I think the mitigation of compression sleeves/socks has a lot to do with WTC’s rule change from a few years back that disallowed them for non-wetsuit swims.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Yes, everyone was in sleeves. I for one was glad to not be in them. And was glad to SBR in one suit rather than a skin!

I noticed that Clif was everywhere and must have given away a gillion nut butter filled bars. Really appreciated the coffee boat pics they provided, and the free post race breakfast at Lava Java they paid for.

Huge trend towards "tasteless" drink mixes. Sugar/sweet are out I guess.

Most apparel booths had more women's stuff than men it seemed...haha I'm guessing that was because the women were buying!

A LOT of people riding/running/swimming who weren't racing

And if Trek bikes had a vendor presence I musta missed it...

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Coach at KonaCoach Multisport

My observations:


1) Hoka had to spend a massive amount of money on marketing, from their signage and expo to the amount of shoes being worn by wait staff, volunteers to really just about anyone.
2) Seemed like the bike vendors kept it pretty low key from the expo and overall presence.
3) Who ever decided to leave open a lane of traffic on Kuakini during the bike portion of the race was a really poor decision.
4) Seemed like volunteers were hard to come by, out on the Queen K there was a ton of spectators and seemed like a lot of the aid stations were pretty sparse with volunteers.
5) Kona is still an interesting town, seem to be quite a few people there that don't really like the race being there.

observations:
-on said trisuits, racers were actually following "no unzipping below the sternum" rule during run.
-disappearance of M racing in speedos.
-disappearance of M doing run in croptop / man bra.
-promo swag = predominantly trucker hats. Traditional race hats less so.
-Bogo has stolen Headsweats lunch on above.
-more customization than not. Few in generic or stock suits - in their place were customized team or other branding. Everyone is unique.
-surprised with the frequency of marquee sponsors use of spokesmodels with little basic product / sector knowledge.
-There wasn't any standout marketing creativity.

I was and re: clothing, I am still surprised at how few people cover their arms. Maybe some people are used to it but still, I think most under estimate the power of the sun hitting your skin directly.

2: I said in another post but I'll repeat it here: the amount of athletes getting help from their spectators on the run was unacceptable. I was posted at mile 1 for maybe an hour after the pros passed, so all the leading AGers (was waiting for a local teammate to pass) and right before the mile 1 marker I started counting after 3 or 4 and lost count after around 15 athletes who had stuff handed to them by friends/family. I guess this fits right into the whole drafting argument and enforcement but at least the bike does have officials around the course and drafters do have to be scared of getting caught. Seems to me on the run, there is no fear and it doesn't appear there needs to be any fear as I never saw any officials on the run course. Not in Kona,not in any of the 9 IMs I've done. Not sure why they even have rules for the run course.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

i edited my original post:
I meant quasi disappearance of the top + shorts combo for the 1st 1/3rd of the field.

and interesting about outside assistance:
i rode to mile 22 of the run and did see quite a few riders along "their" athlete. i thought that was a big no-no...

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Kiwami North America
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I would ask you if you think there are true performance benefits from a one piece tri kit? If so, then I think it will last. If there are no performance benefits and it's mostly marketing hype - aka compression socks - then it will fade.

So why not wear long sleeves, gloves, tights? Are sleeves really cooler? Dunno seems counterintuitive to me that more body coverage keeps you cooler, especially the dark colors people covered their backs and upper arms with..

Sleeves certainly test faster on the bike in the tunnel, but I didn't see a whole lot of age groupers out in the wind on their own...

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Coach at KonaCoach Multisport

I think sleeves are here to stay. The performance benefit for 95% of people has been proven over and over. I've probably have found that 1 out of 30 people tested find sleeveless to be faster vs sleeves. Noe the difference between sleeved suits is all over the board. Suit A is faster than suit B for person 1 and the results are reversed for person 2. Rarely will 2 piece or sleeveless kit be faster than Suit A and/or B.

What I find amazing at the races I go to is the number of people not in sleeves but still using por fitting kit or 2 piece kits.

Even though there isn't a lot of aero advantage to sleeves at times in races like IMTX and Kona due to packs, if you're between groups then you're saving time. I think most people have 1 race kit per season and if they are lucky maybe 2 they can rotate through.

