THE LEGENDS, LOCATIONS, AND HISTORY OF IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN KONA
The emotion of Kona hits you like a wall the moment you land. Instead of entering a jetway into a terminal, you descend stairs right onto the tarmac. In a single step, you go from a cool, dry, air-conditioned airplane into thick, hot, moist tropical air. In this moment, athletes think to themselves, “Uh-oh. If it's this hot now, not looking forward to what it's gonna be like on race day.”
There's so much that's uniquely special about the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. There’s the amazing location. The insane history. The brutal heat. The legends that were made here with athletes like Paula Newby-Fraser, Peter Reid, Normann Stadler, and Chrissie Wellington. Then there are all the dreamers who have worked for years just to make it to the start.
There's so much legend and lore that comes with the Hawaii IRONMAN. With the race coming, and for many of us having been there right through the formative years (and this writer celebrating his 26th year (minus the Covid and St. George IRONMAN World Championship years) on the Big Island for the race, we thought it was a great opportunity to explain what makes this race so special, take you through key areas of the course, tell the story of how a bunch of tri-geeks made the Kona Bike Count iconic, and provide a few tips for anyone visiting the Big Island for the first time.
Why is IRONMAN Kona Special?
The iconic Kailua-Kona pier.
The “Big Dance.” The One. The Legendmaker. The Women’s IRONMAN World Championship in Kona is where the best of the best in long-distance triathlon will go head to head at the place that has been the world’s end-all, be-all triathlon. 2025 is the final year of the split championships, with next year (and onward) playing host to both men and women racing on the same day, as it has been for decades.
What makes Kona so special?
The Hawaii Ironman is triathlon’s version of the Indy 500, the World Cup, or the Super Bowl. Many call this the Super Bowl of triathlon.
When people first think of the word ”triathlon,” or ask you if you've heard of that crazy race out in Hawaii—yep, this is the one. It was started in 1978 by John and Judy Collins (and held from 1978 to 1980 in Oahu before it was moved to the Big Island of Hawaii), and thanks to its remoteness and the reverence for the history of the Kings and Queens of the island, it's become a magical place for many pros and age groupers alike. Because it’s also so hot, so desolate, so historic, and unlike the Olympics triathlon, every athlete (yes, even you) can aspire to participate, it has become a truly legendary race.
The Energy Lab: What is it and Why Does Everyone Fear It?
Matt Hanson brute-forcing his way out of the Energy Lab.
Ah, the place everyone says takes energy from them. The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) is actually an ocean science and technology park, serving as a location to host research for commercial ventures and energy and ocean-related fields. Nothing nefarious there.
Its location, however, is. During the Hawaii IRONMAN marathon, athletes head north along the Queen K Highway to the left-hand turn that takes you down Makako Bay Drive, toward the water and to the gates of the laboratory.
As runners descend, they move from any breeze afforded along the main highway into an area truly devoid of wind. That lack of airflow and the accompanying stifling heat have been best described by athletes as running in an oven.
IRONMAN also doesn’t allow spectators into the area, so athletes are—for 45 minutes or more—trapped in silence, broken only by the occasional airplane taking off from the Kona Airport next door. When you’re against the wall and baking, it’s been a place where mental fortitude (and heat management) becomes a very BIG deal. The Energy Lab is where the races for many can unravel. So, go in, fueled and cooled from the aid station at the top—and make peace with the heat. Because indeed, the Energy Lab does take it from you.
The Queen K: Are the Winds On The Bike Truly Legendary?
Beyond legendary. Heat convection from the mauka (mountain) part of the island to the makai (seaward) on an average day in October can create howling crosswinds, headwinds, or tailwinds that originate from the mountain and head towards the water.
That means, headed north, especially when you get close to the turn at Kawaihae (around mile 45 of the bike), winds can be quite stiff from the left to the right, blowing across the Queen K Highway toward the ocean. While you might want to enjoy seeing the island of Maui off in the distance, you’ll be focused on the cat’s eyes on the road and staying in line with them. Of course, this goes opposite when you’re headed back south toward town, with winds buffeting you from the left.
