Let's enjoy the Suffer Fest!
This Saturday, October 10, is the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, and I want to encourage all of us to check in and watch. Even if long course isn't our thing (yet!), this is the race that started it all, and this year's edition is a special one.
Here's a thought for many of us: Watching the best in the world suffer is one of the best ways to learn how to race.
We spend most of our time looking at our own numbers, but on Saturday we get to see how the best pace the bike, manage the heat and hold it together (or not!) when the marathon gets ugly out on the Queen K.
What's Different?
The men and women are racing on the same day in Kona for the first time since 2019. For the last three years the races were split between Kona and Nice, France, so this is a return to one island, one day and two world titles. Also new - the pros now have a 20 meter draft zone on the bike (it was 12, which is still what we age-groupers get), so the bike should be more honest.
The Men:
Sam Laidlow (France) - Unbeaten in four races this year, including a 7:21:04 at Challenge Roth, the fastest iron-distance time on record. He'll push from the gun.
Kristian Blummenfelt (Norway) and my favorite - Won Ironman Texas in 7:21:24, then ran a 2:29 marathon for second at Roth. Never count him out.
Gustav Iden (Norway) - The 2022 Kona champion, and he had the fastest bike split at 70.3 Worlds last month.
Missing is defending champion Casper Stornes, who crashed in training on the island two weeks ago and broke his collarbone (a tough reminder of what the Kona winds can do). But keep an eye on Patrick Lange, the course record holder, in what's expected to be his last Kona.
The Women:
Solveig Løvseth (Norway) - Defending champion who won Kona on her first try last year and has already won Ironman Texas and Hamburg this year.
Lucy Charles-Barclay (Great Britain) - The 2023 champion and course record holder, with unfinished business after dropping out while leading last year.
Taylor Knibb (USA) and my favorite - Our American hope and the new 70.3 World Champion. She was also leading last year and collapsed only a couple of miles from the finish (that's Kona!).
And don't forget Kat Matthews, runner-up three times, who ran a 2:47 marathon here last year.
By the Numbers:
140.6 miles - 2.4 swim, 112 bike, 26.2 run
2,548 registered athletes from 85 countries, including 110 pros
Course records - Patrick Lange 7:35:53 (2024) and Lucy Charles-Barclay 8:24:31 (2023)
Four former world champions in the men's field alone
Racing in Hawaii since 1978
How to Watch
It's free and live on the Ironman YouTube channel, ironman.com/proseries and DAZN. The pro men start at 6:20am Hawaii time (pro women 10min later), which is 10:20am Mountain and 12:20pm Eastern. Expect the first men to finish around 6pm Mountain and the first women around 7pm.
And don't turn it off when the pros finish! For many age-groupers, the goal was to get to Hawaii. They did the work to earn that start line, and now they get to enjoy the suffer fest!
Gratefully,
Mark
Team MPI
