Kona nostalgia > mindful decisions
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One of the points that the PTN guys mentioned about this was that if you don’t need to run to the energy lab, you can get the highway back open sooner. Given that the primary complaint about the 2 day Kona was IM was blocking the highway, it’s worth exploring.
The bike cutoff is going to be 10.5 hrs after the last wave, and you only need it closed in one direction after 6 or so hours.
For those nostalgic about the course (which did recently change, mind you) going to the energy lab, would you trade it for a 2 day Kona? (Yeah, there are other issues, namely hotel rooms and volunteers, but modifying the run course might solve the primary issue)
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LOL! Yeah I was on the run last year and when we got to the old turn into the Energy Lab I thought, wait, where am I going, the airport?! It never occurred to me to look at the course map. It’s a question worth asking if changing the run course would allow for a 2 day event. My gut feeling is no, but if the choice was no Queen K and Energy Lab but a 2 day race, I think that’s an easy choice.
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Most of the locals hate tourists. Probably hate triathlon tourists even more because they ride bikes.
Goodwill in Hawaii, lol… Not happening.
I give the race maybe a decade more in Kona before it leaves permanently.
As someone who has vacationed in Hawaii for two decades, I’m now going elsewhere, so I might be a bit jaded…
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The answer is probably still a no - but worth asking once the new dynamic has settled. What’s the lesser of two evils, from the perspective of locals wanting to drive everywhere all the time? (and from the sounds of, people who also do not check road closures in advance)
1 - Close the Queen K for two days until 3 pm (and maybe 1 way can open earlier), one of which is a weekday
2 - Close the Queen K for one Sunday until after midnight?
Its probably still #2, but if #1 is palatable, its worth exploring
You know, I laughed when they referred to the race this Sunday as the “last Ironman World champs in Nice ever“ or something to that effect.
Never say never is one thing, but even “last in our lifetimes” would’ve been overconfident. They’re not 40 yet, bar maybe Pat and the guest Crowie. The Nice triathlon has enough of a history (ask Mark Allen) to make a huge comeback before these guys have even retired IMO.
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It’s Saturday actually but the locals will choose to just close on Saturday until 3pm.
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As someone who’s had no interest in a world championship anywhere but Kona, I’d have not problem with a different run course and like the idea of out & backs on Alii Drive. I went in 2005 to work/watch and ran out on the Queen K to the airport during the bike to watch (worst sunburn of my life) and don’t necessarily need to do that again! Now as a dad with 2 younger children, having something be more spectator friendly for everyone that I’ve brought with me has a lot of appeal. I feel like that’s a big change and probably would be the only change you could make that year but I think it would be good.
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Another idea to add to the list: move the qualifying window further back for age groupers. Pros can stay where it is.
If we’re going to put our world championship on a small town in the middle of the Pacific, the least we could do is allow our age groupers to plan for it properly. My home town race is Ottawa, and Kona is <2.5 months later. Planning a trip to Hawaii is a different proposition if I’m planning 12 months, or even 6 months out. Yeah, I could buy refundable airline tickets in advance, or I could pick a different race (that just moves the problem to someone else) but that’s not the way to run a sport. If we’re worried about it rolling “too far,” then allowing people more time may result in fewer roll-downs.
Suggestion: Spend the next 3-6 years moving the qualifying window back by a month each year. (or maybe by a few races a time) So in 2026, the qualifying window has already been announced as mid-Aug to mid-Aug. For 2027, move it to July-July, then June-June, etc.
Maybe Texas is the last race, or maybe the new Jacksonville race?
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Uh, doesn’t that mean people qualifying in August have to wait 14 months for race?
Yep. But that’s better than 2.5 months when you’re planning a trip to the other side of the world.
I had 2 years to plan my trip to Lahti and it was great. I qualified in 2019, defer, defer, defer and was given the choice in 2022 what I wanted. My wife and I planned a whole trip around it - and that was just to Europe.
