Yes we can all agree that Ironman often does not do what is best in professional athlete interest (payouts, point chasing, etc). But this time around they really did nail it. They finally used their first 2 wild card slots ever? and had a race result correction. This resulted in Matt Russell, Tim Don, and Angela Naeth all getting Kona slots that may not have been able to go.

Great especially for Tim and Matt as they both had horrific trips to the big island last year and missed out on Kona by a mere few points each. Ironman seeped in and offered them slots. Angela as well missed out but once a results error was recognized Angela was invited to the big island.

The results....
Matt Russel earned 6th place
Angela Naeth earned 8th place
Tim Don completed what he started last year

This years Kona race was different from previous years for many reasons, but what I will never forget is seeing Matt cross that line in 6th place.

Congrats to all three athletes, and especially Ironman for making this happen.