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IRONMAN announced that the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship will once again take place over two days in Kona. The two day format, first announced for this year's race, will return in 2023 but with a women's only event on Thursday and a men's only event on the traditional Saturday date. Both IRONMAN and Hawaiian officials noted the level of partnership needed in order to execute a multi-day race in Kona. “The County of Hawai`i and IRONMAN have a long history of working together closely to ensure this global event is conducted safely and with due respect for the needs of the athletes, county residents, and worldwide visitors,” said Hawai`i County Mayor, Mitch Roth. “The partnership with IRONMAN has stood the test of time and we are grateful and humbled that the culture here has fed into the culture of IRONMAN, reflecting the aloha spirit and the theme of Holomua — to move forward — for the 2023 IRONMAN season.” Andrew Messick, CEO of The IRONMAN Group, echoed that sentiment, stating, "We are grateful for our partners in Hawai`i and Kailua-Kona, for their support for over 40 years of this homegrown event that has captured the imagination of the world and turned into the pinnacle event of the sport of triathlon. We look forward to an incredible two-day event in 2022, and the ability in 2023 to further advance what a two-day format can look like with a focused women’s race day and a men’s race day.” Changes for 2023Because the 2023 race will feature dedicated men's and women's events, qualification for the 2023 race will change. The number of slots on offer for all will change specifically at regional championship events. In addition, there will be increased opportunity for women at 17 races that have been identified as Women for Tri Events, which will offer a combined additional 1,200 slots. The list of those events are as follows: 2022 Races 2023 Races According to IRONMAN, these events were specifically selected due to a range of criteria, including but not limited to: time of year; regional race calendars; propensity to grow female participation at the World Championships based on higher areas of female participation against the mean; and/or where further growth opportunities exist. The two-day format was first introduced in 2017 as part of the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships and has remained in place since, with the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted 2021 race. Both this year's 2022 70.3 Worlds event in St. George, Utah and next year's race in Lahti, Finland will offer two-day events. Large News Week for IRONMANToday's announcement regarding the 2023 event in Hawaii caps off a seven day whirlwind for The IRONMAN Group. Late last week, IRONMAN announced an exclusive partnership with VinFast, an electric car manufacturer, which will see VinFast as the title sponsor for this year's IRONMAN World Championships and next year's IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships and continuing through 2025. VinFast will also hold title sponsor status for the U.S. IRONMAN race series, the first time those races have ever had a title sponsor. As part of the agreement, VinFast will provide electric vehicles (scooters, cars, and buses) for IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events in the United States. When speaking with IRONMAN staff at Lake Placid, many were excited at the prospect of ditching internal combustion scooters and carts for race support for electric power. IRONMAN also announced the extension of their contract with Lake Placid to host that event through its 25th anniversary in 2024. The Kona Ironman World Championship race is one of the most sought-after races in the world. Similar to qualifying for the Boston Marathon for runners, the Kona Ironman 2023 is the holy grail for triathletes. Every year, athletes from all over the globe vie for a chance to compete in the grueling event that takes place on the Big Island of Hawaii. While the Kona Ironman course is hard, the race can be equally hard to qualify for, but it is possible. Below are all the known ways athletes can earn a spot at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. What Date is Ironman Kona 2023?For 2023, the Ironman group announced that there will be two days of Ironman World Championship events in Kona. These amazing athletes deserve an incredible two-day event. Ironman has announced that there will be a focused women’s race day on Thursday, October 12, 2023. All men will race on Saturday, October 14, 2023. In 2022, some men raced on Thursday as well due to the backlog of deferrals from previous years, but that is not expected to be an issue in 2023. Win your age group in a full-distance Ironman Triathlon raceYou are fast and you know it. Typically 1 to 5 spots are available in each age group per qualifying race. Certain races have additional spots (North American championship, Asia-Pacific championship, Ironman Switzerland, Ironman Mont-Tremblant, etc.). Each race website should display how many slots are available. Pick one that favors your strengths and get it done. Ironman Cairns and Ironman Frankfurt offer double the amount of other races – 100 slots total for each race. Dedicated Women for Tri EventsStarting in 2023, Ironman is aggressively wanting to get many more female competitors to the World Championships. There are 17 dedicated Women for Tri events globally that have a lot of additional slots for women racing in these Ironman triathlon events. They are listed below.
