Top Professional Triathletes Make Highly Anticipated Return To Kailua-Kona, Hawai`I for the Ironman World Championship

– Stacked women’s professional field to feature IRONMAN World Champions Daniela Ryf (CHE) and Anne Haug (DEU), as well as podium regulars Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) and Sarah Crowley (AUS)

– Deep men’s professional field sees defending IRONMAN World Champion Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), face off against fellow Norwegian Gustav Iden (NOR), top Kona veterans Lionel Sanders (CAN), Tim O’Donnell (USA) and many more of the World’s best triathletes

– For first time in the 40-plus year history of triathlon’s pinnacle event, the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship will take place over two days in Kona, Hawai`i on October 6 & 8

– Top professional women to battle for VinFast IRONMAN World Championship title on Thursday and top professional men to compete for triathlon’s top prize on Saturday

Triathlon’s top professional athletes will return to Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i for the first time in three years for the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN^® World Championship triathlon. The most iconic endurance event in the world will bring together nearly 100 of the world’s top professional triathletes who will battle for a piece of the $750,000 USD total professional prize purse and the title of IRONMAN World Champion.

For the first time in the event’s 40-plus year history, the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship race will take place as a two-day event on Thursday, Oct. 6 & Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, with the women’s professional field racing on Thursday and the men’s professional field squaring off on Saturday, allowing for full focus and coverage on each race and its competitors, as well as the Island of Hawai`i, like never before.

“The level of anticipation and excitement around the long-awaited return to Kona perfectly matches the level of prestige of the professional field of athletes we will see compete for title of 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Champion,” said Andrew Messick, President & Chief Executive Officer for The IRONMAN Group. “With two days of racing, we will have an opportunity to witness these incredible athletes like never before in what is sure to be a historic pair of race days.”

Along with the professional field, over 5,000 age group athletes are registered to make the highly anticipated return to the Island of Hawai`i to take on the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit. The IRONMAN `Ohana will unite in Kailua-Kona to Kū Like (stand together) at the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship event in support of the world’s elite triathletes embarking on the journey of a lifetime, while they Live Aloha, acting mindfully and with respect of the lands, people, and culture that make the event possible.

Professional Women’s Field*

In the women’s professional field, all eyes will be on the 2021 IRONMAN World Champion Daniela Ryf (CHE), whose name is etched into IRONMAN World Championship history among the few to reach the feat of five-time IRONMAN World Champion. The 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship will also serve as an opportunity for Ryf to further insulate her record of most IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3^® World Championship titles for any professional triathlete. The 2019 IRONMAN World Champion, Anne Haug (DEU) will return to the IRONMAN World Championship stage looking to defend her title as the most recent IRONMAN World Champion crowned on the iconic Kona^® course. Making her return to racing, Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), who earned her first World Championship title at the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission in St. George, Utah, will be one to watch as she returns to the IRONMAN stage following a pause in racing due to injury. Sarah Crowley (AUS) takes to the IRONMAN World Championship start line coming off her win at the 2022 National Storage IRONMAN Australia race and a third-place podium finish at the 2019 IRONMAN World Championship. Having a momentous year, Sarah True (USA) heads to Kona with the recent accolades of winner of both the 2022 ViewSPORT IRONMAN Lake Placid North American TriClub Championship triathlon and 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman triathlon. Other names to watch include Skye Moench (USA), who took fourth place at 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission and Ruth Astle (GBR), who followed close behind, nabbing fifth in her first World Championship performance.

Below is the pro women’s start list for the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship event:

*Professional fields subject to change

Professional Men’s Field*

Kona will welcome back an extremely competitive men’s field with a deep roster of veterans making their way to the start line alongside rising triathlon talent. Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), winner of the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission race, will be looking to defend his title while fellow Norwegian Gustav Iden (NOR) seeks to add the title of IRONMAN World Champion to his accolades, which already includes title of IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion after claiming victory at the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission. Lionel Sanders (CAN) will seek out his return to the IRONMAN World Championship podium while a number of exciting first timers in Kona including Colin Chartier (USA), Leon Chevalier (FRA), and Rudy Von Berg (USA) will be making their debut to the start line. A pair of veteran Americans will be pushing for the podium with Ben Hoffman (USA) enjoying a first-place finish at the 2022 Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas and Tim O’Donnell (USA), who finished second at the 2019 IRONMAN World Championship, making a strong comeback after experiencing a heart attack in 2021. Eyes will certainly be on 2014 IRONMAN World Champion Sebastian Kienle (DEU) as the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship will serve as the final World Championship race in his storied career. While Patrick Lange (DEU) looks to reclaim his World Champion title, he will face other competitive contenders such as Joe Skipper (GBR), Braden Currie (NZL), and Cameron Wurf (AUS) in what is sure to be a thrilling men’s race.

Below is the pro men’s start list for the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN^® World Championship event:

*Professional fields subject to change

For a behind the scenes view of what it takes to have a chance at world-title glory, tune into ‘A Fighting Chance’, the IRONMAN series providing an inside look to the inner, everyday lives of elite triathletes for a real, unfiltered look at the athlete journey leading up to race day live coverage. In the women’s professional field, this year’s coverage will focus on Daniela Ryf, Lucy Charles-Barclay, Heather Jackson, Skye Moench, and Anne Haug. In the men’s professional field, A Fighting Chance will follow Kristian Blummenfelt, Gustav Iden, Lionel Sanders, Tim O’Donnell, Braden Currie, Sebastian Kienle, Patrick Lange, Collin Chartier, and Cameron Wurf. A Fighting Chance, which airs on the @ironmantri social channels, will drop a new episode every day during race week, giving audiences a glimpse of what it takes to prepare for race day, as well as the staging behind such an iconic event.

While the number of athletes racing in IRONMAN events each year has increased considerably over the last 20 years, the number of athletes able to qualify for the IRONMAN World Championship has remained relatively flat. With the two-day format, top age-groupers deserving a chance to compete on the world’s stage will now have additional opportunities to qualify. Even with increased slots, however, it is expected that less than 6% of yearly IRONMAN participants around the world will ultimately make it to the IRONMAN World Championship. As one of the most sought-after experiences in all of mass participation sport, those who have made it to the IRONMAN World Championship continue to be among the world’s elite, equating to approximately 0.00006% of the world’s population.