I'm not so sure it'll make *such* a difference. If you're German, AUS, NZ, UK or US based then Hawaii is the essence of triathlon, and long distance in particular. However the Scandinavians, for instance, care a lot less about it even though they're very strong throughout the age-groups. Plus the cost of going to Kona for a week or two makes it a very exclusive proposition. Survey's and questionnaires are needed here to assess this perception, one way or the other. I'd be really interested to hear about this from the emerging markets for long distance triathlon, namely South America, Eastern Europe, Russia, Middle East, Far East. I really don't have clarity here but I do know that having lived and trained in the UK and now Sweden, the drive is completely different, yet the talent in Sweden is dramatically superior at the age-group level.

Don't forget getting thrown in jail if you kiss your wife...

Lanzarote has the wind and a far more taxing bike. Langkawi has the heat and humidity, with again, a more taxing bike. One could go on, Hawaii isn't *that* hard. The annual footage might make it seem as such, but it's more about the pros killing themselves for a top ten (which no doubt means a lot $$) than anything else.

If they make kona a 'normal' ironman event, I doubt you'll need to get too lucky when they open registration. Not many people will want to pay the $$ to travel there for a 'normal' event.

As someone else said, its all about the history. I could understand them maybe holding it somewhere else temporarily because of covid, but to do a permanent change to a rotating location, I really think WTC would be shooting themselves in the foot. People's interest in qualifying for the event would take a nose dive.

Not wife but girlfriend ;)

Guys it’s temporary - Kona will forever be Kona and should stay but let’s be creative and put some concrete options on the table

Like, they'll spend $10k to come 237th in a "World Championship" in their age group but ignore the place when it's not branded as such? Let's face it, 99% of Kona finishers are very far from podiuming, so what difference does it make if it's branded "World Championship"? Maybe they want to race Kona because great things have happened there (in their opinion).

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"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

Yes.

It's all about the history.

It was just what I'd do with my feet and I agree surveys etc. would be good but they might just use Feb 22 as a testing ground and see how unpopular or popular it is! The nations you describe (Germany, France, US, UK, Aus, NZ) are the ones that get most of the kona slots so they're the ones that give the $$ to WTC and as such will have the most important votes. Even if emerging areas like Scandinavia do have better talent, they don't show it in M dot races and they don't get many slots so it probably won't matter that much. The core customer base are the core IM loving nations

Except every year an entire field seems to manage to get through the likes of Langkawi (heat), Wales (terrain), Lanzarote (wind) without overloading any hospitals. Sure, Kona is hard, but there are plenty of races where no one has ever gone sub-8, unlike Kona. I don't think it's the hardest race out there, albeit it's not an "easy" one.

I can just about follow this argument if we're just talking about Feb '22. However there's plenty of European countries who are happy for americans to come and visit - it's just the opposite way round that continues to be a pain in the a$$!

I was more referring to the "and beyond" question posed by the OP. For anyone not already in the US, Kona is a nightmare to travel to. Not to mention the fact that the course is very specific to a certain type of athlete. There are plenty of quality triathletes in the world who are immediately disadvantaged by the fact that the world champs are always held in one certain climate and on a particular course. It'd be like holding the UCI World Champs on a pan-flat course every year & just telling the climbers and puncheurs of the field that this event isn't for them. Instead we get to see different course profiles every year which keeps the race exciting and unpredictable.

Then for AG athletes who aren't challenging for the AG win, it might just mean a trip to the world champs is slightly more accessible once in a while!

That's a real nightmare story. Stunned that you stay so positive and try again. I wish you a nice race one day in Kona.

draft packs like Kona? you mean you like that and you think we should do our best to keep them and not solve them?

what about human rights? are you aware of local law in the middle east?
I am from Europe and when i go to Hawaii i know i am visiting a democratic country claiming to be the land of freedom. I do care about it.

please read

https://www.slowtwitch.com/...ht_Express_2886.html

Thanks!

The cliche about highs and lows was never more true than when the ESTA application was rejected.