Historically, as you grind further north towards the turnaround at Hawi (and rip southward after the turnaround), the winds can be straight up horrific. One year, standing roadside waiting for the athletes to pass, I placed my favorite pair of Rudy Project sunglasses on the side of the road in order to take photos. A wind gust blew them clear across the highway and into the grass on the other side of the road.
Making a U-turn and heading back to town can be nerve-racking. Racers can experience a rear-crosswind that can really ramp up their speed. They have to be careful, because a blast of wind from the side can (and has) blown athletes right off the road, either into the grass or a guardrail. It’s important to ride within your limits here. Some can stay in the aerobars and manage gusts. But if staying on the basebar means staying on your bike, discretion can be the better part of valor. (Also, this is why disc wheels aren’t allowed in the race.)
I will make one note: it hasn’t seen winds that I’d call truly horrific since the mid-2000s. For nearly 20 years, the crosswinds on race day have actually been quite benign. But I keep waiting for the year when Madame Pele decides to take a big breath. Is this the year?
The Turnaround: What’s Up In Hawi?
Well, the first question is “how do you say it? Hah-wee? The correct answer is Hah-vee! Hawi is the course turnaround point on the bike. After 90 km of hard riding north, athletes hang a left, doing a U-turn to ride another 90 km home.
It’s also a cute little town. If in Kona before the race and scouting the course (or simply want to explore after the race), if you like mom and pop coffeeshops and little stores selling local wares, it’s worth a drive to explore. Plus, you get some great views along the way.
The Kona Bike Count: What Is It? How Do We Do It?
Oh, the iconic Kona Bike Count. For those who don't know, the bike count is not an official IRONMAN activity. Rather, it was initially conceived by Quintana Roo founder Dan Empfield for a singular reason: to get a sense of bike-buying trends. Because athletes come to the event from around the world, it was a great bellwether to see not only what bike brands people were interested in, but what kind of accessories they used. As technologies and fit changed, so too did purchasing patterns.
As senior editor of Triathlete magazine in the 2000s, I took over the reins of the Kona bike count when Empfield was ready to pass the torch from his early days doing the count for Slowtwitch. It became my job to engage with IRONMAN in order to have space allocated for a group of volunteers to initiate the count.
We had to play by the rules. That meant no stopping, slowing, or otherwise impeding the flow of athletes into transition. That made for some challenges (imagine trying to find and identify a powermeter at the hub AND the pedal spindle AND the crank, or to ask a woman in French what saddle was under the grocery bag covering it). I also liaised with my Rolodex of industry experts to get them to donate their time to the job of counting. Nobody was (or still is) paid except with a mid-day sandwich and a soda. They are all in it for the same reason every tri-geek was: to learn what the trends were.
The location has been the same every year: under the big Banyan tree right at the entrance of transition. There, our merry band of volunteers assembles just before the gates open for bike check-in. Back in the day, everyone was paired off in categories they weren’t invested in. Bike manufacturers would count saddles. Wheel guys would count pedals. Each pair was given a clipboard and a sheet with brands listed. As athletes streamed in, one would call out a brand, and the other would make the appropriate hashmark.
As soon as the transition closed, counters would have all their category hashmarks, circle the total, and hand it to the Triathlete magazine team. We would then head to the King Kamehameha pool area, order a Hawaiian pizza, double-check all the numbers, and upload it to the website for the world to peruse.
Today, technology has made the count much, much easier. The Slowtwitch team created an online marking protocol, which updates live online. As soon as transition closes, the numbers are final and live. No late-night pizza necessary. It ran smoothly last year and at the men's IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France, this year.
Since leaving the media landscape and flipping to the brand side with Quintana Roo, I went from organizer to volunteer, with our friends at Slowtwitch and Triathlete.com taking up the torch of organizing the count. Long story short, I’ve been organizing or participating in the count for around 15 years.
