The Ironman World Championship is a triathlon competitions held annually in Hawaii, United States from 1978 to 2022, with no race in 2020 and an additional race in 1982. It is owned and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. It is the annual culmination of a series of Ironman triathlon qualification races held throughout the world. From 2023, the Men's and Women's Ironman World Championships were separated with one at Kona and the other hosted at another venue. [1]
From 1978 through 1980 the race was held on the island of Oahu, the course combining that of three events already held there: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 mi./3.86 km), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 mi./185.07 km, originally a two-day event), and the Honolulu Marathon. The bike stage was reduced by 3 miles to link it to the start of the marathon course. In 1981 the race was moved to the less urbanized Big Island, keeping the distances the same: a 2.4 miles (3.86 km) open water swim in Kailua-Kona Bay, a 112 miles (180.25 km) bike ride across the Hawaiian lava desert to Hāwī and back, and a marathon (26 miles 385 yards, 42.195 km) run along the coast of the Big Island from Keauhou to Keahole Point and back to Kailua-Kona, finishing on Aliʻi Drive.
Since 1982, the race has been held in the fall each year, before which it was held in the spring, giving two races in 1982.
Athletes with disabilities compete in the event in the physically challenged category, which was instituted in 1997, and are required to meet the same cutoff times as able bodied competitors. [2] Australian John Maclean was the first physically challenged athlete to complete the event under the cut-off time. [3] [4]
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Ironman World Championship was initially postponed to February 2021 and then canceled with that year's qualifiers able to defer to race in 2021 or 2022. [5] The 2021 Championship was postponed to May 2022 and held in St. George, Utah due to travel restrictions.
The 2022 Ironman World Championship was split with a men's and women's race and the Women's Championship on October 6 followed by the Men's Championship two days later. Also from 2022, Vietnam's automobile maker VinFast was the first ever naming rights partner for 2022 Ironman World Championship and 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. [6]
Since 2023 the men's and women's Ironman World Championships have been split and alternated between Nice, France, and Kona, Hawaii. In 2023, the men's event held on September 10 in Nice, France, and the women's on October 14 in Kona, Hawaii. [7] The men's and women's Championships alternate between these venues until 2026. [1]
Qualifying for the World Championship is achieved through placement in one of the other Ironman races or some Ironman 70.3 races.
The current Ironman Hawaii course record was set in 2024 by Patrick Lange (Germany), whose winning time was 7 hrs 35 min 53 sec. [8] The women's course record is 8 hrs 24 mins 31 sec, set in 2023 by Lucy Charles-Barclay (UK). [9]
| Event | Record | Speed | Athlete | Nationality | Edition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Course | 7:35:53 (47:09 - 2:20 - 4:06:22 - 2:30 - 2:37:34) | Patrick Lange |  Germany | 2024 | [8] | |
| Swim (3.862 km) | 45:43 | 1:12 min/100 m | Sam Askey-Doran |  Australia | 2024 | [10] |
| Bike (180.246 km) | 3:57:22 | 45.56 km/h | Sam Laidlow |  France | 2024 | [8] |
| Run (42.195 km) | 2:36:15 | 16.2 km/h / 3:42 min/km | Gustav Iden |  Norway | 2022 | [8] |
| Event | Record | Speed | Athlete | Nationality | Edition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Course | 8:24:31 (49:36 - 2:29 - 4:32:28 - 2:20 - 2:57:38) | 26.91 km/h | Lucy Charles-Barclay |  United Kingdom | 2023 | [9] |
| Swim (3.862 km) | 48:14 | 1:14 min/100 m | Lucy Charles-Barclay | United Kingdom | 2018 | [11] |
| Bike (180.246 km) | 4:26:07 | 40.64 km/h | Daniela Ryf |  Switzerland | 2018 | [12] |
| Run (42.195 km) | 2:48:23 | 3:57 min/km | Anne Haug | Germany | 2023 | [13] |
