The Ironman Kona World Championships have been canceled for the first time since their 1978 inception.
“Based on the schedule, the continuation of existing travel restrictions worldwide, and other circumstances beyond our control, Ironman’s world championship events cannot proceed as rescheduled,” according to a release, citing the continued coronavirus pandemic.
Ironman Kona was originally scheduled for Oct. 10 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. On May 14, organizers announced it was postponed to Feb. 6, 2021, due to the virus. Now, it’s been canceled altogether.
The Ironman combines a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile marathon run, taking the top men around eight hours and the top women nine hours.
The Ironman 70.3 World Championships, originally scheduled for New Zealand in late November, were also announced as canceled on Tuesday after being postponed indefinitely in May.
Triathletes who qualified for either 2020 championships will be contacted and have the opportunity to race in 2021 or 2022.
The next Ironman is Oct. 9, 2021, in Kailua-Kona. The next Ironman 70.3 is Sept. 17-18, 2021, in St. George, Utah.
The Ironman has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978 (and twice in 1982). It was originally a February event on Oahu. It was moved to the Big Island in 1981.
The 2019 Ironman world champions were Germans Jan Frodeno and Anne Haug. Full 2019 Ironman results are here.
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