The survey results which prompted IRONMAN’s dramatic Kona U-turn

IRONMAN Group CEO Scott DeRue has underlined just how important the feedback from the triathlon community was in initiating a return to a one-day format in Kona for the IRONMAN World Championship from 2026 onwards, which has just been announced.

DeRue said: When it comes to the most important race on the triathlon calendar, we owe it to our community to listen to their feedback, to have the courage to try new things, and to make principled decisions that serve the long-term interests of the sport.”

The split locations for men and women since 2023 have also split opinion and DeRue admitted: “We may not always get everything right, but we will always be principled in our decisions, learn and be willing to adapt, and always put our athletes first.”

And it was one overarching aspect of the feedback which appears to have settled the issue, with DeRue adding: “While there is no shortage of ideas when it comes to the future of the IRONMAN World Championship, one thing is clear: a significant majority of women and men want the same two things – to race together, and do that at the beating heart of our sport in Kona, Hawai`i.”

One-day in Kona preferred

So delving into the numbers – and the research was extensive – what were some of the standout findings?

Let’s start with that desire to race together – a one-day event in Kona and a two-day event in Kona (as opposed to elsewhere, different locations etc) were overwhelmingly the two most popular options.

The one-day Kona option for age-group women was 58%, with the men at 66%. And it was more pronounced for the pros, with the women in favour at 69% and men at 78%.

IRONMAN say this was “consistent across all age groups and all regions of the world”.

Numbers declined if ‘not Kona’

And what also appears crystal clear is that the lure of racing in Kona for age groupers massively outweighs Nice – or anywhere else for that matter.

IRONMAN admitted: “The ‘not Kona’ effect impacted both the men’s and women’s fields in the year they raced Nice.

“With take rates for qualifying slots for Nice being lower than Kona, more athletes are qualifying for and racing the IRONMAN World Championship after their first ever IRONMAN.

“Inadvertently, this has fueled an expedited departure from long-distance triathlon as athletes who reach the pinnacle of the sport – and fulfil their ambition of racing the IRONMAN World Championship – are 40% more likely to “retire” from long-distance triathlon than other triathletes.”

And the conclusion IRONMAN make doesn’t make pretty reading for anyone: “We are unintentionally shrinking the global triathlon community.”

Kona draws in the audience

Looking at the total event coverage and social reach, it appears that in the first year (2023) the split occurred, there wasn’t a huge discrepancy.

IRONMAN claim Kona was 15% higher at 42 million compared to 37 million. That year the women raced in Kona, the men in Nice.

But last year when it was the other way around, the difference was huge – 44 million in Nice and 160 million in Kona.