It is doubly bitter for Jan Frodeno. He wanted the crowning glory of his career in Hawaii in 2023. That won’t work. Ironman breaks with tradition and Frodeno is “at 180”.
After the men’s race was postponed next year, triathlon superstar Jan Frodeno clearly criticized the organizer Ironman. The 41-year-old three-time Ironman World Champion and 2008 Olympic gold medalist originally wanted to complete his career in the birthplace of endurance triathlon next year. That won’t work now.
“Of course, my planning has now been completely thrown overboard,” said Frodeno, who was injured in Hawaii this year, at the request of the German Press Agency: “I’m a bit of a mix of 180, sad and Corona devastated.”
Women only races in Hawaii
Ironman announced on the night of December 1st that on October 14th, 2023 there would only be the women’s race in Hawaii over 3.86 kilometers swimming, 180.6 kilometers cycling and 42.2 kilometers running. The place and time for the men’s race are still unknown. An announcement should be made in January. According to media reports, Nice could host. In 2024 the men will start again in Hawaii and the women’s competition will be outsourced.
“It’s quite embarrassing that a professional sport is so haphazardly carried on,” emphasized Frodeno: “It’s absolute chaos and you have to ask yourself what they’re actually doing in California. You can’t be so haphazard.” Ironman is based in the US state of California.
Problem caused by increasing the number of participants
The problem came from the financially profitable increase in the number of participants. After the cancellations in 2020 and 2021, Ironman had the professional women and professional men start on two different days for the first time. Overall, there were practically twice as many participants in the age groups at the start, which pushed Kailua-Kona to the limits of resilience. “We have learned that more than one day of racing during Ironman week is too much for the community,” said Hawaii Mayor Mitch Roth.
“I think it’s a shame that the hurdle is set financially, that you keep increasing the starting price and all the trappings, but at the same time lower the performance hurdle,” said Frodeno: “I find that very alarming.” Pursuing greed alone is a poor driver of growth.