Is IRONMAN about to end the Nice/Kona World Championship split? Mark Allen on triathlon’s $64,000 question

It’s a debate which has raged ever since IRONMAN took the decision to split the World Championship between Nice and Kona. Was it the right call, and does it need to be walked back?

When the World Championship in Hawaii was changed to two days in 2022, giving the women and men equal prominence with a race day of their very own, the plan floundered fast and hard. Two days of racing, and the logistical problems it presented to the local community, meant it was shelved after just one year.

IRONMAN decided that instead of putting all its eggs in the Kona basket, it would instead split the race between two venues – with Nice in the south of France being added to the roster. Now the men and women would alternately race between Kona and Nice every other year.

Nice/Kona split a good thing, or ‘a debacle’?

Opinion appears to be split on whether that call has been a success, with some believing it was the right thing to ensure women get their own race day. Others take a very different view, notably two-time Kona king Chris McCormack, who described the split as ‘a debacle’ with splitting men and women going against the very ethos of the sport. Three-time IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange meanwhile also wants men and woman back racing together.

In recent weeks speculation has mounted that maybe IRONMAN could yet walk back that controversial decision to split the Championship – it has a new CEO in Scott DeRue after all and Kona has a new mayor in Kimo Alameda. So maybe we should expect change?

That speculation increased when IRONMAN sent a survey to triathlon media asking for opinions on the future of the Championship. Why would you do that if some form of rethink wasn’t taking place?

Mark Allen on IRONMAN World Championship

One man who has a very measured take on the situation is triathlon legend Mark Allen – six times an IRONMAN World Champion in Kona and also a perennial winner in Nice. What does he hope happens, and what does he think happens?

“What I hope happens is whatever decision is made, whether it’s bringing both races back to one day of racing, or keeping it two separate locations, it fosters growth and interest in the IRONMAN World Championship and triathletes in general,” Allen told TRI247.

“The mayor of the island in Kona last year made a very public statement that the island supports Ironman, that it’s a huge deal, actually it was the Governor. He said ‘it’s a huge deal, we support IRONMAN. IRONMAN is a real positive’.

“Just the fact that if they are putting that survey out, clearly they’re thinking maybe this isn’t working to have it in two separate locations. It all depends on who you talk to at this point in time, in terms of what people are thinking.

“For example, I’ve spoken with a number of athletes who say ‘the racecourse in Nice is awesome, I love it, it’s a better course for me, but it just doesn’t have the dream of going to Kona’. You can’t create that in two years or four years, it would take time to have it be something as aspirational as going to Kona, and it may never be and so maybe that’s what they’re thinking.

“But if they’re putting that survey out, they’re clearly thinking that it’s an option to have everything go back to Kona. Can they have it be a two-day race? I don’t think so. I don’t think in a million years you can ask the community, the organising team, the volunteers, to have two days of racing. I think it’s going to have to go back to one day of racing.”

How would a Kona return actually work?

While Allen believes there are at least discussions happening about the possibility of going all in on Kona again, he is unsure of how that might actually play out on course.

“How would they structure it so the women still get a highlight, a star on the day and not have their race be muddled up with a bunch of Age Group guys? I don’t know. Maybe they have the men and women Pros start together, maybe they have the men start first and then the women start whatever, five or 10 minutes back and then they give them a 20-minute gap and all the Age Groupers go off at 7.

“IRONMAN has gone through many evolutions over time. I think I counted seven different versions of the race in terms of different things that have been implemented. Even though it’s the 50th anniversary of triathlon it’s still evolving and I think we all have to be open to what’s the best thing for carrying this into the future. What’s the best thing for keeping the IRONMAN World Championship something that’s a prized thing to qualify for and you’re really proud to be a part of it.

“As much as I love the Nice course, and I think it’s a better test of your athleticism, Kona is still the aspirational dream?”