The Ironman Triathlon World Championship, usually held on the second Saturday in October in Kona, has been postponed until February 6, 2021, because of current concerns about COVID-19.  The organization on Thursday made the announcement and said many qualifying events have not been able to take place because of the virus.  Ironman also said they’ve been seeking guidance from the Hawaii State government relative to possible continuing travel restrictions.

The organization is also postponing the Ironman 70.3 (ie half Ironman) Championship which was to be held in New Zealand on November 28.  That event will also be rescheduled but a date has not been selected.

As a result of the continued impact of COVID-19, the qualifying window for the 2020 edition of the Ironman World Championship has been extended to provide further qualification opportunities. The most up-to-date information on overall qualification details for the Ironman World Championship can be found at https://www.ironman.com/im-world-championship

In 1981, the Ironman World Championship moved from O’ahu to Kona.  In 1982, officials decided that October was a better month to hold the event, because of the island’s robust February tourism, among other things.  Because of the COVID-19-mandated change, the postponement of the World Championship also means there will be two Ironman World Championships on the Big Island in 2021, as the next one after February is scheduled for Saturday, October 9, 2021.

Photo is Tim O’Donnell (2nd), Jan Frodeno (1st) and Sebastian Kienle (3rd) celebrate after finishing the Ironman World Championships on October 12, 2019 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. (Photo by Tom Pennington Getty Images for IRONMAN)