That the Ironman World Championship in St. George is not as popular as the World Championship on Kona, already became clear when Ironman started inviting non-qualified AWA Gold athletes in the beginning of February, but even that didn’t gather enough people to fill up the event, because now AWA silver athletes received an invitation too. The All World Athlete (AWA) program is an Ironman loyalty program: athletes who earned this status, successfully completed multiple Ironman events.
The Ironman World Championship St. George takes place on May 7 2022. It will be the first time that the event leaves the “magical” triathlon island of Hawaii. Clearly, most athletes don’t feel like paying more than 1000 euros to race the same event in a different location. This year, it won’t only be the first time that the Ironman World Championship takes place outside Hawaii, it will also be the first time that the event takes place twice in one year, because Kona (Oct. 6-8) is back on the calendar too. Also, it will be the first time that Kona will be spread out over two days.
With many not officially qualified AWA Gold and Silver athletes on the start line, the World Championship will clearly have a weaker field than usual. While athletes usually battle with the narrow top within their Age Group, they will now also race alongside many athletes who don’t necessarily belong to the best within their category.
