Ironman’s Parade of Nations in Kona showcases athletes participating from 85 countries

Patrons at the Da Shark Shack threw shakas and cheered as triathletes from around the world walked along Ali’i Drive in downtown Kailua-Kona on Tuesday during the 2024 VinFast Ironman World Championship’’s traditional Parade of Nations.

“It’s Kona’s own version of the Olympics,” Kona resident Courtney Scott said. “It’s fantastic and a beautiful universality of athleticism.”

Spectators chanted Mexico! Portugal! USA! and the names of other countries as their participants passed.

Scott said everybody comes together to celebrate every nation along the route that starts at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort and ends at Hale Halāwai.

Patty Kellar watched Ironman last year but skipped the parade, feeling like she missed out. So this year, she said she wanted the “full Ironman experience.”

American Arthus Delrio walked in the parade to see the diverse participants, which came from 85 countries, regions and territories. The 55-year-old also thanked the people of Hawai’i for hosting the iconic event.

Approximately 2,400 registered male triathletes from around the world will take to the grueling course on Saturday, starting in Kailua Bay at 6:25 a.m. with a 2.4-mile swim. Competitors will next ride 112 miles along Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway to Hawī battling the winds of the Kohala Coast before turning around. The triathlon ends with a marathon (26.2 miles) around Kona where the athletes will cross the finish line on Ali‘i Drive near where they started.

This is the first all-men’s Ironman World Championship held in Kona. Starting last year, the men’s and women’s races alternate between Kona and Nice, France.

The United States is the most represented nation with 638 registered athletes, followed by Germany (266), Australia (183), France (158) and the United Kingdom (138).

Other countries represented in this year’s world championship include: Guatemala, Kuwait, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.

New Zealand’s Warren Hill is the oldest participant at 84, while Poland’s Wojciech Poparda is the youngest at 20.

Forty-six U.S. states are accounted for, with top five states in athlete count being California, Texas, Florida, New York and Colorado. Of the 22 registered athletes from Hawai‘i, 16 are from Hawai‘i Island.

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