| Year | Gold | Time | Silver | Time | Bronze | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 |  Gordon Haller (USA) | 11:46:58 | John Dunbar (USA) | 12:20:27 | Dave Orlowski (USA) | 13:59:13 |
| 1979 | Tom Warren (USA) | 11:15:56 | John Dunbar (USA) | 12:03:56 | Ian Emberson (USA) | 12:23:30 |
| 1980 | Dave Scott (USA) | 9:24:33 | Chuck Neumann (USA) | 10:24:41 | John Howard (USA) | 10:32:36 |
| 1981 | John Howard (USA) | 9:38:29 | Tom Warren (USA) | 10:04:38 | Scott Tinley (USA) | 10:12:47 |
| 1982 (Feb) | Scott Tinley (USA) | 9:19:41 | Dave Scott (USA) | 9:36:57 | Jeff Tinley (USA) | 9:53:16 |
| 1982 (Oct) | Dave Scott (USA) | 9:08:23 | Scott Tinley (USA) | 9:28:28 | Jeff Tinley (USA) | 9:36:53 |
| 1983 | Dave Scott (USA) | 9:05:57 | Scott Tinley (USA) | 9:06:30 | Mark Allen (USA) | 9:21:06 |
| 1984 | Dave Scott (USA) | 8:54:20 | Scott Tinley (USA) | 9:18:45 | Grant Boswell (USA) | 9:23:55 |
| 1985 | Scott Tinley (USA) | 8:50:54 | Chris Hinshaw (USA) | 9:16:40 |  Carl Kupferschmid (SUI) | 9:26:32 |
| 1986 | Dave Scott (USA) | 8:28:37 | Mark Allen (USA) | 8:36:04 | Scott Tinley (USA) | 9:00:37 |
| 1987 | Dave Scott (USA) | 8:34:13 | Mark Allen (USA) | 8:45:19 | Greg Stewart (AUS) | 8:58:53 |
| 1988 | Scott Molina (USA) | 8:31:00 | Mike Pigg (USA) | 8:33:11 | Ken Glah (USA) | 8:38:37 |
| 1989 | Mark Allen (USA) | 8:09:14 | Dave Scott (USA) | 8:10:13 | Greg Welch (AUS) | 8:32:16 |
| 1990 | Mark Allen (USA) | 8:28:17 | Scott Tinley (USA) | 8:37:40 |  Pauli Kiuru (FIN) | 8:39:24 |
| 1991 | Mark Allen (USA) | 8:18:32 | Greg Welch (AUS) | 8:24:34 | Jeff Devlin (USA) | 8:27:55 |
| 1992 | Mark Allen (USA) | 8:09:08 |  Cristián Bustos (CHI) | 8:16:29 | Pauli Kiuru (FIN) | 8:17:29 |
| 1993 | Mark Allen (USA) | 8:07:45 | Pauli Kiuru (FIN) | 8:14:27 | Wolfgang Dittrich (GER) | 8:20:13 |
| 1994 | Greg Welch (AUS) | 8:20:27 | Dave Scott (USA) | 8:24:32 | Jeff Devlin (USA) | 8:31:56 |
| 1995 | Mark Allen (USA) | 8:20:34 | Thomas Hellriegel (GER) | 8:22:59 | Rainer Müller-Hörner (GER) | 8:25:23 |
| 1996 |  Luc Van Lierde (BEL) | 8:04:08 | Thomas Hellriegel (GER) | 8:06:07 | Greg Welch (AUS) | 8:18:57 |
| 1997 | Thomas Hellriegel (GER) | 8:33:01 | Jürgen Zäck (GER) | 8:39:18 | Lothar Leder (GER) | 8:40:30 |
| 1998 |  Peter Reid (CAN) | 8:24:20 | Luc Van Lierde (BEL) | 8:31:57 | Lothar Leder (GER) | 8:32:57 |
| 1999 | Luc Van Lierde (BEL) | 8:17:17 | Peter Reid (CAN) | 8:22:54 | Tim DeBoom (USA) | 8:25:42 |
| 2000 | Peter Reid (CAN) | 8:21:01 | Tim DeBoom (USA) | 8:23:10 | Normann Stadler (GER) | 8:26:45 |
| 2001 | Tim DeBoom (USA) | 8:31:18 |  Cameron Brown (NZL) | 8:46:10 | Thomas Hellriegel (GER) | 8:47:40 |
| 2002 | Tim DeBoom (USA) | 8:29:56 | Peter Reid (CAN) | 8:33:06 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 8:35:34 |
| 2003 | Peter Reid (CAN) | 8:22:35 | Rutger Beke (BEL) | 8:28:27 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 8:30:08 |
| 2004 | Normann Stadler (GER) | 8:33:29 | Peter Reid (CAN) | 8:43:40 | Faris Al-Sultan (GER) | 8:45:14 |
| 2005 | Faris Al-Sultan (GER) | 8:14:17 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 8:19:36 | Peter Reid (CAN) | 8:20:04 |
| 2006 | Normann Stadler (GER) | 8:11:58 | Chris McCormack (AUS) | 8:13:10 | Faris Al-Sultan (GER) | 8:19:05 |
| 2007 | Chris McCormack (AUS) | 8:15:34 | Craig Alexander (AUS) | 8:19:04 |  Torbjørn Sindballe (DEN) | 8:21:30 |
| 2008 | Craig Alexander (AUS) | 8:17:45 |  Eneko Llanos (ESP) | 8:20:50 | Rutger Beke (BEL) | 8:21:23 |
| 2009 | Craig Alexander (AUS) | 8:20:21 | Chris Lieto (USA) | 8:22:56 | Andreas Raelert (GER) | 8:24:32 |
| 2010 | Chris McCormack (AUS) | 8:10:37 | Andreas Raelert (GER) | 8:12:17 | Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) | 8:13:14 |
| 2011 | Craig Alexander (AUS) | 8:03:56 | Pete Jacobs (AUS) | 8:09:11 | Andreas Raelert (GER) | 8:11:07 |
| 2012 | Pete Jacobs (AUS) | 8:18:37 | Andreas Raelert (GER) | 8:23:40 | Frederik Van Lierde (BEL) | 8:24:09 |
| 2013 | Frederik Van Lierde (BEL) | 8:12:29 | Luke McKenzie (AUS) | 8:15:19 | Sebastian Kienle (GER) | 8:19:24 |
| 2014 | Sebastian Kienle (GER) | 8:14:18 | Ben Hoffman (USA) | 8:19:23 | Jan Frodeno (GER) | 8:20:32 |
| 2015 | Jan Frodeno (GER) | 8:14:40 | Andreas Raelert (GER) | 8:17:43 | Timothy O'Donnell (USA) | 8:18:50 |