The people who go every year are going to go every year anyway and the people who go every now and again will be fine with more notice.
I’m not sure who’s impacted? People who like last minute surprises thanks to a bigger roll down?
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Living in Kona would suck…
Would co-sign this approach.
Still wouldn’t go.
20m draft zone!! For AGers you could maek the draft zone 100m and no one would give a shit, I’ve ridden in group rides with more spacing than the first half of the bike with 1-1:15 swimmers in 25-29 and 30-34 AG last year! Just too many athletes of similar capabilities near each other. But for the pros, 12m at the speeds and size of the packs at Kona is a joke. Turns it into a long ITU swim/run race as long as you can ride decently.
I will 110% throw my support behind a multi loop run course on Ali’i and Palani. The energy was awesome along Ali’i and the crowds great. Then once you get up on the Queen K it sucks for everyone- it’s f’n hot and the sun beats down on you, your family can’t see you, and there’s no one to help but volunteers and other poor souls questioning life choices. EVen if you had a bad day, there’s so mcuh more to enjoy with laps on ALi’i. Yeah it’ll be more crowded, but 3 laps won’t make it so bad. You could have more freuent aid stations too. It’ll also be miles better for the 12+ hour finishers than trudging through the enegy lab and the Qeen K all alone in the dark at night with no one around. The energy along ALi’i as you get close to the cutoff would be awesome and I would’ve definitely come down outside the condo I was staying if the run course were there.
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Do not change the run course. Yes it’s hard, yes it’s sucks. But that’s what makes it great. It’s a true test. Why would we want to make it easier?
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But you can still keep it hard and change it .
Think laps as described would be harder than most triathlons around the world and (of course) remain a “true test”. The aim is not to “make it easier”.
Surely having spectators is beneficial for athletes: that’d be a good thing, right?
And think of the spectators: giving them the opportunity to see ‘how hard’ it is several times in 26 miles (as opposed to unseen Energy Lab fables), and to support makes it better for them.
For the organisers: way better for early QK full opening and broadcast quality (with fixed camera opportunities).
Do not allow disc wheels [change]. Yes it’s slower, yes it sucks not to use the wheel the athletes use in every other race. But that’s what makes Kona great. It’s a true test. Why would we want to make it easier?
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The run course could easily be harder with loops.
Do the tun start same as the bike course but turn down it Ali drive not up the hill south, then come back the same. Way up palini and down the queen q but turn around and go back toward Ali drive for another out and back and then finish down Ali or back up palini and reverse bike course into the finish .
With Ali being an out and back you can do what ever you want with the distance down it depending on the top .
The palini corner and hill would be buzzing .
The queen q would be opened early.
Ironman would have an easier time with race safety and how many aid stations they need and how far you they have to go.
Like even getting volunteers down to the energy lab must not be easy vs telling them walk half a km that way to the hill. Come and go as you need to.
I am ok personally with either but I could see why a change is beneficial to Ironman and the race overall.
I’m not following your exact route but I think any kind of laps that’s involve Ali’i will be easier. There’s shade and an ocean breeze there which typically keeps it “cool”. There’s zero shade and minimal breeze out on the queen k. Then add in the sauna in the energy lab. I also don’t think Ali’i can handle that many athletes if they did loops. And imagine the complaints from people from the camber of the road.
I’m just not a fan of taking out the energy lab or queen k section. My wife has managed to get out on the queen k at the energy lab entrance when I’ve done the race. It may be a little more difficult to get out there but it’s not impossible.
I would go back to “what are we trying to solve?”
I think the main goal is road closure time is reduced and easier to spectate.
Personally, I found the 8 sections of the Nice course mentally grueling. I agree with the comments that the distance covered not resorting to laps is what makes the marathon feel special.
That said, there are logistical realities. Given race or no race, or two days or one day, or more entries or less, I’d always choose the more over tradition. Growth means change.
But if it’s let’s just change it to have some crowd support. It’s starting to feel like we might as well make it short distance, as some of the justifications start sounding the same.
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