I race a lot in japan in my professional carrer on the ITU circuits. Hokkaido is such a beautifull area. The japanese put on amazing event and organisation is top notch.

I have a feeling this is gonna be one amazing event!

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Jonathan Caron / Professional Coach / ironman champions / age group world champions
Jonnyo Coaching
Instargram

Just to be clear the registrations open in Dec, but race is in Sep. I don't think you want to be in Hokkaido to do a tri in December, you'd go there to ski!!!

Also any word on if there may be a 70.3?

This is the fourth iteration of Ironman Japan in a punctuated history.

Initially staged at Biwa Ko in central Honshu from the late '80s to early '90s, IM Japan returned in the late '90s at Goto Island, a ferry ride from Nagasaki. IIRC, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease on the island bought an end to race in early 2000s.

The race returned at Toya Ko in Hokkaido in the 2010s, referenced in the article you linked.

I'm sure someone can chime in with exact dates.

I raced Biwa Ko in 1991. Exciting course with a finish in the grounds of Hikone Castle.

Japanese hospitality is unparalleled and the nation has long embraced endurance sports. I rate it highly as both a race and travel destination.

If I recall correctly Dave Scott set the first sub 8:10 time in the world of Ironman on the Lake Biwa course too.

Lots of old school legends here...

For the real tri-geek historians the Strongman Triathlon is perhaps the most famous race in Japan with a long history and some big names in the region standing on the podium.
1st Place at Miyakojima Strongman Triathlon — Cameron Brown (cameronbrowntriathlete.com)

Very cool. I see Tinley, PNF and the Puntous twins in the field. And everyone is on aerobars with not bad positions long before Lemond wins the TdF in 1989 with "Tri-ath-alon handlebars"

devashish_paul wrote:

Very cool. I see Tinley, PNF and the Puntous twins in the field. And everyone is on aerobars with not bad positions long before Lemond wins the TdF in 1989 with "Tri-ath-alon handlebars"

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Great to also see Ray Browning winning one of his 7 Ironman's. I have always thought that Ray has never received the credit he deserved in winning those 7 Ironman's in a time when there were only 7 Ironman races in the world. That was the era when almost all of the top triathletes turned up at these events and there were no "soft" Ironman wins

Dave Scott set the Ironman World Record time the following year as part of the lead up to the "Iron War". He went 8:01.
A Timeline of the History of Ironman-Distance World Records – Triathlete

Here is Welchie winning Ironman Japan in 1992. (8:07)

It sounds interesting, but if you check the course further, the bike leg is just riding to the expressway, then looping round on the expressway three times. It's fun to ride on the expressway (Japanese version of freeway/motorway) if you ever get the chance, but aside from that, I don't know what kind of view you would get, as it will depend on the height of the walls - check google street view. And the run course is just 3 loops. If someone wants to do a long distance triathlon, I would probably recommend the Sado island one, as the bike course is an actual course, rather than just a series of artificial loops to reach some arbitrary distance goal. Price wise, I think its about 1/4-1/3 the cost of the ironman.

As it was mentioned earlier, the Goto Nagasaki triathlon is still held, just has nothing to do with ironman. There is an ironman 70.3 in Japan, but it's near Nagoya. The Miyakojima one is still held, but it's more like a 3/4 race.

For more information on races in Japan, I would recommend the triathlon in Tokyo website, which has information about where to find details of all the races in Japan, and a series of race reports about some of the races that its members have done.

Thanks, I appreciate the insight and resources! I think my wife is most excited as she's never been to Hokkaido (I have biked solo around the island while doing a Korea-Japan bike trip).

Thanks to all others for sharing information. I wish I could like posts on ST!

The Toyako version was incredible. I did it the last year it was held when they modified the course last-minute due to a bridge collapse.

Absolutely beautiful and still to this day one of my favorite Ironman races. The people were amazing and the course was scenic. The view of Toyako from the top of the climb is something I'll never forget.

Split transitions too - always adds to the logistics for both participants and spectators.