| 2016 | Jan Frodeno (GER) | 8:06:30 | Sebastian Kienle (GER) | 8:10:02 | Patrick Lange (GER) | 8:11:14 |
| 2017 | Patrick Lange (GER) | 8:01:40 | Lionel Sanders (CAN) | 8:04:07 | David McNamee (GBR) | 8:07:11 |
| 2018 | Patrick Lange (GER) | 7:52:39 | Bart Aernouts (BEL) | 7:56:41 | David McNamee (GBR) | 8:01:09 |
| 2019 | Jan Frodeno (GER) | 7:51:13 | Tim O'Donnell (USA) | 7:59:40 | Sebastian Kienle (GER) | 8:02:04 |
| 2021 ‡ | Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) | 7:49:16 | Lionel Sanders (CAN) | 7:54:03 | Braden Currie (NZL) | 7:54:19 |
| 2022 | Gustav Iden (NOR) | 7:40:24 | Sam Laidlow (FRA) | 7:42:24 | Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) | 7:43:23 |
| 2023 | Sam Laidlow (FRA) | 8:06:22 | Patrick Lange (GER) | 8:10:17 | Magnus Ditlev (DEN) | 8:11:43 |
| 2024 | Patrick Lange (GER) | 7:35:53 CR | Magnus Ditlev (DEN) | 7:43:39 | Rudy Von Berg (USA) | 7:46:00 |
‡The 2021 World Championship was held in St. George, Utah on May 7, 2022. The delay and change from the original Kona, Hawaii venue were due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Switzerland 
United States 
Zimbabwe Great Britain Canada Australia New Zealand Germany †Paula Newby Fraser was a citizen and represented the United States for the 1996 race.
‡The 2021 World Championship was held in St. George, Utah on May 7, 2022. The delay and change from the original Kona, Hawaii venue were due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Until 2015, individuals could enter a lottery for the chance to participate in the Ironman World Championship. The lottery entry fee was $50 and afforded the chance to win one of 100 berths in the championship race. If selected the winners then had to pay the normal entry fee. [14]
However, according to a sworn complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in Tampa, Florida, Ironman illegally charged athletes for a chance to win the opportunity to compete in the Ironman World Championship. [15] [16] According to Florida law, the state where the World Triathlon Corporation resides, it is illegal to set up and charge for a lottery. [17] Because WTC charged a $50 fee to enter the lottery, instead of giving away the opportunity to win a slot at the championships, they were in violation of this law. [18] Following the complaint WTC cooperated with the United States Attorneys office and the FBI's investigation of the matter and agreed to forfeit $2,761,910, the amount collected from the lottery since October 24, 2012. [15] [19] The attorney representing the United States in the matter was 8-time Ironman finisher James A. Muench. [20]
Winners of the 2015 lottery were notified on March 17, 2015, prior to the announcement of the complaint. [16] WTC stated that these winners would be unaffected by this decision and that their slots for the upcoming championship race would be honored. [21]
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the disciplines included. The word is of Greek origin, from τρεῖς, 'three', and ἆθλος, 'competition'.
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a 2.4-mile (3.9 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.2 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile (42.2 km) run completed in that order, a total of 140.6 miles (226.3 km). It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.
An Ironman 70.3, also known as a Half Ironman, is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, consisting of a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim, a 56-mile (90 km) bike ride, and a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run. Each distance of the swim, bike, and run segments is half the distance of that segment in an Ironman Triathlon. The Ironman 70.3 series culminates each year with a World Championship competition, for which competitors qualify during the 70.3 series in the 12 months prior to the championship race. In addition to the World Championship race, Ironman 70.3 championship competitions are also held for the European, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America regions.
