TAMPA, Fla. (June 10, 2019) – IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Group company, announced today a new swim start protocol that 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. 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.
“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.”
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 and 10:30 for the bike. Athletes will also still have to reach the finish line within 17 hours to be official finishers of the race.
“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.”
New start times:
| Time of Day |
Division |
| 6:25 |
MPRO |
| 6:30 |
FPRO |
| 6:35 |
PC OPEN / HC |
| 6:55 |
M18-39 |
| 7:00 |
M40-44 |
| 7:05 |
M45-49 |
| 7:10 |
M50+ |
| 7:15 |
F18-39 |
| 7:20 |
F40-54 |
| 7:25 |
F55+ |
| 7:30 |
Legacy |
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 record-breaking race welcomed approximately 2,500 registered athletes from 82 countries, regions and territories, marking the largest international field in race history.
The 2019 IRONMAN World Championship will enjoy 20 hours of comprehensive live race-day coverage globally via IRONMAN NOW™ on Facebook Watch (
www.facebookwatch.com/IRONMANnow) and through regional television coverage, including NBC Sports in the United States. Last year’s IRONMAN World Championship live coverage included everything from the early morning body marking to the final hour finish-line celebration and had nearly 20 million total views on Facebook Watch.
For more information about the event, please visit
www.ironman.com/worldchampionship. For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit
www.ironman.com. Athlete inquiries may be directed to
kona@ironman.com. Media may contact
press@ironman.com
###
About the IRONMAN World Championship
Since its inception in 1978 on the island of Oahu, the IRONMAN World Championship has etched its name in history through stellar performances, inspirational participants and emotional memories. In 1981, the race moved from the tranquil shores of Waikiki to the barren lava fields of Kona on the Island of Hawai`i where it continues to take place to this day. The race now sees over 2,500 athletes embark on a 140.6-mile journey that presents the ultimate test of body, mind and spirit to earn the title of IRONMAN World Champion. The most iconic one-day sporting event in the world is the culmination of 40 global IRONMAN events with athletes around the world striving for one of the coveted qualifying slots.
About The IRONMAN Group
As part of Wanda Sports Group, The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN
® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN
® 70.3
® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series
®, Iron Girl
®, IRONKIDS
®, International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series races, road cycling events including the Velothon
® Series, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic
®, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and The Sun-Herald City2Surf
® presented by Westpac, trail running like Ultra-Trail Australia™, and other multisport races. IRONMAN’s events, together with all other Wanda Sports Holdings events, provide more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. The iconic IRONMAN
® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN
® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
® by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Beginning as a single race, IRONMAN has grown to become a global sensation with more than 230 events across 53 countries. For more information, visit
www.ironman.com.
About Wanda Sports Group
Wanda Sports Group is a leading global sports events, media and marketing platform with a mission to unite people in sports and enable athletes and fans to live their passions and dreams. We have significant intellectual property rights, long-term relationships and broad execution capabilities, enabling us to deliver unrivalled sports event experiences, creating access to engaging content and building inclusive communities. We offer a comprehensive array of events, marketing and media services through three primary segments: Mass Participation, Spectator Sports and Digital, Production, Sports Solutions (DPSS). Our full service platform creates value for our partners and clients as well as other stakeholders in the sports ecosystem, from rights owners, to brands and advertisers, and to fans and athletes.
Headquartered in Beijing, China, Wanda Sports Group has more than 60 offices and 1,600 employees around the world.
