I know that nobody can predict the future, but give it a shot anyway :-). Do you think the 2022 Ironman Hawaii 70.3 will happen (end of may/first week of June)?
I think the 2021 race will probably be postponed to August or November (like last year). But with the vaccines the '22 race might have a shot. My guess is about a 80% chance.
What do you think?
They just postponed the Kona Marathon and 1/2 Marathon, which was scheduled for the weekend of June 25-26, so the 70.3 (2021 Version) doesn’t look promising.
I think (hope!) by late spring/summer 2022, we should be back to the full calendar of racing.
They just postponed the Kona Marathon and 1/2 Marathon, which was scheduled for the weekend of June 25-26, so the 70.3 (2021 Version) doesn’t look promising.
I think (hope!) by late spring/summer 2022, we should be back to the full calendar of racing.
There is zero chance of the 2021 version happening, Hawaii is a lot stricter than many other states. As for 2022, who knows, everyone should have the vaccine by then, so as long as they don’t find out the vaccine only works for a short period it should go ahead. However you can’t be sure of any race going ahead right now. Unless it’s in Florida, then it is 1000% going ahead.
By April or so, all high-risk people will have been vaccinated (or at least been given the opportunity.) At our current vaccination rate, about half of the population will be at least partially vaccinated in early June. And that rate is accelerating so we can expect more than half.
Additionally, a triathlon is easier to social-distance than a marathon. I’m assuming the marathon was not cancelled by the government but by the organizers?
I’m hoping 2021 will move forward. I’ve booked hotel rooms and flights for the race, and for after.
The organizers, maybe? But knowing they wouldn’t get permits?
“we as a state, county, organization, group of sponsors, and community of runners simply cannot guarantee the safe and rewarding experience that you deserve at this time.”
Well, I’m a day late learning this information, but the Biden administration just announced an agreement that has Merck manufacturing the J&J vaccine and that vaccines will be available for 100% of adults by the end of May…
So while I don’t know all (any) of the thought process behind thatarathon cancellation, I choose to remain optimistic about the 70.3 
I want to do this race. Zero chance it’s happening this year. Nearly everyone will defer to 2022 and race will fill up. The 2023 will sell out quick like IMAZ used to back in the good old days due to everyone else skipping 2 years and eager to get back to it.
I want to do this race. Zero chance it’s happening this year. Nearly everyone will defer to 2022 and race will fill up.
I am planning for the 2022 race. So register now and take the calculated risk that it will be canceled and take the deferral is an option, but last year they first postponed to August (no option for me workwise) and then to November (that might be good for me). They might do the same this year. November 21 might just have a good chance. The vaccins will probably still work and travel for non US will open up.
So while I don’t know all (any) of the thought process behind thatarathon cancellation, I choose to remain optimistic about the 70.3
Would be great! Only 3 months to go!
I am with Ed on this. The Governor of Hawaii recently stated he was hopeful of opening the island to broader travel by the beginning of May. In addition, Hawaii has very good, and controllable protocols in place to assure anyone coming to the island is fully vaccinated and/or tested. Every airline to get there has detailed info on what you need to do pre flight, and lastly, it is far easier to create maintained distancing in a triathlon than a marathon, which would have 5-10x the participates.
Mahalo
The Karl Kalculator has Honu as a 71.7% chance of having the race this year. The Karl Kalculator is 50% correct.
Vaccines are just arriving to Maui, slower than they hoped. So the state is farther behind than many states.
Train and plan for the race like we have been doing for the last year.
Well, I’m a day late learning this information, but the Biden administration just announced an agreement that has Merck manufacturing the J&J vaccine and that vaccines will be available for 100% of adults by the end of May…
So while I don’t know all (any) of the thought process behind thatarathon cancellation, I choose to remain optimistic about the 70.3
I am also hopeful for normalcy by the end of the year but the one thing that is scaring me is that with the carelessness happening in the contiguous 48 that more and more variants will pop up and prevent current vaccines from being effective enough to allow normalcy. I say this as a current Oregon resident who saw news that a variant has popped up in the state that carries both genes from the SA variant that is more vaccine resistant and the British one that makes it more contagious. Apparently it evolved on its own this way.
I decided in late January that whether or not Honu 2021 was on that I wouldn’t go, both because I am last in line for vaccination and because I had a strong feeling then it wouldn’t happen anyway. That allowed me to readjust my racing goals so that now I am doing a year of single sport training with cycling until June then running through to November.
I thought you may find the following link interesting as it was posted in the *Big Island Now *on March 19, 2021. The Big Island Now provides news articles related to the Big Island of Hawaii.
There is no mention of the Honu 70.3 currently scheduled for June 2021, however the World Championships in October is widely mentioned.
https://bigislandnow.com/2021/03/19/ironman-poised-to-return-to-big-island-in-2021/
I thought you may find the following link interesting as it was posted in the *Big Island Now *on March 19, 2021. The Big Island Now provides news articles related to the Big Island of Hawaii.
There is no mention of the Honu 70.3 currently scheduled for June 2021, however the World Championships in October is widely mentioned.
https://bigislandnow.com/…-big-island-in-2021/
Thanks! I think the June race will not happen (only 2 months to go!). Maybe they will postpone to Q4, will be a good option for me.
This one recently popped up for me as part of a potential race-cation. We are hoping to do a family trip in June, and if planets could align, I would add this race. But, it seems unlikely. Hawaii is not fully opened to general tourism yet, I don’t think. I think they killed the 10-day quarantine, but you still need proof of a negative test. Has Hawaii hosted any kind of outdoor event like a triathlon or running race? Seems like evidence of opening to those would be a prerequisite for hope that a 70.3 race could happen.
This one recently popped up for me as part of a potential race-cation. We are hoping to do a family trip in June, and if planets could align, I would add this race. But, it seems unlikely. Hawaii is not fully opened to general tourism yet, I don’t think. I think they killed the 10-day quarantine, but you still need proof of a negative test. Has Hawaii hosted any kind of outdoor event like a triathlon or running race? Seems like evidence of opening to those would be a prerequisite for hope that a 70.3 race could happen.
No, we still have quarantine unless you come with a negative test, though the exact rules vary by island (e.g., Kauai has had mandatory quarantine regardless of whether you come with a negative test; the Big Island administers a second test (rapid test) when you arrive, but you don’t have to wait for the results). We’ve had a number of friends successfully get here with the negative test and have nice times. Tourism is pretty much open - we’re up to about 40% of the pre-pandemic tourist volume, and you can tell based on numbers of people at the beach, numbers of rental cars on the road, and numbers of tri-bikes on the Queen K.
So people can get here for Honu. The question is whether the race will be allowed the permits, because that gathering size is specifically still not allowed here. But the state seems to be stepping up the vaccine rollout, so that may change the gathering protocols - probably not in time for the June race, unfortunately.
Ian
Thanks. I really appreciate the insider’s perspective.
Thanks. Appreciate the feedback. My wife signed up to be a volunteer for the race and has yet to receive any feedback. It really does however look like the big island is all on board with cdc guidelines and has stepped it up regarding vaccine access.
I’m registered for this june 2021 Hawaii 70.3, but canceled my flghts/hotels already. I dont think it will happen.
The New York Times calculates that about 60% of the US population will have at least 1 vaccine does by the date of the race.
Currently we are at around 25% with at least 1 dose, 15% fully vaccinated. Doses per day are expected to rise, which would result in a higher percentage of the population vaccinated than currently predicted.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/covid-19-vaccine-doses.html