Hi Kyle, can you please elaborate? The space for PRO racing is crowded? Hard to disagree. But isn’t the choice of location mostly age group sales-driven? Or maybe I’m reading this wrong.
@Kyleglass91 I agree with @Triingtotrain . You showed up here and made one post only to complain. Sure you do PTN but you can come in here and add some insight. As @kajet said, choosing a location is not pro driven (pros will go where they have to go to race). The Ironman economic model is about making money off age groupers. The entire qualifier series for age groupers becomes affected by the desireabiity of the final destination.
Perhaps the new CEO does not really understand “yet” the pulse of stakeholders. He is new to tri and new to the Ironman series (full and half) and is getting pulled a number of ways inside and outside his company (host cities etc). Its probably not helping having to get approvals in two different towns (or three) for 4 days of racing assuming there is still a large anti Ironman sentiment in the Kona town.
As the 70.3 worlds have shown, you don’t need Kona to have a successful worlds . The sport has outgrown one destination
@Triingtotrain I would like to think that no one at the Canadian border will give Americans who come to Canada to actually spend money here and use our airports to go get flights to Europe a hard time (in the Canadian economy we’re actually trying to strenghten trade with Europe which you are using a Canadian airport to do) . I can just give you input on the structural framework here. What an individual border guard does is no different than “before” as nothing has changed here for letting foreigners in to do travel or sport.
We still have 70.3’s open in Victoria for Marbella qualification, Tremblant is sold out for Marbella, and Muskoka and Calgary for 2026 qualification are open. You could give come over for Muskoka to qual for 2026 worlds from Vemont and I would anticipate the folks at the border would love you for coming to Canada and spending money here. We have Ironman Canada in Ottawa where I live and will have plenty of Americans and foreigners coming over so we can see by then if there are any challenges for your trip via Canada to Spain
Thanks for your latest (team deliberately) introspective pod.
Be aware, in case you wish to comment further the ‘ownership’ caveat shared by the OP, below (who started the whole wibble on USA great to travel to, or not, as a factor for venue selection).
And to be fair, Marbella was announced in January, 21 months ahead: an August date for 2026 70.3WC is only 16 months hence with slot allocation races start in 77 days time.
Is it a free world?
Thank for your response Dev. I’m not so much worried about crossing into Canada as I am getting back into the US. I was thinking about getting shirts made that say, “we love Canada” which we really do and wearing them as we drive to the Montreal airport crossing from VT. Just so the Canandian customs know we love and support Canada. I know a lot of Canadians are really angry with us right now and rightly so. I actually have an Airb&B booked for Muskoka and still need to sign up. I’ve been training. I have never been to that area and hoping I get to go this summer.
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Being entitled to an announcement is a little different. Obviously IRONMAN understands that and it benefits them having the announcement out sooner vs later. Calling for the CEO to be fired over it seems a bit over the top. On the flip side 70.3 racing are selling out in record numbers so you are either already signed up for your races for the season or you’re missing out on a race. A world championship announcement isnt prohibiting you from signing up for races lets be real… I believe the announcement will coincide with the “Kona decision” In reference to the space being more crowded, there are more triathlons than ever before across all distances with multiple leagues worldwide. Finding a pocket in the calendar, sending RFPs, and changing the dates of an existing race to make it a championship venue is a bit more complicated then throwing the dart at the globe. So I would suspect an announcement comes before the qualification window starts wouldnt be surprised if it came any day now…
@Triingtotrain I hope you get over to Muskoka AND you qualify for 2026 worlds. I don’t think there is a single individual Canadian who has any beef with individual Americans. It’s almost like when the fathers of two households have a fight, it does not preclude the kids from enjoying each other and still being cousins and friendly. You will love the Muskoka region. I have done that race over 20 times going back to 1990. Still love the trips there. Actually my first half Ironman was Green Mountain Steelman in Brattleboro vermont in 1986 where I got my first Kona qualifier. I was just turning 21 then and just baked at the awards when they called me name of a “world championship slot” and my dad said, “they are calling your name to go to Hawaii, you should go” to which I responded, “no way I can do double the distance, I’m going back to Montreal and drinking beer and chasing girls in between mid term exams this October, no way am I ever doing one of these events again”…and here we are.
As for you turning 55 and deciding if you want in or out of long distance racing and going to worlds etc, what I will say is in my day to day life I know very few 55 year old women who can do these races, just like I know almost zero 60+ year old men outside my athletic circle who would dream of doing these things. It is easy to believe that it’s all a cakewalk, and here on ST it is, but in rest of life it is not. The proof is in my age group at Puerto Rico 70.3 there were only 28 finishers. It falls off fast, so sustaining the ability to start and finish itself is a worthy thing, going to worlds is cherry on the cake of a healthy life. So from 5 years ahead “keep doing it”
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@Ajax_Bay it is a free world on the internet, and it is kind of free inside @rrheisler and @E-Dub 's house. Also I did not start any side track on whether US is good to travel to or not. A number of Europeans did. I also substantiated my comments with my experience directly spending for over 60 races in USA. Have you ever raced there?
