This is our preview and live stream of the 2023 IRONMAN World Championship in Kona – you can click here for a full report on how Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay claimed her epic first victory on the Big Island.
Watch the big race again
You can watch every second of Lucy Charles-Barclay’s epic win once again – just click on the embed below:
Perhaps more than ever, the IRONMAN Tracker app on your phone / mobile device, alongside the broadcast coverage, is your essential companion to keep up to date with all of the on-course action.
Race favourites at Kona in 2023
We have an absolutely stellar start list lining up on Saturday, with all the greats of the long-course game in action.
One of the biggest talking points ahead of the world championship has been the addition to the field of American Taylor Knibb, the two-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion who will be making her debut over the full distance.
Having already enjoyed a stellar season in 2023, a win or even a podium in Kona would be the icing on top of the cake, but the Boulder-based pro will face some stiff competition from a number of returning champions, such as Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf and Germany’s Anne Haug.
Ryf, who won Challenge Roth earlier in the year in record-breaking fashion, didn’t have the race she would have hoped for at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Finland at the end of the summer, but will be seeking redemption and a sixth title to add to her collection come race day.
Haug, who has also enjoyed a great season with a podium in every race she has entered, last raced at the PTO Tour Asian Open, where she was beaten by Ashleigh Gentle and has had almost eight weeks of training away from races leading into this clash. After winning here in 2019, the German knows what it takes.
Lucy Charles-Barclay, who has finished second on four separate occasions in Kona, could be one of the main athletes to benefit from Knibb’s inclusion, as the Brit looks likely to have some company on the swim and the bike, which may work in her favour. Having spent so long as the bridesmaid in Kona, can LCB finally take the tape?
That incredible quartet is just the tip of the iceberg on a star-studded start list, which also includes the likes of Germany’s Laura Philipp, Britain’s Kat Matthews and of course reigning champion Chelsea Sodaro. There are dangers literally everywhere.
Prize Money
Just as with the deferred men’s IRONMAN World Championship in Nice last month, the total prize purse on offer in Kona is $375,000. The race winners will earn $125,000 each, with the overall prize pot paying down to 15th position, allocated as follows:
- 1st – $125,000
- 2nd – $65,000
- 3rd – $45,000
- 4th – $25,000
- 5th – $20,000
- 6th – $18,000
- 7th – $15,000
- 8th – $13,000
- 9th – $12,000
- 10th – $11,000
- 11th – $8,000
- 12th – $6,000
- 13th – $5,000
- 14th – $4,000
- 15th – $3,000
Of course, thanks to the formation of the Professional Triathletes Organisation, financial rewards from performance are not solely from on-the-day performances.
As we move into the final quarter of the season, those positions are really starting to firm up, and so the opportunities to move up are becoming fewer. Expect some significant movers to be reflected in the rankings once the numbers have been crunched post-Kona.