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My race site: https://racesandplaces.wixsite.com/racesandplaces

I totally missed the news (where published? no newsletter from Ironman came to my inbox) and the race seems to be already SOLD OUT on the race website.
Is it possible?
That would be a wonderful race to do.. got to be planned in 2025 :-(

I am signed up for Ironman Japan South Hokkaido and wondered if anyone else is . . . Thinking we might compare notes. I'm trying to arrange my travel, hotel, getting my bike there, etc. I signed up because thought I'd come a bit full circle in triathlon. If you have the time and want to read, here is my explanation of why I signed up:

When I was in college (long, long, long ago), I double majored in chemistry and Japanese. I went to Japan during the summer of 1992 for an intensive language program. It just so happened to be next to Lake Biwa. I did some translation and met some of the English-speaking athletes there. I also volunteered at the finish line, and I had the very lucky opportunity to be right there as Paula Newby-Fraser won. Anyway, I had run for a few years for fun already, and I thought it was an amazing sport. (Of course, having just watched PNF make it look so easy!) I was in Japan as a summer intern at Sumitomo Metals Basic R&D the next year in a different area of Japan. I did my first multisport race in 1993 when I was back in the US and got hooked. I didn't do a full Ironman until 2008. I hit 9 fulls and then the last few years have been pretty difficult; my husband passed away last year after a very heroic (and horrific) 5-year cancer battle. I don't quite have that burning desire to do Ironmans anymore, and I was always a very crappy triathlete because it always took a backseat to the rest of life. I thought it would be fitting if my interest started in Japan and I did my last race there. Anyway, I have always wanted to go back to Japan, life never quite aligned between getting a PhD, working for the USG in other zones of the world not so conducive to training (like Iraq), having a kid, being a caregiver . . . and then the race disappeared for a while. So, I grabbed a slot as soon as it was announced. Mentally, after my husband's death, I wasn't in a great place, either, so it is giving me something to look forward to.

For fulls, I have done IMWI a few times, IM Lake Tahoe, IM Lake Placid, IM Boulder a few times. I was at IM St. George the Year of the Great Waves and finished the swim, but had gut issues from all the water swallowed and didn't finish there. I tend to like races that get canceled! I used to like hills, but I am old and fat now, so I think the flat course will suit me just fine.

:)
Cyndi

Very cool story about Lake Biwa 1992.

Sorry about the passing of your husband. Have a great race in Hokkaido. I have been to Japan 12 times of so on biz and always wanted to race there, but I am pretty sure my IM days are over. For a short while, I was eyeing the "nearby" 70.3 Saipan....which went from Spain to Germany to Japan and finally USA when they got Northern Marianas Islands they were in range of Japanese mainland (really that flipped WW2)...history aside, it looked like a cool race, but I never got out there. The other Japanese 70.3 venues did not appeal to me but Hokkaido does, but alas it is only a full IM!!!

Here is the historical link to 70.3 Saipan:

https://www.ironman.com/im703-saipan

Thanks! I think it will be fun. Well, I have no business doing a full, Paul. I don't let that stop me. Go for it!

The dang ladies in my age group cohort keep just getting faster, so I would have to outlive them all to eventually place in my age group. I have, however, made some great memories and friends through triathlon over the years, and I have enjoyed every single race I've done, even those that I vomited in . . . My late husband was an ultra competitive Cat I road bike racer and won some tough races before he got cancer. He never quite understood my love of just getting out there for fun. My pre-race ritual was always to replace my shoelaces with new elastic laces before the race. (I did it once out of necessity because the laces were about to break and then it became my good luck charm.) It drove him nuts. He left nothing to chance and prepared for his races to the point of even doing spin down tests on his tires to make sure the rolling friction was to spec. Of course, you shouldn't change any gear before you race, but I will be sure to bring a new set of elastic laces to Ironman Japan. From somewhere, he will be shaking his head at me.

Haha, he probably will have your tires roll down tested by some Japanese guy in Hokkaido with Seiko/Shinkansen microsecond precision while you are asleep before your race !!! Best of luck. I am actually trying to get a project off the ground with my company in Hokkaido....don't know if it will go anywhere, but I am hoping (I probably don't get to go, my team members will be there at some point....but i was showing the managing director of the Japanese partner the IM Hokkaido website and he was coaxing me to go race haha)