One day, one race – Slowtwitch News

In 2023, Ironman split the World Championships into two separate days and two different locations. The women rode in Kona, Hawaii, and the men rode in Nice, France. This year, 2024, the women raced in Nice, France and the men raced in Kona, Hawaii. The men will start at around 2400, the women had just over 1100 and finished in Nice. While the intention was to create more inclusivity for women, the two-race, two-venue format failed.

The success of triathlon is based on community. Andrew Huberman, the Stanford neuroscientist, pointed out in a recent podcast how important it is for adults to have strong friendships and a strong community. Community and a sense of belonging are the main reasons athletes take up triathlon. It is a “community of pain,” and surveys of triathletes return to “community” as a reason for entering the sport, despite our narcissistic inclinations.

So why separate us?

Why are there two different world championship races? How does this format encourage and encourage women in sport? That is not the case. It divides us and pushes women into a corner away from the stage.

I started triathlon because of the group atmosphere, the social component and to find my people. Although I am only one voice, I am a collective voice. I was living and partying heavily in Hollywood in the late 2000s, but that stopped when I quit drinking, joined AA, and lost all of my “party friends.” It was a lonely time. In 2010 I got to know triathlon and the Los Angeles “triathlon team”. I did new and scary things, like open water swimming in Santa Monica. I, like many new Southern California triathletes, purchased a bike from Helen’s Bikes in Beverly Hills. I joined a running club. I rode the 101 Ride in Malibu. I was in a community. I had a new happy hour.

Over time, I progressed and began to see how far I could go in this sport. I hired a coach and gradually improved from midfield at the Ironman to the podium. With a third place at Ironman California (three starting places) I qualified for Kona. My dream of going to Kona came true. But as it turned out, this was the first year that a women-only race was held, and the Ironman had to fill the race with other participants who didn’t make it to the podium. Ironman invited many, many women to Kona. Women who came in 50^Th Children of their age group were invited. While this contributed to inclusivity in the sport, it undermined Kona’s racing excellence. For women there was no mountain to climb, only a place to be accepted. The result: The most recent Women’s World Cup in Nice, France, was a ghost town in which only around 1,250 women competed. The World Cup is about the best of the best who prove themselves through appropriate qualifications. This is not a band participation event and should not be treated as such. While I’m glad so many other women got to experience Kona last year, there was one piece missing: the community at large. The men.

For the integrity of our excellence, for the performance of the sport, for the quality of the World Cup, we need less is more. All the right qualifications. Make it hard to get in. Make it a highlight. A day in Kona (or anywhere). Both genders.

Will a one-day format hurt women’s racing on the Big Island? Are working women in particular handicapped? Perhaps. But the achievements of women on the island are underlined by the testimony of the entire community, affirming our achievements as fellow racers, as spectators, as brands, as vendors, as a collective humanity celebrating our shared successes. We did it because we could. We did it together. And we bragged about it the rest of our lives.

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Opinion