championships are traditionally held, the world’s best professionals and age group athletes will meet on October 6th and 8th, 2022.
Because of the corona pandemic, the edition had to be canceled in October 2020 without replacement. The Ironman Hawaii 2021 also had to be cancelled, but was postponed and will now take place on May 7, 2021 in St. George, Utah. This is the first time that an Ironman World Championship will not be held in Hawaii.
Although both defending champion Jan Frodeno and two-time winner Patrick Lange had to withdraw due to injury, there are signs of exciting races.
Times, Favorites, TV for St. George
The starting signal will be given on Saturday, May 7th at 6.15 a.m. local time (2.15 p.m. German time):
- 6:15 a.m. local time: pro men
- 6:20 a.m.: Pro women
- 6:25 a.m.: Para-triathletes
- from 6:45 a.m.: age group athletes, then in waves
The Hessischer Rundfunk shows a large part of the race live on hr television. The complete competition can be seen on Sportschau.de.
Four German women and four men each take part in the professional field in St. George over the 3.86 kilometers of swimming, 180.2 kilometers of cycling and the final marathon: Sebastian Kienle, Hawaii Champion 2014, Florian Angert, Andreas Dreitz and Boris Stein and defending champion Anne Haug, co-favorite Laura Philipp, Laura Zimmermann and Carolin Lehrieder. Although Philipp’s start is uncertain due to a cold.
Frodeno is planning for Hawaii and wants to show another big race there – just like Patrick Lange, who has recently been back in full training following a shoulder operation. The 35-year-old Lange has already registered for the Challenge Roth on July 3rd.
If Frodeno is at the start, he is considered the top favorite despite the wild youngsters from Scandinavia around Kristian Blummenfelt, and Lange is definitely one of the favorites.
What’s new at Ironman Hawaii 2022
For the first time in the history of Ironman Hawaii, the competition will take place over two days: Thursday, October 6th and Saturday, October 8th. The reason for this is the cancellation of the 2020 race and the postponement of the 2021 competition. The age group athletes who had already qualified were offered the opportunity to start in St. George in May 2021 or to postpone it to a later date in Hawaii. The mass of athletes in Hawaii in October can only be managed by equalizing the competition.
Start on Thursday:
- 6:25 a.m. local time, 6:25 p.m. CET: Pro women
- 6:27 a.m.: Paratriathletes
- from 6.30 a.m., then in waves until 7 a.m.: all women’s age groups
- from 7.25 a.m.: all men over 60 years of age
- 7.35 a.m.: age group M50-54
- 7:40 a.m.: M25-29
Start on Saturday:
- 6.25 local time, 18.25 CET: Professional men
- from 6.40 a.m., then in waves: all other age group athletes
While the field of age group athletes started the race in a mass start until 2018, in 2019 the race started in waves. This time the field is rectified a little further.
The winners of the past years
Men:
- 2019: 1st Jan Frodeno (GER) – 2nd Timothy O’Donnell (USA) – 3rd Sebastian Kienle (GER)
- 2018: 1. Patrick Lange (GER) – 2. Bart Aernouts (BEL) – 3. David McNamee (GBR)
- 2017: 1. Patrick Lange (GER) – 2. Lionel Sanders (CAN) – 3. David McNamee (GBR)
- 2016: 1st Jan Frodeno (GER) – 2nd Sebastian Kienle (GER) – 3rd Patrick Lange (GER)
- 2015: 1. Jan Frodeno (GER) – 2. Andreas Raelert (GER) – 3. Timothy O’Donnell (USA)
Women:
- 2019: 1. Anne Haug (GER) – 2. Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) – 3. Sarah Crowley (AUS)
- 2018: 1. Daniela Ryf (SUI) – 2. Lucy Charles (GBR) – 3. Anne Haug (GER)
- 2017: 1. Daniela Ryf (SUI) – 2. Lucy Charles (GBR) – 3. Sarah Crowley (AUS)
- 2016: 1. Daniela Ryf (SUI) – 2. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) – 3. Heather Jackson (USA)
- 2015: 1st Daniela Ryf (SUI) – 2nd Rachel Joyce (GBR) – 3rd Liz Blatchford (GBR)
Successful Germans in Hawaii
The first German on the podium was Wolfgang Dittrich in third place in 1993. Thomas Hellriegel, who came second in 1995 and 1996, ensured the first Hawaii victory by a German triathlete in 1997. And that’s not all: that year, Jürgen Zäck in second and Lothar Leder in third made the triple triumph of the Germans perfect. In 2016 a trio succeeded once more: Jan Frodeno won ahead of Sebastian Kienle and Patrick Lange.
In total, a German athlete was at the top of the podium eleven times in Hawaii, second place eight times and third place 18 times. Jan Frodeno (2015, 2016, 2019) was the only one to win three times. Normann Stadler (2004, 2006) and Patrick Lange (2017, 2018) were crowned champions twice. Anne Haug was the only German woman to win in 2019. Nina Kraft, who finished first in 2004, was denied the triumph because of doping.
Andreas Realert made it onto the podium most often – but the Rostock native was denied the really big triumph. In 2010, 2012 and 2015 he missed out on second place and in 2009 and 2011 he finished third.