Ironman World Championship underway in Kona: Van Riel first after men’s swim, Charles-Barclay leads women
For the first time since 2019, men and women will compete together in the most prestigious triathlon in the world in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island.
Swim Leg
After the 2.4-mile swim in Kailua Bay on Saturday morning, Pro Series contender Marten Van Riel of Belgium was leading the men’s race of the Ironman World Championship in Kona.
Van Riel, who is making his Kona debut, was the first of a group of 25 or so out of the choppy water at 48 minutes and 17 seconds, just one second ahead of Menno Koolhaus of the Netherlands and 4 seconds ahead of Wilhelm Hirsch.
German Patrick Lange, a three-time winner of the World Championship, was 11th out of the water, 12 seconds behind the leader. Other race favorites Sam Laidlaw finished 16 seconds behind. Norwegians Kristan Blummenfelt was 31 seconds off the lead, and Gustav Iden was 26th, 1:52 behind.
In the women’s pro race, as expected, premiere swimmer Lucy Charles-Barclay was the first out of the water in 51 minutes and 29 seconds. She built a 1:26 lead over American Taylor Knibb and a 1:30 edge over Marta Sanchez.
“I always take the swim out hard,” Charles-Barclay said before the race. “Takes the pressure off coming into T1 (first transition). … If you are not beig seen, nobody knows where you are.”
Women race favorites Kat Matthews of the United Kingdom was 14th out of the water, behind by 3:27. But it was a good swim for Matthews, who is stronger in the other two legs of the race.
She finished ahead of defending champion Solveig Lovseth of Norway, who was 16th out of the water and almost 4 minutes behind Charles-Barclay. Laura Philipp, who is battling Lovseth for the Pro Series title, will have some time to make up. She was 30th out of the water, 8:34 behind Charles-Barclay.
The racers next take on the 112-mile bike course, followed by a marathon to complete the grueling 140.6-mile course.
Original pre-race story Saturday morning
Before the sun rose Saturday morning, the 110 pro triathletes and about 2,427 amateur racers registered from 85 countries arrived in downtown Kailua-Kona to a rainy start to race day of the gruelding 140.6-mile Ironman World Championship.
Some walked with umbrellas down Aliʻi Drive, while others were draped in towels and plastic bags to try to keep dry. Rains were light, but there was evidence of heavy downpour in the night with the parking lots and other areas featuring deep puddles.
“It may be cooler, but at same time it might be humid and take away some energy,” said Xiroving, an amateur competitor from Canada.
The men pros will dive into Kailua Bay for the start of the 2.4-mile swim, the first leg of the prestigious triathlon, at 6:20 a.m., following by the pro women at 6:30 a.m., with the amateur field to follow by age groups starting at 6:38 a.m.
Two hours before race time and it was high tide at Kailua Bay, with rough conditions. And it remained that way for the swim.
Before the athletes dove in, the traditional Hawaiian ceremony was performed to bless the race and the National Anthem of the United States was performed.
For the pros, there are two things at stake: the World Championship and the Pro Series title. The winners of the World Championship receive $175,000 and the winners of the Pro Series receive a $200,000 bonus.
Defending World Champion Solveig Løvseth of Norway heads up the elite women’s field, while German Patrick Lange, a three-time World Champion, is a sentimental favorite on the men’s side. the 40-year-old said this is his last Kona Ironman. For the story about the pros, click here.
It is the first time men and women are racing together in Kona since 2019, before the COVID-19 global pandemic forced the cancelation of the 2020 World Championship and led to years of format changes.
This year, there are 689 female athletes registered, making up 27% of the field.
Elisabeth Hickox from Newport, R.I., ran her first World Championship last year when it was all women. The 61-year-old, who runs in honor of her deceased father who also was a triathlete, said her second one this time with both men and women is “definitely different.”
“Having all women and only women felt for lack of a better word, aggressive and important, but gentle,” she said. “Everyone was supportive of each other and high fiving. … But the male energy is kind of winding it up. You definitely feel the vortex. And when you already nervous, the added intensity just kind of dials it up.”
Hickox said she is happy about the weather, which she expects will cool things down, although she expects it to get steamy and said she is “ready for that.” She also is happy to see that Kailua Bay is less rough than two days earlier, when it was “better for surfing” than swimming.
For in-person spectator information, click here.
There also are two ways to watch the World Championship live:
Big Island Now will provide regular updates throughout the race.
