I know this seems like mutisport sacrilege to say, but one problem I see with the IM World Championships is that the damn thing is ALWAYS held in Kona.
Because of this there are amazing athletes who, due to whatever reason, are not suited to that particular course. And as such, they will never be crowned “world champion.”
Every other sport in the world holds it’s world championships in different locations, and as a result, different (not better or worse) athletes have a chance to vie for the world title. Would Cipo be world champ if the cycling worlds were held on the same super-hilly course year after year? Of course not. Is cycling a lesser sport because Cipo won on a flat course last year? Of course not.
Bottom line is that different athletes have different talents within the confines of swimming, biking and running and I feel that the sport of triathlon does itself and its athletes a disservice by limiting it’s ultimate race to the same location every year.
Plus, spreading the wealth by designating different locations as the world championship venue would probably add more spectators, more intrigue and a more interesting race in general.
Good point. I vote Lanzarote. Even though it is somewhat contradictory to my post in the IM Hawaii thread on this page, I would love to go to Lanzarote as the big Show. It is an ass kicker from what I hear. I’d be all over that resuming I could come up ith a qualifying effort some where.
Well … What about holding the IM World Championship race somewhere other than the Kona wind tunnel? Somewhere with some long, sustained climbs. Somewhere like the 2002 IM France course? That would help resolve the drafting issue.
To me, the Ironman Hawaii is not the Ironman World Championships for a ton of reasons, one of them being the qualifying process. But it is just that, the Ironman Hawaii, a race with history, it means something if you win it, if you race it. It’s simply the most important Ironman race in the world.
No flame bait - it a legitimate question. In fact, I had this very discussion with one of the top coaches in the sport as we watched the late finishers roll in at IMC this past summer. It was his opnion that the WTC should at least think about rotating it’s " World Championship" around to other WTC Ironman venues. I agree, and I have to imagine that this has at least been considered and talked about for the future, around the Board of Directors table in Tarpon Springs
Let’s be clear. IMH is a great race, with it’s huge legacy and outstanding, deep and rich history. However, do you notice that more or less, it’s the same people who do well there ( age-group & Pro) year after year after year. I agree that the conditions are the conditions and that’s what makes the race so special, but there are many athletes who don’t do well in that type of heat and humdity or in that type of terrain or at that time of year.
I would think that with the Ironman brand and popularity firmly established and still on a significant rise, moving their “World Championship” around to other well established WTC Ironman Venues to further increase the world-wide profile would be a good thing. They could bring it back to Hawaii every 4 years ala the Olympic Games, to have the Classic Ironman “World Championship”.
Note that I have put quotation marks around the words “World Championship”. The WTC is a private for profit business, not a sports governing body like ITU or the IAAF. So in reality, they can do as they wish and I respect them for that. So far, it’s been a hugely successful business and I only see it growing more and more.
Gee, do you think if they moved it around, they might actually put it on a continent once in a while? Would that help getting more spectators ala the TDF?
Nah, let’s just bash drafting and stop these silly thoughts.
I agree. Moving the “World Championships” around will not lessen the prestige associated with IM Hawaii. It’s a legendary event, just like Paris-Roubaix, the Boston Marathon or even the Eco Challenge.
I think that the thought of moving Ironman’s world title race anywhere but Hawaii is just too radical for a privately-owned company looking to protect its brand. I think such a move would be deemed a threat to the franchise in general by the powers that be in Tarpon Springs. Though it will probably never happen, it would definitely do a heck of a lot more good for the sport in general than sticking to the current paradigm.
Note that I have put quotation marks around the words “World Championship”. The WTC is a private for profit business, not a sports governing body like ITU or the IAAF. So in reality, they can do as they wish and I respect them for that. So far, it’s been a hugely successful business and I only see it growing more and more.
This is the exact point I was planning to make. Kona is the “World Championship” of races bearing the WTC’s “Ironman” brand. While I think that most agree that it is the de facto world championship based on all the reasons given throughout this thread, it is not the official world championship of any governing body. If I’m not mistaken, there is an official ultra distance triathlon championship that moves as suggested. But in everyone’s mind, official or not, Kona is the crowning event in the category.
IM Hawaii is Triathlon, it is the pinnacle of the sport, its what put triathlon on the map. The only things that I would recommend is that qualifiers are accessible available to everyone and more spots for slugs like me.
How about having roving 1/2 Ironman World Championships? In spring or summer? ITU long course dont cut it!
Interesting question you raised & one the has me very up-in-arms as to where I stand on it. From a pro-HI vantage point I would like to see the race stay there for many reasons. I think the conditions are unusual, which presents an interesting training challenge (which is important for a world championship). Second, I also think the World Championship has to be somewhere unique that which HI is.