I'm pretty sure I've seen research showing some of the material like cool black is actually cooler vs sun on skin. I looked but couldn't find it in my files. Maybe someone will have this info somewhere and can post it

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Brian Stover USAT LII
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yeah that would be interesting to see on the cool black. the only "study" I've seen showed that it decreased the measured temperature of a standard black running shirt by several degrees, though it was still much higher than the measured temp of a standard white shirt.

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Coach at KonaCoach Multisport

It’s not a cotton t-shirt, it’s tech fabric. A lot of those pull water/sweat from your skin and create a cooling effect especially with a breeze. Also, the majority of the fabrics are Uv protectant. So instead of having the sun beat down on you and needing to put sun screen on, the material does that for you.

I’ll take De Soto Skin cooler fabric any day over just bare skin in the sun.

- Fuel belts gone.
- Sunglasses on way out? Majority have visor/shield on helmet and it seems more and more not wearing on run.
- Hats are back in, visors are out.
- In terms of style on kits, it seems like loud designs and colors are out.
- Coordination of some of the kits and even bike schemes is impressive. I had my shoes customized by boa to match my kit. It used to be the pros were the ones looking hot, now it is the AGs and most of the pro kits look like shit IMO.
- Also on kits, it seems like the excessive plastering of sponsors has been toned down. Guys look less like a NASCAR than in years past.
- BOAs now a thing on running shoes. The kienle new balance were the hottest shoe on the island. About time.....

Dunno seems counterintuitive to me that more body coverage keeps you cooler

If you go to any construction site in SE Asia, during the heat of the summer, the workers cover themselves from head to foot with long sleeves, hats and masks on their face. The last thing they want is skin exposed to the sun.

It may keep them cool but it’s also to prevent their skin from tanning. The darker your skin, you are seen as poor and a low income job that has to work outside. The more pale you are, the richer you are seen as.

My ex and her family are Vietnamese and explained that to me and I thought they were kidding until I saw Asians at University walking around with umbrellas in the sunlight.

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It may keep them cool but it’s also to prevent their skin from tanning. The darker your skin, you are seen as poor and a low income job that has to work outside. The more pale you are, the richer you are seen as.



I lived for a year in Thailand and another year in the Philippines and in both countries, dark skin is seen as being poor and to be avoided at all costs. The grocery stores are full of whitening cream.

The men however, do it to keep cool. I know a number of farmers and workers on construction and they say they burn up if their skin is exposed. I don't know how they do it because the heat is unbearable but they said it is far worse without covering up. They don't care too much about having white skin, they just don't want it to burn off.

I actually did see a referee on the run course around mile 4. I noticed it because I don't ever recall seeing one in the 7 other IM's I've done.

Done 13 fulls. Run refs are indeed rare, but I recall one at IM Switzerland 2016 and IM Norway 2018.

well noted for men gear : )
we did run out too quickly. it's hit or miss and this year, what we brought just flew too quickly.

sleeved / no sleeves:
i noticed a ton of sleeved gear made with ordinary fabric. that can work on the bike. but what about the run? i saw lots of sticky, sweat drenched gear: far from ideal for a 26.2 in kona weather. to the point of wondering if the aero gains arent lost during the marathon.

I get the argument that it can be "cooler" than traditional black because it is actually reflective (white) in the infrared. But it looks black, so it is obviously non-reflective in the visible which is where the peak of the sun's photon emittance is and thus the majority of it's energy. That means it can never be "cooler" than something that is reflective across both infrared and visible spectrums. Am I missing something here?

My first Kona was actually a 1 pc sleeved suit by a company called 3 Disciplines. It was a custom suit with white top, front zip. Long before they became a "thing" like they are today. That was back in '95. The other years have all been sleeveless 2-pc suits & I've now got massive sun freckles from being so severely burned in Kona--even with sunscreen 50 SPF..wished I still had that suit or another available. There were some years, where I do not seeing them even being marketed. Then all of a sudden...they appeared and now most use them. Should I decide to ever get back there, I'm definitely going to be using a sleeved suit just for the skin protection. Kids, cover up, you don't want skin cancer!

As for the help to AG athletes on the run course, hopefully, Jimmy Riccitello is reading & puts a run marshal there next year. Given the other DQ thread here right now, They should have a camera rolling there at the corner too, in case someone says, "I didn't do that..."

Thanks Andre for starting this.

With my work here in Kona this year, I was unable to spend very much time at all, working the Expo and doing the networking and connecting that I've done in the past.

