IRONMAN Triathlon to introduce new wave start aimed at reducing athlete density on bike course. A new swim start protocol will be implemented for the 2019 IRONMAN World Championship. For the first time, the world championship event will utilize a wave start that separates the field into 11 groups.
Photo: © Andrzej Waszkewicz / Swim.by / IRONMAN Triathlon
Like in previous years, the professional men’s field will start at 6:25 a.m., followed by the professional women’s field at 6:30 a.m. The PC/Open Exhibition and Handcycle divisions will then begin their day at 6:35 a.m. The first age group wave will start at 6:55 a.m. and continue every 5 minutes until all athletes are in the water.
Photo: © Andrzej Waszkewicz / Swim.by / IRONMAN Triathlon
“The swim start change is a reflection of, and reaction to, the extraordinary ability of our IRONMAN World Championship athletes,” said Andrew Messick, President & CEO of The IRONMAN Group. “While we appreciate the simplicity and iconic visual of the mass start, our primary responsibility is to create a fair race for all athletes. A single start each for age-group men and age-group women creates too much density on the bike course.”
Photo: © Andrzej Waszkewicz / Swim.by / IRONMAN Triathlon
The decision to move to an extended wave start was made following a comprehensive analysis of athlete data with the goal of reducing peak athlete density flowing onto the bike course. The new start times will not change the existing cut off standards for the IRONMAN World Championship – 2:20 for the swim course and 10:30 for the swim + bike. Athletes will also still have to reach the finish line within 17 hours to be official finishers of the race (3,86 km swim + 180,2 km bike + 42,2 km run).
Photo: © Andrzej Waszkewicz / Swim.by / IRONMAN Triathlon
“We are always looking for ways to improve the quality of our events in an effort to create a fair, safe and world-class experience for our competitors who work so hard to get to this start line,” said Diana Bertsch, Senior Vice President of World Championship Events of The IRONMAN Group. “The IRONMAN World Championship is the pinnacle of endurance racing and our belief is that this change will allow for the highest competition to occur while enhancing the quality of the race.”
Photo: © Andrzej Waszkewicz / Swim.by / IRONMAN Triathlon
New swim start times at 2019 IRONMAN World Championship:
Picture: © IRONMAN
The IRONMAN World Championship is the ultimate and most iconic one-day test of body, mind and spirit with over 90,000 athletes competing to qualify at more than 40 global IRONMAN events each year. Last year’s (2018) record-breaking race welcomed approximately 2,500 registered athletes from 82 countries, regions and territories, marking the largest international field in race history.
Photo: © Andrzej Waszkewicz / Swim.by / IRONMAN Triathlon
2019 IRONMAN World Championship ⇒ October 12, 2019 / Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Picture: © IRONMAN Triathlon
Source: © IRONMAN
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