The 2008 Ford Ironman World Championship was held on October 11, 2008 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It was the 32nd such Ironman Triathlon World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The champions were Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington. The championship was organised by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).
The 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship was held on October 10, 2009, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It was the 33rd such Ironman Triathlon World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The champions were Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington. The championship was organised by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).
The 2010 Ford Ironman World Championship was held on October 9, 2010 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It was the 34th such Ironman Triathlon World Championships, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The 2010 Championship was won by Chris McCormack and Mirinda Carfrae. The championship is organised by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).
Mirinda Carfrae is an Australian professional triathlete and an Ironman Triathlon world champion. Carfrae has achieved podium positions in six of her seven attempts at the Ironman World Championships: three 1st-place finishes, three 2nd-place finishes and a 3rd place. She also won the 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
The Ironman Germany is a triathlon race, part of the Ironman series. It is owned and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). In 2005, Frankfurt became the new site of the Ironman European Championship.
The 2011 Ironman World Championship was held on October 8, 2011, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and won by Craig Alexander of Australia and Chrissie Wellington of England. It was the 35th such Ironman Triathlon World Championships, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. The championship is organised by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).
The 2012 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition held on October 13, 2012 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The championship won by Pete Jacobs of Australia and Leanda Cave of England. It was the 36th such Ironman Triathlon World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. The championship is organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).
The 2013 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition that was held on October 12, 2013 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The event was won by Belgium's Frederik Van Lierde and Australia's Mirinda Carfrae. It was the 37th edition of the Ironman World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The championship is organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).
The 2014 Ironman 70.3 World Championship was a triathlon competition that was held in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada on September 7, 2014 and won by Javier Gomez of Spain and Daniela Ryf of Switzerland. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and was the culmination of the Ironman 70.3 series of events that occurred from August 16, 2013 through July 27, 2014. Athletes, both professional and amateur, earned a spot in the championship race by qualifying in races throughout the 70.3 series. A prize purse of $250,000 was distributed to the top 10 male and female professional athletes, a $50,000 increase from the previous year.
The 2014 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition that was held on October 11, 2014 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The event was won by Sebastian Kienle of Germany and Australia's Mirinda Carfrae. It was the 38th edition of the Ironman World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and awarded a total purse prize of $650,000.
The 2015 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition held on October 10, 2015 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and won by Jan Frodeno of Germany and Daniela Ryf of Switzerland. The race was the 39th edition of the Ironman World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and awarded a total purse prize of $650,000.
The 2015 Ironman 70.3 World Championship was a triathlon competition that was held in Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria on August 30, 2015. It was won by Jan Frodeno of Germany and Daniela Ryf of Switzerland. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and was the culmination of the Ironman 70.3 series of events that occurred from August 3, 2014 through July 12, 2015. Athletes, both professional and amateur, earned a spot in the championship race by qualifying in races throughout the 70.3 series. A prize purse of $250,000 will be distributed to the top 10 male and female professional athletes. The race marked the second year of the championship event being held in a non-recurring location and the first time being held in Europe.
The 2016 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition that was held on October 8, 2016 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It was won by Jan Frodeno of Germany and Daniela Ryf of Switzerland, both repeat champions from 2015. The race was the 40th edition of the Ironman World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and awarded a total purse prize of $650,000.
Lucy Charles-Barclay is an English professional triathlete specialising in the Ironman and 70.3 ("half-Ironman") distances. She is the 2023 World Ironman champion and the 2021 World Champion in the 70.3 discipline, both under the authority of the World Triathlon Corporation. In between, she won the World Triathlon Long Distance Championships in 2022. In 2023, she broke the course record for the iconic Kona Ironman course.
The 2017 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition held on October 14, 2017, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii that was won by Patrick Lange of Germany and Daniela Ryf of Switzerland. It was the 41st edition of the Ironman World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). For Ryf it was her third consecutive Ironman World Championship win. This was Lange's first championship win and in doing so he set a new overall course record previously set by Craig Alexander in 2011.
The 2018 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition held on October 13, 2018, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii that was won by Patrick Lange of Germany and Daniela Ryf of Switzerland. It was the 42nd edition of the Ironman World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). For Ryf it was her fourth consecutive Ironman World Championship win. For Lange it was his second consecutive. They set a new overall course record previously set by them in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
The 2019 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition held on October 12, 2019 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii that was won by Jan Frodeno of Germany and Anne Haug of Germany. It was the 43rd edition of the Ironman World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and awarded a total purse prize of $650,000. For Haug it was her first Ironman World Championship win. For Frodeno it was his third Ironman World Championship win. Frodeno set a new overall course record previously set in 2018.
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