Quick Facts - Ford Ironman World Championship

WHEN: 

FUTURE IRONMAN TRIATHLON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE DATES

WHAT:  
A 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run. Competitors have 17 hours to finish. Cutoff times are also applied to the swim (2:20 after start of race) and the bike (10:30 after the start of race.)

WHERE:  
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The swim segment begins and ends at the pier in Kailua. The bike race travels north on the Kona Coast to the small village of Hawi, and then returns along the same route to the new transition area at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel. The marathon course travels through Kailua and onto the same highway used for the bike race. Contestants run back into Kailua-Kona, coming down Alii Drive to the cheers of more than 25,000 people at the finish line.

WHO:  
Up to 1,800 competitors, ages 18-80, compete from 50-plus countries and all 50 states. Upwards of  50,000 competitors attempt to qualify at Ironman qualifying races worldwide. Another 4,000 enter the race lottery, which awards 150 slots to U.S. citizens and 50 slots to international athletes. In recognition of their athletic accomplishment, age group champions automatically qualified for the next year's race.

PURSE:  
A total of $580,000 is awarded. 

2005 CHAMPIONS:

Faris Al-Sultan, Germany
Natascha Badmann, Switzerland

COURSE RECORDS:
Men - Luc Van Lierde, 8:04:08 in 1996.
Women - Paula Newby-Fraser, 8:55:28 in 1992.

TRAINING:  
The average Ironman triathlete spends 18 to 24 hours each week training for this event. A typical week includes seven miles of swimming, 225 miles of biking and 48 miles of running. Many competitors also cross-train with weight training, stretching and yoga, among other activities.

WEATHER:
Average temperatures on race day range from 82 to 95 degrees, with the humidity hovering around 90 percent. Crosswinds on portions of the bike course can gust as high as 60 mph

FACTS:  
During the course of the race, more than 200,000 cups, 30,000 bike bottles, 15,000 feet of banners, 26,000 gallons of fluid replacement, cola, water and soup, 4,000 visors and 600 bottles of sunscreen are used and offered by some 5,500 volunteers lining the 140.6-mile course. More than 50 million people worldwide watch the event on television.

WANT TO VOLUNTEER?

Click here for what it entails and an application.

 Copyright 2000 World Triathlon Corporation, Inc.