As a coach, the words I most often utter to a question are “It depends.”
The decision to return the Ironman World Championship to a single day of racing in Kona, Hawaii, begs the same response when contemplating whether or not this is a ‘good’ move. The reactions from male and female pros and age groupers remind me of the Ironman Texas bike course – grouped, aggressive, opportunistic, selfish and inconsiderate of others.
If you’re male, either pro or amateur, likely you are happy about the decision because it tips the scales in your favour for nabbing a coveted slot. Triathlon is not a team sport. People have put their life’s savings on the line to race Kona. Emotions run high, and as years of online debate has revealed, most men feel entitled to the lion’s share of spots given their higher participation numbers.
Bragging rights go up, female opportunities go down
There is also the elitist, male and female, who see their Kona qualification achievement diminished if someone they deem “unworthy” also receives a slot. Their bragging rights plummet like the stock market during a Trump administration. For these athletes, comparison is the holy grail. The achievement of qualifying and racing Kona is about being better than others, not about the race itself or the sport as a whole.
This sentiment is not reserved for triathlon. It’s prevalent in sacred running events like the Boston Marathon. It is a human condition, not an Ironman or a Boston Athletics condition. It screams insecurity, low self-esteem and individualism.
If you’re female, either in the sport for years or dabbling, this may not be encouraging news. When the CEO of Ironman is quoted as saying “But what is equality anyway?” on the topic of 50/50 representation of men and women at their events, as he did with ex-pro Sara Gross, it’s a red flag for women in the sport.
Gross has been a vocal advocate for gender equality in sports for years. She has been effective at revealing the trip wires surrounding this decision on her social platform. As she explained on Facebook, “buried beneath language about everyone ‘racing together as one ‘Ohana,’ Ironman announced, among other things, that the amateur (age group) women no longer have equal access to the World Championship and now qualify through the old system of ‘proportional representation’.”
Ironman has reversed course on its mandate to grow female participation in sport through equal representation with its slot allotment. Proportional representation has historically amounted to about 25 per cent of slots allocated to females, based on the number of women signing up for Ironman events. That generally translates to one to two available slots per age group, in comparison to men receiving about 75 per cent of slots, going five to 10 deep in each age group.
In simple terms. Good luck, ladies.
Popular opinion celebrates decision
An Instagram poll driven by Triathlete revealed that 78 per cent of those who responded were excited about the announcement. Canadian pro Lionel Sanders celebrated that his dream to race alongside his mother one day in Kona was again a possibility for the future.
“It’s always been a dream of my mom and I’s to compete in Kona on the same day,” he said on his Instagram account.
He is not alone in sharing his excitement and fascination with the connection between Kona and the world championship. Three-time Ironman World Champion Jan Frodeno is also a fan of the decision to return to its roots, as expressed on his Instagram account. “Goosebump news. It is a time for history in our sport. Hawaii is back, baby. ”
While it never really ‘went away,’ as Ironman continued to host the championship in Kona on an annual rotating basis for men and women, somehow the split format landed as the loss of racing Kona. In reality, what was lost was sharing the day with both genders on course and having consecutive opportunities to race in Hawaii. Still, many reactions were paramount to the resurrection of a loved one who’d passed.
Ironman World Champion Laura Phillip said she was “thrilled” about the decision in a video she released online. “I was actually a big advocate for giving the women their own day, but I also respect the opinion of the community, and I think it’s great that Ironman listened to what most people want. I have big trust that they will still try their best to secure fair racing for the professional women.”
There was no shortage of elated male and female amateurs who expressed the re-awakening of a dream to race Kona, even though that opportunity was always there, and in fact will be harder to actually achieve if you are a woman given the reduction in qualifying spots.
On the flip side
On many Facebook threads one can find an opposing stance, both from men and women. Those males who value the growth of women’s sport cited the decision as a step backwards. Countless women who highlighted the challenges women face from years dedicated to childbirth and rearing, cited the need for Ironman to be patient in terms of seeing participation numbers grow. Given the meandering path most women take in and out of the sport, given these challenges, the few short years Ironman tested the split race format wasn’t seen as enough time to conclude it couldn’t be effective at growing the sport for women.
On the Triathlon Training for Women Facebook group many expressed frustration, sighting the decision as a hindrance to growing the sport for women. Agnieszka Najnigier-Pierzynowska commented, “I’m so frustrated that Ironman actually gave up on women. I thought that the separate race day and more opportunities to race at the WC will encourage more female athletes into the sport. But I guess the issue is somewhere else. I’m child-free and when I train for an Ironman I hardly have time for anything else but training. So I imagine how hard it must be for mothers who don’t have enough support.”
Lara Camille’s comments on the same thread highlighted the undertone of Ironman’s decision.
“What has me thinking is once again, the conversation and burden gets put on our shoulders. There are two separate issues here but IM and other supporters want us to think it’s simply about women needing to participate more,” said Camille. “I am sorry but in no other sport does the amount of entrants determine the amount of championship spots allocated to either women or men. If men get five spots women get five spots. If men get three spots women get three spots. IM and other men and supporters are once again successfully gaslighting us all.”
A decision to unite divides the sport further
As coaches, athletes and humans, we all understand that the surest way to kill motivation is to make a goal impossible to achieve. For the top women, the opportunity is still there. But if you are not winning your age group, or just starting this journey, and lulled into the sport by the dream of racing Kona, consider yourself dragged into a cold shower and dosed with coffee. Wake up. The dream is dead.
No other sport treats their championship events in this way. The irony that so many people view triathlon as the great equalizer across sports, despite the reality that Ironman doesn’t host individual championships for men and women, doesn’t offer equal representation at championship events, and compromises its media coverage of women’s racing, seems lost on many in the sport.
Additionally, the polarized sentiment among athletes brews anger, divisiveness and isolation. None of that is good for sport.
The spirit of sport is founded on union. Bringing fans and talent together to celebrate human achievement. The back and forth decision-making of Ironman feeds division, not union. The organization’s choices are a reflection of its values. Those who have embraced the news likely share the same values as the Ironman organization.
Reflect on that.