As Ryan said, moderating is hard, but I think we all know pretty well when we cross the line of taking our freedom too far in their house.
Overall this thread has been respectful of that. As we’re talking worlds, worlds means travel and travel means passports/visas/immigration checks being different today vs 3 months ago. So it is natural that that context comes into the discussion and I think we all know when it goes too far.
@Kyleglass91 your mind is being swayed by the pro part of the sport.
Literally Ironman does not need to worry about pros. They can pick any spot on earth and they will get a pro field to show up for 70.3 worlds. There are plenty of spots on earth to put 70.3 worlds. What they need is a spot that can put on a good show for 6000 age groupers who pay for worlds and it also has to be framed organizationally so it fits into when Kona/140.6 worlds happen. Literally Ironman could care less what T100 or any series does. 6000 age groupers will show up and that’s really what matters to them. Pros are just a marketing tool, the event is the product, age groupers are buyers of the product.
T100 on the other hand have no product without pros. That’s a different story in terms of business model. They are in a VC backed cash flow negative scenario. Ironman is cash flow positive and so the pros are only a side show. It’s a bit harsh for my friends who are pros, but that’s the reality.
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Thanks Dev! You have such an amazing racing history! I have a friend who qualified for Kona back at that Brattleboro race. You probably know him. And he is still racing too. He’s now in the 70-74 AG. Awesome guy!
Muskoka would work out well as a qualifier, if Worlds 70.3 2026 is in a good location for me. Right now I’m just taking things as they come. I don’t want to live in fear. But I would not survive a day in detention lol.
Who called for the ceo to be fired ? Haha
You do understand that races selling out is part of the issue as an age group as well planning for worlds.
E.g Washington state and Oregon are about to sell out or have ( my two options to drive too) and I don’t know where the 70.3 worlds are so why would I do that race if the worlds is not a goal for me personally. And then if they announce it in Australia and I want that location I now need to make sure my spouse can get vacation time and my kids can come or stay with someone and I go on a trip to get a spot in Mexico or USA fall season.
All my clients that did worlds 70.3 2022,2023,2024 have yet to sign up for a half as they want to know what the option is also those signed up for 2025 worlds are only doing that race .
Although 70.3 are popular the front racers are now kind of choosing one race a year to get a spot for next years worlds, at the price it seems they are not choosing these races for just an age group race experience it’s either for a slot or it’s at worlds no $700 half fun run day.
Calgary 70.3 has been advertising early 2026 worlds qualification in their marketing since August , so it’s ok to market it but not ok to know where I am going ?
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Here you go.
I don’t think there are too many people either fellow age groupers or Ironman who are losing much sleep over elite athletes trying to cherry pick the 1 race they can win. Ironman benefits from full races (so do age group athletes) so while i don’t think in anyway they are delaying the announcement to fill up races it certainly hasn’t hurt them this year. Where they will start to get into trouble quickly is if they don’t have it locked before the first qualifying races later this year.
Sorry I don’t read most the of the threads haha.
This topic of “worlds” !!!was not meant for the beginner or average age group it was for the 1 % of the front that can pick a race and most likely get a slot .
I’m not in the 1% and I’ve competed in 70.3 worlds. The title of this thread is 2026 70.3 World’s announcement Date. I continue to not be top 1% and I still work to improve to go back to worlds and will race 2025-2026 with that goal in mind. So while you may only see the world through your top 1% perspective that is not the title of this thread and no where in the initial post was it stated elites only. Also this post in fact relates to the casual fan who is also interested to know if the course will suit their favorite athletes next season. But hey, retitle the post to elites only and then your point holds water.
Elite age groupers (“1% of the front pack”) most care more about winning their age group or OA awards regardless of the WC location. Gatekeeping a triathlon forum threads based on your ability to be a 1 percenter is gross…
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So when do y’all think they’ll make an announcement for 2026 70.3 worlds?
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I don’t think 70.3 worlds is limited to the 1%. I have never won my age group at a 70.3 (I just qualified for my 10th 70.3 worlds).
If I am lucky I get 2nd-10th depending on the race. In my last one I was 3rd out of 28 finishers so I was barely in the top 10 percent. If the ten percenter can qualify, then 25% of the field easily feel they have a shot. In my 10-25% percent range between some good performances or picking a race that suddenly the faster guys did not show up, its possible to go worlds. No need to be 1%. Same with Kona, but I can literally do 3-5 70.3s to qual for 70.3 worlds, but that’s not possible at full IM.
Just wanting to point out that 70.3 worlds qualification is not a 1% thing. Nor is Kona (my hit rate at Kona was a lot worse…three times in twenty years whereas 70.3 I qualified every year I tried due to multiple chances per year)
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We suspected on our podcast (pro tri news) a few months back that announcement would be in May. I would still put my chips on that timeline…
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Why May specifically?
'Coz it’s before June and the slot allocations for 70.3 races from 1st July onwards will be not to Marbella but Xxxxxxx.
I thought you said ‘May’ way back when for ‘comedic effect’, @Kyleglass91