Win your age group in the previous year’s Kona IronmanIf you participated in the Ironman World Championships and won your age group, you get to do it again next year. Hawaii 70.3 age group winnersThis is one of the few 70.3 distance races that reward its athletes with a Kona Ironman qualification. A total of 45 slots are allocated to the World Championships through this race. Hawaii resident drawingIf you are a resident of Hawaii, and you compete in the Hawaii Ironman 70.3 event, there are 26 additional slots just for you. Considering that most competitors are not residents of Hawaii, you have an excellent chance of qualifying for the Kona Ironman just by racing in this 70.3. Women for Tri Inspiring Woman EntrantFemale athletes can apply to be selected to represent Women for Tri at the Kona Ironman. All selected athletes must raise at least $25,000 in support of Women for Tri charitable programs. https://www.womenfortri.com/get-involved/fundraising-campaigns/ Be a Gold-Level All-World AthleteThis year Ironman sent certain Gold All-World athletes an email inviting them to participate in the World Championship. This particular invitation was for the St. George version, but a World Championship is still a World Championship. My guess is that they were trying to add to the participant count since it was a unique venue and most people have Kona aspirations. Nonetheless, it’s a way in. Become a CelebrityIf you’re famous, this is your way to Kona. Ironman is always trying to broaden its marketing reach so ask them for entry. In the past, they’ve given priority to NBC-related celebrities such as past contestants on the show The Biggest Loser. Other recent celebs participating include chef Gordon Ramsey, ex-NFL MVP Hines Ward, and actor Sean Astin. Special invitesThe Ironman committee can grant a Kona slot to athletes that are deserving and have done something amazing recently like winning an Olympic medal (the 2021 triathlon gold medalists were each extended an invitation). These invitations are at the discretion of the Ironman committee, so don’t hold your breath waiting for yours. Ironman FoundationThe top fundraiser for Team IMF gets a Kona slot. https://ironmanfoundation.org/team-imf/ Team in TrainingFundraise for Team in Training and get a guaranteed entry slot to the Kona ironman. Limited guaranteed entries exist, but all fundraising benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. https://www.teamintraining.org/content/ironman-world-championship-kona Ironman Executive ChallengeIronman created the Executive Challenge which has its own Kona slot allocations. If you are a business executive, you can apply at https://ironmanxc.com. Athletes are separated into two age groups – 49 and under, and 50 and over. New for 2023 is that women will have their own divisions separate from men. There are typically 5 to 20 executives total per race, and they routinely hand out up to 5 Kona Ironman slots. One Kona slot for each age group winner (male and female), and then a special PR slot for the person who improves their PR by the greatest percentage. This is a very cool setup but be aware – these athletes are no joke. The winners in many races are finishing in between 9 and 10 hours. Kona AuctionsUp to 5 Kona Ironman slots are auctioned off and bidding starts at $25,000 each. All bids are tax deductible. Winning bids are typically between $35,000 and $65,000. eBay handles the bidding, and the auction typically occurs in April for that year’s race. The auctions benefit both Women for Tri and the Ironman Foundation. https://www.womenfortri.com/get-involved/fundraising-campaigns/ https://ironmanfoundation.org/kona-auction/ Legacy ProgramIf you’ve completed at least 12 full-distance Ironman-branded triathlons and have never competed in the Ironman World Championships, you can get there through the Ironman Legacy Program. Details are at: https://www.ironman.com/ironman-legacy Attend the Ironman Sports Medicine SymposiumEach year one lucky attendee will win a race slot into the following year’s Kona Ironman World Championship. The symposium only allows 200 participants, and not all elect to enter the drawing, so your odds of winning are very good. https://ironmansportsmedicine.com/become-an-ironman Physically Challenged DrawingThe IRONMAN World Championship Physically Challenged Open/Exhibition Division is available to athletes with a medically verified physical, visual, or neurological impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. As Handcycle athletes are eligible to qualify at one of the three qualifying events worldwide, they are not eligible for the PC Open/Exhibition Division. Five names (5) will be drawn for the IRONMAN Kona World Championship from the total applicants applying in the Physically Challenged/Open and Exhibition Division. https://www.ironman.com/policies Smile Train / Team EmpowerFundraise for the Smile Train and you’re racing in the Kona Ironman! $50,000 fundraising minimum which includes your entry fee to the race. Your fundraising for this race will provide surgery for 200 children! You will also get an official team race kit, 1:1 coaching, fundraising support, and more. https://www.mysmiletrain.