Ironman Triathlon - Ironman World Championships

Ironman World Championships

Over time the popularity of the sport of triathlon grew, and the annual race on the Big Island became The Ironman World Championship, with a series of qualifying races required to enter the championship. The Hawaii race consists of the swim in the bay of Kailua-Kona, the bike ride across the Hawaiian lava desert to Hāwī and back, and the marathon run along the coast (from Keauhou to Keahole Point and back to Kailua-Kona); finishing on Aliʻi Drive. The most recent Ironman World Championship took place on October 13, 2012 and was won by Pete Jacobs of Australia in 8:18:37 and Leanda Cave in 9:15:54..

The current Ironman Hawaii course record was set in 2011 by Craig Alexander (Australia), whose winning time was 8 hours 3 minutes 56 seconds. Chrissie Wellington (Great Britain) set the women's course record in 2009 with a winning time of 8 hours 54 minutes 2 seconds.

Amateur triathletes can qualify for the World Championship through placement in one of the other Ironman series of races or a few selected Ironman 70.3 races. Entry into the race can also be obtained through a random allocation lottery or through the Ironman’s charitable eBay auction.