My prediction is that Kona is so desirable, and already so crowded, that WTC will increase the number of races to two. They can’t (well, yes they can) keep decreasing the number of qualifying slots in every IM race to the point where only a few people qualify.
I think what they need to do, and will do, is have a Pro and Elite only race in October, and an AG race some other time. Both races can easily draw 1500-2000 triathletes and sell out.
Isn’t being able to race next to the worlds best professionals part of the Kona draw?
Yes they can keep it to one race, all they have to do is decrease their Incestuous focus on Ironman racing being so focussed on North American races and dump their bullshit policy of corporate places, biggest loser winners and gasp “US Armed Services” athletes and keep it to their so called “Ironman World Championship” races to those who have qualified to compete.
If you don’t qualify, don’t toe the line…
I think there is actually two draws that pretty independent.
The ST draw. The hardcore triathletes want to get there because it is not easy. I am not including lottery in this. But we all know if you are going to Kona you are pretty good. General public and many lower key triathletes really have no idea.
But there is a completely other draw. Kona is looked at by “regular” people as being Ironman. Not Florida, Arizona, Lake Placid, etc.
Point 2 is Irrelevant. Kona is sold and marketed as the “Ironman World Championships” how it is looked at by the regular Joe public is irrelevant, it shoud be an event to find out who the greatest athlete is over the Ironman distance WORLDWIDE. Your example of those 3 races shows the ignorance to the rest of the Ironman races world wide and not just those held in North America.
My point on 2 is that there is a draw driven by it being viewed by the regular public as being THE Ironman race. That drives triathletes to want to do that race. I have had this situation personally. I was out of town last year at an IM race when my family was having my fathers 80th birthday. My wife and kids went to the party and my parents, brothers, sisters wanted to know why I was not. She told them where I was. They asked for work? She told them for an Ironman race. My brother said that is in Hawaii. My parents and other siblings all agreed and asked where is he really at?
The draw for me is NOT the competition. That would only make me feel worst not better. The draw for me is that on a very cold day back in 1982 I was channel surfing and came to a channel showing the 1982 Ironman race with Julie Moss. I could not believe what I was watching. Then they shared the distances and remember thinking how could any human do that. It is unbelievable.
There is no way it is the champships when you have lottery winners, corporates, people that got in by virtue of buying in from donations, the hard luck cases, etc etc. They need to split the race in two.
Nice story Bart, my eyes almost welled up with emotion. You missed my point, IT’S THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS what goes on with qualifying races is irrelevant.
Qualify or don’t toe the line…
YaHey, surely you leave the lottery winners, corporates, people that got in by virtue of buying in from donations, the hard luck cases etc out of the qualifying positions for a world championships race. Whilst they are in the field and taking up the posions of those deserving to be there then it is far from a World Championships race.
I think his point is that you can have two races. IM World Championships and IM Kona. The first one you have to qualify for and the other one could be held at some other point and still sell out. You would probably only care about the first one, but that doesn’t mean the second wouldn’t be popular.
i think what they are doing at the moment is organizing regional championship - we had frankfurt now they added melbourne … and new jersey. I think they will try to build it up to grand slam status with Kona being the grand daddy… hoever theo ther three races will become a success only if WTC increases the cash purse creating real competition - at the moment pro races are light on athletes
What I wrote is WHY people are attracted to the race as in the “draw”. Where in my post did I indicated that there should be two races, that anything should change, etc?
Good point Torrey, I fully agree with your point of having two races in Kona, I disagree however with holding a second race in the same location as the world championships, this would allow for too much discretion of which race you actually did. I’m sure there would be a lot of people who would be happy to just say they raced “Kona” and 95% of the public would not be able to question if they raced the WC.
Bart, no where did you say that there should be two races, you only talked up an instance of where you put Ironman racing ahead of family prirorities.
Qualify or don’t toe the line…
Wahhh! Waahhhh haa haaa! Sniff, sniff.
Everyone who shows up on race day “deserves to be there”.
Go cry somewhere else.
No they dont, if you won Americas biggest loser do you deserve to race in the world championships, if you were capable of bidding $35k approx on ebay do you deserve to race in the world championships???
If you go and race any of the qualifying races around the world and finish in the top 5 do you deserve to race in the world championships??? Yes you do.
Let me just add something else about “deserving” a slot.
I know a guy who signed up for an IM on a dare. Half assed training, eating like shit, smoking weed daily. He qualified for Kona. Did the same “training” in “preparation” for Kona and DNFed.
I got in on the lottery. I trained with commitment, changed my diet and sacrificed a lot in my personal life. I finished in just over 12 hours. Fast? No. Do you care? If you do, you’ve got issues.
As much as I would like to think that it should be the World Championship, and I know that it is, I understand why they have some slots open for the regular guy. I believe that they can cut back on all of those slots, but I feel its good they still let some people in the race. Its very difficult with the ST group, and many people who come so close to a slot, only to find out there are 50 total spots in a race and find out someone bid 35K to do it…I understand the frustration. There should only be the lottery, and everything else you need to qualify for, but hey thats just my two cents.
If they (WTC) would just a better job (or really any job at all) of mentioning during the Kona broadcast that there are X number of Ironman races held throughout the world. And that MOST people racing in Kona had to qualify. Then the public perception that Kona IS Ironman might change a little.
Aside from the pro’s during the broadcast, it seems as if every single person racing Kona has had some sort of tragedy in their life and that Ironman is their reason to live.
The only reason that I want to do Kona now is for when someone says “How come you don’t do THE Ironman in Hawaii?”
Duffy, sorry to say but this is the rub of the green. He has qualified for his spot based on his performance at a previous race. How he followed this up on race day is his prerogative.
How about two races?
One for the males pro and male AG.
One for the female pro and female AG.
That way, no confusion between two races and the AG get to race with the pro.