Some observations:

1. The total amount of marketing/promotion this year by ALL brands be they in the offcial expo or elsewhere doing their own thing seemed to be up this a year, after taking a bit of a drop over the last couple of years. Was this the hype of the 40th anniversary, or is the sport triathlon in North America truly rebounding?

2. I spent more time then ever on the Queen-K - both driving a car and cycling myself this year (long story). I know it's hallowed ground and all, but other than the wide shoulder I don't find it a pleasant road to ride on. The traffic noise is constant and loud. It only starts to thin out a bit when you head up to Hawi!

3. People have finally discovered the ByPass Road to the south of Kailua - the southern extension of Alii drive if you will! I saw way more people out riding and running on it then in years past! The only challenge is that to ride out there, you are facing nearly a 2000 ft climb right out of the box, if you are going all the way to the top. It does open up some great ride options to places like Captain Cook and the Place of Refuge that in the past had only been accessible by the Hwy.

4. With the Queen K finished fully divided 4 lanes all the way to the airport from Town, the traffic along this section moved along much better than I recall it has for years. There is also a great by-pass of the Queen-K for cycling from Palani to Hina Lani with a fantastic super-wide fitness/ cycling trail that runs along the Ane Keohokalole Hwy just to the east of the Queen K and up the mountain slightly.

5. New bike launches here in Kona do not seem to get the hype and interest that they did years ago - why is that?

6. We were hear 3-weeks before the race, and I was surprised with the low numbers of Pros who were here training. Many seemed to show up the week-of. We regularly saw - Lionel Sanders, Sarah True, Liz Blatchford and Sebastian Keinle - but few if any others!

7. Finally I hope this comes out right. Kona and the town of Kailua have become iconic when it comes to this race, but my feeling the last couple of years, has been that the race has really grown beyond the town and the place. It all feels like it's been shoe-horned and jammed in and for 5 - 7 days it's all bursting at the seams! For IM to move the World Championships from here, would no doubt upset, A LOT of people, but this is pure personal speculation, I would not be surprised if they start a rotational process of some kind in the next few years moving the IM World Championships around the world to other IM Venues - some of which are much more suited to handle an event like this of the size and scale that it is. Perhaps IM could continue to have an IRONMAN Hawaii race just like any other IM race around the world - open to 1500 - 2000 triathletes, but no pros and no "World Championships" title - My bet is that it would sell out every year, and at a premium price!

8. Lionel Sanders - whenever he sorts out a few things will win this race! :-)

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

What I find amazing is that people still blindly trust generalizations on aerodynamic results from things like apparel and helmets.

There is absolutely no certainty in apparel aeroness, and anyone who bets on that without testing themselves is putting a lot of stock in faith, especially when the swim, T1, and run comfort are all considered.

With all my respect, I dont see the point for the AGs to spend so much money in equipment. It's been told that a standard road bike over 4000usd does not change too much compared with a 4000usd one ...in terms of a TT bike...i am not updated. Same with the skinsuit, trainers, helmet, bike shoes....see the old days, allen, scott,etc...the main thing is to train and no need to spend a huge amount of money...i'd rather spend that gap of money in a coach and physio...
just my POV

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Spaniard. Sorry for my english for the sensitive ones :P

Finally I hope this comes out right. Kona and the town of Kailua have become iconic when it comes to this race, but my feeling the last couple of years, has been that the race has really grown beyond the town and the place. It all feels like it's been shoe-horned and jammed in and for 5 - 7 days it's all bursting at the seams! For IM to move the World Championships from here, would no doubt upset, A LOT of people, but this is pure personal speculation, I would not be surprised if they start a rotational process of some kind in the next few years moving the IM World Championships around the world to other IM Venues - some of which are much more suited to handle an event like this of the size and scale that it is. Perhaps IM could continue to have an IRONMAN Hawaii race just like any other IM race around the world - open to 1500 - 2000 triathletes, but no pros and no "World Championships" title - My bet is that it would sell out every year, and at a premium price!


I think the town does an excellent job of absorbing all the athletes, vendors, spectators, etc. Yet retains a small town feel. Most any other venue would IMO be a lot more hectic. Travel to Kona is obviously a challenge for most, but once there, it's actually fairly relaxing. Good restaurants without long waits. Daily swims. Weather predictable (other than wind). Challenging scenic course. Would be a very difficult place to beat.

I'm gonna bet that if it was just IM Hawaii open to all that the mystique and atmosphere would take a big hit. Look at what happened to St. Croix after the Kona slots left. The racers left.

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Coach at KonaCoach Multisport