Everyone knows Bolton is the home of Ironman

🤪

And the best airline ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VLYpKGVBUg

Champion

🍺

And worse if you're a woman kissing your wife. Please just no.

I hope you are wrong. By moving it, hopefully it would become a real world championship event.

Not with 400 non qualified people. And the majority of age groupers slow Americans.

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If Ironman change the location away from Kona, then surely it must be to a non US location. The US has closed its borders to most of the world, and there is no sigh of that changing. Ironman is a global brand, not a US brand, it is a global world championship, not a US world championship. I suspect that Ironman is deep into planning with another location, possibly Lanzarote or Mexico, where athletes from around the world are able to travel

In terms of the OPs question, I think that it would be great to offer alternative World Championship Venues: Kona can still take place, I can still host a WC every few years, however, far more people would have the chance to race at Kona every year, it would still sell out, so no revenue impact on the Island. I am guessing it would still attract the Elites, who want to race on the haloed soil/lava. Kona would still be Kona, just like Wimbledon is still Wimbledon, Wimbledon is not the tennis world championship, just like Kona would not be the Ironman world championship

I have actually qualified for Kona in Feb, Financially I would lose out significantly if it's moved to another venue, however, I would just like the certainty, and for me that means moving to a different venue

Lets be realistic, if its not in Hawaii, there is no chance it will be in the US. Why cancel an event in a location where there are massive travel restrictions and relocate it to a place where there are massive travel restrictions. This is a massive opportunity for Ironman, they would be crazy to suck up the US centric triathlon community

Qualified once, for Oct 2021, and I would be the second one to vote to move it

Not that it matters, but I don't think this would be the case, very expensive to travel to, generally regarded as not a great course, no? The draw to it is the history.

A general reply to this thread and it falls into the category of 'Do I want to do another Ironman'

As bad as my run is today, the one percent chance of going to Kona has me contemplating doing IM St.George in May 2022. I kind of like a the concept of doing races where your ranking reflects your own fitness and execution not which pack you were in.

If I am qualifying to do a championship race that is not on Kona I can qual for ITU world's or 70.3 World's and get the entire same experience of socializing and racing with athletes from all over the world which for me is an interesting aspect of these championships. But would I care to do a full IM qualifier just to do a second Ironman to get the same social experience as 70.3 WC? I am not sure I would care.

I would just go do IM At.George, Lake Placid, Tremblant or Penticton and have a nice course hard event and get my personal satisfaction for that. If I qualify at St. George for a world's on Dubai I would rather just go do 70.3 Dubai ....but maybe for Nice or Dubai or South Africa I could buckle.

OR FOR AN IRON DISTANCE WORLDS AT ROTH .

I have done Kona 3 times , gotten rolldown three more times and passed and done 31 Ironmans overall. Given how bad my qualifier results are clearly I have been doing this for lifestyle given my 20 percent hit rate when I was more able bodied.

I think if they offered slots to a world's as well as slots to a Kona classic in a yet to be determined date you get to take one. The WC happens in 2022. The Kona classic you get out in a pool and get called up when they have it and get offered to go or you decline .

I would take the option of getting into a Kona waiting list for call up and not take a slot to worlds.

I think, that while Kona is the Ironman-branded long course World Championship, it has the feel of a major marathon. You can't move the Boston Marathon to a different city. Ironman is trying to build things up with continental championships but amateur athletes aren't exactly clamoring to do those races. People want to qualify for Kona. The 70.3 World Champs are fun & can rotate venues but removing the World Championship label from Kona takes away from the one event people know exists in this sport. The race wouldn't be the same.

So your aguement, which I wouldn't disagree with, is the in order to attract people to come to Kona, you need to offer both the lure of a World Championship AND to feel a part of triathlon history.

I think that it's worth experimenting, If Kona can survive / sell out based on its history AND a new World Championship event can be created, which also earns revenue from athletes, but also from medla, then it could be a massive win for Ironman.

I think that the Collins Cup has also shown that experimenting with a different format makes sense from a media perspective. Moving a different location would also be an opportunity to do something radical and different (I have no idea what though)