For years running the IRONMAN World Championship, or “Kona” as it is more commonly known, was the pinnacle of long-running racing. It’s where the best athletes from around the world come together to fight for the world title on the Big Island of Hawaii.
However, many athletes have expressed concerns over the past few weeks due to the financial implications of next month’s IRONMAN World Championship, with athletes in the age group and professional ranks uneasy with the high price tag that is attached to it.
TRI247 had the chance to talk to Joe Skipper recently, who has been a strong supporter of changing the way IRONMAN financially supports athletes, ahead of the World Championship. As Skipper races this year in Kona, he tells us about the hurdles professional athletes now face in competing in their sport’s premier – and iconic – long-distance event.
crush numbers
Following further support from sponsors, the British skipper will race Kona, but before that he was on the fence, telling us: “To be honest, I’m not prepared to spend a huge amount of my own money because to do this just going to be so expensive.
Going into detail about the potential cost breakdown this year, Skipper described the prices as “unbelievable”, telling us that while other years it has always been quite expensive, this year “you’re talking about £1,100 a night for a room, which is £11,000 for ten nights plus Airbnb fees, on top of everything else.”
Skipper, who had booked flights since 2019, also ‘lost £4,000 on two business class seats I booked over three years ago’. He mentioned that with rising costs and Airbnb hosts canceling pre-planned accommodations in the Kona prep, “it’s hard not to start feeling resentful.”
After some calculations of his own finances, Skipper also pointed out the astonishing fact that with what is supposed to be the biggest race in his profession approaching, he would be on the verge of losing money if he didn’t. not finish sixth or higher in the highest-class champ of the IRONMAN season. Skipper said “90% of athletes going to Kona will suffer a loss.”
This kind of predicament, where athletes are likely to lose thousands of pounds unless they can in some cases produce the performance of a lifetime, is surely about to gradually steer athletes away from the IRONMAN World Championship. . In Skipper’s eyes, the situation is untenable and has him wondering “what other sport in the world would see a seventh place finish at the World Championships result in a loss?”
Action required from IRONMAN
Skipper thinks supporting IRONMAN over the costs surrounding the World Championship would be a step in the right direction, but also thinks a change in the mentality of professional athletes in reaction to the prizes is needed.
As IRONMAN continues to enjoy the hype and media attention surrounding the presence of elites in Kona, Skipper believes some of that money needs to come back to support those same athletes. He said that while IRONMAN “wants more buzz out of racing so more fans sign up,” IRONMAN “never really wants to help the pros even though they’re happy enough to use us to market racing.” .
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