Third, I think having it at the end of the season is the best idea, and it where changed to another venue this would exclude certain areas due to cooler weather (e.g., IMWI & IMUSA in Lake Placid), which puts those venues at an unfair disadvantage simply due to where they are located. Most athletes (I stress most) have the ability to train in conditions similar to HI. I agree to some extent that some may be better suited for IMHI, but remember we are talking about pros & I feel that by & large most have an equal opportunity to win in HI. This is their job & I think all have enough means at hand to get themselves in racing shape for HI, & then let the cards fall where they may.
Now from the other point of view. I think moving the championship to other venues is a spectacular idea. I think it *could *open up who wins based on different racing styles, but as I said before I don’t think this would be significant when it comes to the pros. I do think it would be positive to give other venues the revenue, attention, spotlight, etc. of hosting the world championship.
Overall, I would have to say leave it in HI. Our sport is SO unique, filled with tradition, and special that I say leave it there. I am attempting my first IM in 2004 (IMUSA)) & I am going to be very proud when I finish…but it is not the same as finishing the Grand-daddy of the all Hawaii!!!
I think you could move the “World Championship” around to whatever venue you so choose and Ironman Hawaii would not lose any of the luster. That is part of the problem, IM Hawaii is Ironman to most people, and to some it defines triathlon as a whole. You could have someone who becomes world champion at another venue but the question will still always linger, why couldn’t you win THE ironman. What does it do to credibility of an “World Championship” when people would rather win IM Hawaii over the championship race?
Now imagine the chaos it would bring on peoples training schedueles if the date moved changed to accomidate the diff venues. Rightfully a world championship needs to be at the end of a season. So assuming we keep it at the end of the tri season, October ish. Certain venues cannot be raced at certain times of the year. Would you want to be racing in Florida, Lake Placid or Wisconsin in October? I imagine events are in certain time periods for certain reasons.
Now imagine the chaos it would bring on peoples training schedueles if the date moved changed to accomidate the diff venues. Rightfully a world championship needs to be at the end of a season. So assuming we keep it at the end of the tri season, October ish. Certain venues cannot be raced at certain times of the year. Would you want to be racing in Florida, Lake Placid or Wisconsin in October? I imagine events are in certain time periods for certain reasons.
Just to play devil’s advocate…
It’s currently at the end of our (North American) season, but if having the WORLD Championship at season’s end is really important, then why shouldn’t it occasionally be at the end of the Aussie, Kiwi, Brazilian, South African, etc. season?
You seem to have forgotten all of the Southern Hemisphere athletes for whom October is definatly NOT the end of the season. If this is the case it would suit us, Southern Hemisphere athletes, to have the World Championships end March or April. Do athletes from the rest of the world not count in these “World Championships”? By the way, it is not likley that I will be qualifying for the World Champs anytime soon but I will keep giving it a nudge. When (alright, if) I qualify I am not looking forward to doing most of my training in the dark, through a rather brisk winter here in Christchurch. As it is, keeping the training going is bearable, but having to do long focused sessions through winter would not be pleasant. Just don’t forget that there is a whole world outside of your borders too!
I wasn’t trying to forget the Southerners, my friend. I, too, am used to doing many long cold rides in the winter months. I think we have to remember what suits the masses & that would probably be a world championship in early fall (northern hemisphere wise).
Since Ironman is a trademarked M dot production they can hold there event anywhere and call it whatever they want. As far as governing bodies (ITU) is concerned they do have a long distance “World Championship” it is just not an Iron M dot race.
There will never be another race equal to the M dot Hawaii race as it is the birth of the long distance and patron of all triathlons as they are today.
I don’t like the direction of the WTC but since they own the damn thing they have the right to do with it and call it any thing they want. In reality if it ain’t an M dot it ain’t an Ironman. Unless of course the weight lifting magazine of the same name wants to host a triathlon then, I would guess it would be. G
“In reality if it ain’t an M dot it ain’t an Ironman.”
With a name like G-Man, I shouldn’t say this… but you are wrong! Please, don’t kill me.
Ironman is a distance, not a particular event. You cannot tell me that a person who completes an Iron distance race put on by the WTC is any better than a person who completes Vineman Full ot the Great Floridian or Duke Blue Devil, etc. The name Ironman was around before the WTC and has much more meaning than what the WTC would like you to believe.
I think you guys are all on crack! Kona isn’t analogous to the cycling world championships, it’s analogous to the Tour de France. You might as well as the Tour to not include a TT or to not go to the Alps and the Pyrenees, or not to finish on the Champs Ellysee (pardon my french).
for all our whining about the coverage on NBC and the hype, isn’t that largely responsible for why many of us are interested in long course racing to begin with?
It is what it is. Most sports can only hope to have what we have in Kona. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