One thing the count did afford me was the opportunity to bring together the sport's brightest minds. It absolutely astounded me that I had our own Quintana Roo lead engineer Brad DeVaney, along with Jim Felt, Gerard Vroomen, Morgan Nicol and Preston Sandusky on hand—so just before the count, I invited them to the same King Kam pool area for a round of cold sodas to steal 45 minutes of their time to talk about where bike technology was headed—I called it the Engineer’s Roundtable and brought them together twice in the mid 2000s.
Back then, there was no such thing as a monopost riser or frame-integrated fluid and nutrition storage. But that was the talk around the table; the aero gains would be smaller, but whether it was in frame integration or drivetrain efficiencies (which have yet to come to pass), there were always gains to be made. It was a special opportunity to bring the best brains in the sport together to chop it up.
The Bike Count team under the Banyan in 2024. I'm on the far right. Brad DeVaney is third from left in his protective wide-brimmed hat.
There's also a lingering question about the location under the Banyan tree. In the course of the seven or so hours of counting, there are often objects from the tree splatting onto the heads of the counters, making wide-brimmed hats a recommended attire. It’s probably the fig-like fruit of the Banyan. Or is it the waste from the birds in the tree eating the fruit? There’s lots of conjecture, but no one knows… If it really is the birds, we may not want to know the truth. These are the sacrifices we must make in the name of science.
Can I Take Lava Rocks Home As A Souvenir?
Short answer: No. Long answer: No freaking way.
Don’t do it. For starters, it's illegal. Lava rock is considered a natural resource, and taking it off the island is literally against the law. Legend has it that a little curse from Madame Pele will fall upon those who take the lava rock away.
Personal note: this writer, unaware of Pele’s Curse, took a piece of lava rock back to California, and after a particularly tumultuous year, was eager to return to the Big Island, not just to see the IRONMAN World Championship, but to return this albatross. Since returning it, no bad luck has followed me. The legend is real!
What’s The Best Secret Spot For Hawaiian Food?
It’s not much of a secret anymore, but Da Poke Shack remains undefeated. They are very Hawaiian with their operating hours of 10 am to 4 pm (they’ll open a little late if the fish is still inbound from the dock, and close early as soon as they sell out of fish).
But the poke bowls are UNREAL. There are probably 10 varieties (Shack Special, Shoyu, Pele’s Kiss among them), along with Kalua Pig and Laulau. Tip: Get there early, get your stuff, and take it back to your Airbnb or condo and pop it in the fridge for dinner later. It’s great for lunch, but nothing beats relaxing with a fresh poke dinner and a can of Hawaiian Sun POG.
Sold out at Da Shack? The locals dig the fresh frozen poke at Sack N Save on Palani. Not a tourist draw, and a bit cheaper, but you get pretty dang good fish. Umekes in town is popular as well, but you may need to take out a second loan on your mortgage since it’s kind of spendy.
Any Last Kona Tips?
Sure: Be patient. Be kind. And wear pants.
For years, triathletes and spectators have been coming to Kona, and unfortunately, some have lost the sense that they are guests in someone's home. While the race is important, the locals are also being patient with thousands of newcomers bustling about on the roads, while they are simply trying to get to work or pick up their kids from school.
So please, be sure to walk across crosswalks and look out for cars. The roads are not closed, leading up to the race, nor on raceday, and nobody wants to end up in the hospital.
And pants? Well, it could be pants, shorts, whatever. But be thoughtful enough of the locals to put on appropriate clothing when you sit down for a meal at a restaurant. All too often, athletes will sit down to dinner at a restaurant wearing their swim attire. Here, like most places in the world, you wouldn't sit down to dinner wearing a bikini or Speedo, but for some reason, it happens in Kona every October. (This is what actually prompted the start of the famed Underpants Run, allowing triathletes to get their ridiculous swim attire prancing out of their system in the most ridiculous way possible.)
We want to be good guests who get invited back every year, so we hope everyone does their part.
Also, come by the booth to get free service for your QR!
Good luck to all the athletes lining up this year. Whether you’re racing, spectating, or watching from home, Kona is the ultimate event for any triathlon lover. I’ll be watching the race action unfold from my usual spot along the Queen K with my camera in hand, and I’ll be rooting for all the Quintana Roo athletes competing this year!
