Five days before the first start of the Ironman World Championships 2022 in Kailua-Kona, the organizer announced minor adjustments to the route concept. The new transition zone for professionals is spectacular.
The combination of the 2.4-mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim, the 112-mile Around Oahu Bike Race, and the 26.2-mile Honolulu Marathon forms the original Ironman distances: 3.86 kilometers swim, 180.2 kilometers bike, and 42.195 kilometers Running is the distance since the premiere on February 18, 1978 in the capital of the 50th state of the USA, when they moved to the Big Island in 1982 they were taken along.
Minor adjustments all the time
The route lengths remained the same, even if adjustments had to be made again and again for logistical, traffic-related or structural reasons. The last was the two-lane split of the Queen Kaahumanu Highway for the 2019 race, which made a crossing and thus a direct entry into the road to the Natural Energy Lab impossible. The extra loop required as a result in the north of the running course was compensated for by moving the turning point forward in the south on Alii Drive.
The changes for next week’s staging are intended to improve traffic flow around the event as Thursday’s first day of racing falls on a working day for the first time. For example, bicycling and running on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway will take place in both directions on the sea-side lane so that the volcano-side can be used for through traffic. 100 additional police officers are to coordinate traffic management at critical points – such as the crossing to Kona International Airport.
New transition zone for professionals
An adjustment of the transition zone is spectacular, which is probably for two reasons: With the separation of the pros, more age groupers have space on the Kailua-Kona pier on both days of the competition (or each age grouper has more space, depending on the reading). The pros, who have previously transitioned largely shielded from spectators on the pier, will be given a separate transition area behind the finish area on Alii Drive, where many triathlon fans can watch the swim-to-bike and bike-to-run transitions. It is not yet known whether the pros will first have to walk around the entire bike park as before or whether they can turn directly into the transition area (which would make the race faster).
However, the fact that the ascent and descent to and from the bike will take place 120 meters further up the Palani Road has no effect on the route length: the turning point in Hawi will also be set up 120 meters further. The other-side bypass of a block in Kailua-Kona’s North Commercial Park is also route-neutral. It should allow more parking outside of the city and better access to shuttle services.
Race track on Thursday taboo for Saturday starters
In order to allow a safe and fair course of the first day of competition on Thursday, the competition course is largely taboo for the Saturday starters on this day. The exception is running training on Alii Drive until 11 a.m. and swimming on the entire swim course from 11 a.m. Ironman announced that those who do not comply with these requirements risk disqualification before the start.