Like many other triathlon, Ironman is having particular difficulty getting enough volunteers on hand for the World Championships on Kona, which takes place next Thursday as well as Saturday. Even more because the World Championships is spread over two days this year, Ironman has a shortage of volunteers and therefore the decision has been made to provide athletes with less aid stations along the course.
So reports Brad Culp – journalist for Triathlete Magazine – on Twitter. “Due to a lack of volunteers for a two-day event, aid stations on the marathon in Kona will be every 1.6 miles instead of every mile. Going to be tough on the slower athletes—and there are more of those than ever before. Worth noting that aid stations on the bike will be every 10 miles instead of every 7. Any athlete who has a problem with that has no business racing Ironman.”
Culp is apparently not a big fan of Ironman, because he also adds an ironic message. “Help wanted: Billion-dollar business seeking unpaid volunteers to help put on multi-day event on remote island. If interested, please book a flight to Kona and lodging. Volunteers will be rewarded with a cotton shirt they’ll be required to wear and will sweat through in seconds.”
