Ironman World Championship returns to Kona with women’s title race

KAILUA-KONA >> Kona’s crown jewel of events returns today to west Hawaii.

The 2025 VinFast Ironman World Championship for women will begin at 6:25 a.m. today at Kailua Pier, where 1,600 athletes from across the globe will embark on the world’s most famous triathlon along West Hawaii’s golden coast. There will also be an expected 5,000 volunteers scattered across the race course.

The 140.6-mile journey begins with a 2.4-mile swim through the crystal-clear waters of Kailua Bay. Once completed, triathletes will swiftly transition to the 112-mile bike ride through the rolling lava fields of Queen Kaahumanu Highway all the way up Kohala to Hawi and back — with picturesque views of the Pacific waters on one side, and the breathtaking sights of Hualalai on the other. Athletes will then finish the journey running a 26.2-mile marathon on Ali‘i Drive, up Palani Road back to Queen Kaahumanu Highway and back down to Ali‘i Drive, where thousands will anxiously wait at the iconic finish line in front of the King Kamehameha Resort.

Today’s competition, which attracts athletes and their supporters from around the globe, was preceded this week by several popular community events around Ironman Village in Kona, including Tuesday night’s Parade of Nations — which showcases the 76 countries, regions and territories competing in the race; the Keiki Dip ‘N Dash, a keiki-focused race, earlier Tuesday; and the Underpants Run along Ali‘i Drive at 7:15 a.m. Thursday, showcasing athletes dressed in their goofiest attire.

“After witnessing an unforgettable race and some incredible performance from our male athletes several weeks ago in Nice, France, we are excited to welcome more than 1,600 women to Kona for the 2025 Ironman World Championship,” said Diana Bertsch, senior vice president of World Championship Events at The Ironman Group.

“There is little that compares to race day in Kona and as we prepare for many of the best professional and age group women to have their turn at racing this iconic global sporting event, we also appreciate the amazing community who host and welcome us. We welcome them to our ‘Ohana and look forward to providing athletes and their supporters with an unforgettable experience,” Bertsch said.

Europe leads the race’s regional representation with 40% of the athletes registered, followed by North America with 35%. Asia and Latin America follow with 8%, with Oceania having 7% representation. Rounding out the rest of the racers is Africa and the Middle East at 2%.

The United States leads all countries with the most registered athletes with 482, followed by Germany (207), Canada (114), Australia (102), the United Kingdom (99) and France (70). Triathletes also hail from Bolivia, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Of the 15 registered athletes from Hawaii, eight of them come from the Big Island. The oldest participant in the race is 80, while the youngest is 19.

Sixty professionals will start the race, and the remaining age groups will follow. One of the returning professionals is Lucy Charles-Barclay of Great Britain, who won the women’s championship in Kona in 2023.