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=516 Bonus Slots To Register for Specific Ironman RacesIn certain years bonus slots were randomly awarded to registrants of a couple of specific races—including Ironman Boulder and Ironman Australia. Ironman hints at a similar upcoming promotion for other races. I think this was a way to boost participation at certain races, and may not happen again until next year (2023). Did You Race in St. George?During the run course of the Ironman World Championships in St. George, volunteers on the run course were incorrectly pulling people from the race if they didn’t pass the last checkpoint by 10:53pm. This was supposed to be mile 17.9, but they were accidentally pulling people at mile 20. It was an honest mistake by the volunteers, and Ironman has been awesome by extending a free race of the athlete’s choice to any Ironman. That includes the 2022 or 2023 Ironman World Championship in Kona. What makes this unique, is that many athletes in St. George signed up for that race prior to it becoming the World Championship race designation. So now they may get to race on the Big Island! Aloha! The following methods were legit in previous years, but we cannot verify that they are still active ways to qualify for Kona. We’re listing them here and will move them to active if Ironman reinstates them. Simply Register for Ironman 70.3 HawaiiThanks to a partnership with the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau, Ironman is offering 10 Kona slots to athletes who register for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 Hawaii (set for June 3) by May 1, not including relays. The Kona entries will be given away based on a random drawing. Kona Drawing – formally the Kona lotteryDonate a suggested amount of $50 to enter. 10 slots. Proceeds benefit the Ironman Foundation. Compete in ChinaOK, traveling to China won’t give you an automatic entry but it does increase your odds dramatically and provides the rare opportunity to qualify at a 70.3 event. Ironman 70.3 Lioshou (588 finishers) (April 1) and Ironman 70.3 Qujing (Aug. 27) (326 finishers) will each offer 30 qualifying slots. Those are good odds. Military DivisionIronman 70.3 Superfrog (12 slots) Prior to race day, at least one slot will be allocated to each male and female Military age group category. Please visit the event-specific Military FAQ page for the official military age group breakdown. Final slot allocation will be determined on race day based on the number of starters in each Military age group. Similar to the qualifying process for the IRONMAN World Championship for Age Group athletes, if there are no starters in a particular Military age group, the slot will be moved to the next calculated Military age group within the gender. Slot allocation and rolldown for Military athletes will be conducted during the same ceremony as Age Group athletes at all IRONMAN events. Special Sponsor EntryVentum previously offered a free Kona slot with the purchase of their top-of-the-line bike. Since they are the Official Bike brand of Ironman, this must have been a special deal worked out with Ironman. Kona Dreamin’ AllocationFor the 2019 Kona Ironman, the owners of Ironman (World Triathlon Corporation) gave 40 lucky Ironman participants (random participants it appears) an invitation to race in Kona later that year. Talk about a cool gift. ConclusionSo that’s it! Qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona is not easy, but it is possible. There are always more ways than you think to get to the Kona Ironman, so try some of these out and let us know what you think. If you know of any other ways to qualify for the Kona Ironman World Championships, please contact us and we’ll add it to the list! Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase the product. This site is not intended to provide medical advice and you should always consult with a physician prior to beginning any physical activity. Where is Kona Ironman 2023?Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i.
What date is Kona 2023?The 2023 IRONMAN World Championship will take place on October 12 for women and October 14 for men, with this year's races coming on October 6 and 8.
Is Ironman coming back to Kona?Ironman World Championship returns to Kona after 2-year hiatus with Live Aloha motto : Big Island Now.
How much does Ironman Kona cost?Kona entry costs
Entry for 2022's Ironman World Championships race was $1,050 USD (about £918) plus fees. For 2023, entry has risen to $1,400 USD plus fees (Hawaii Tax and Active fee), taking it to almost $1,600 (£1,400).
Why is the Ironman 2 days in Hawaii?Ironman's move to the less-populous West Hawaii was in part due to fewer traffic hazards on the course, which also presented more of a challenge to triathletes. Since the move, both the number of people residing in West Hawaii and number of athletes taking on the Ironman World Championship has grown exponentially.
What day is the Ironman race?Full Thursday 6 October 2022 Schedule
In many cases the culmination of many years of effort, that may well be the first and last time that they ever get to experience the big island of Hawaii.
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