There are big changes coming in 2023 for the Ironman World Championship, it’s been claimed.
A report in Triathlon Today suggests that Ironman will be holding the men’s and women’s world championships on different days and in different locations in 2023.
It’s claimed that the men’s pro and age-group races will now take place in Nice, France, on 10 September, while the women are due to compete as planned in Kona, Hawaii, in October.
The following year, in 2024, the races will swap around, with the men competing in Kona and the women competing in Nice.
The report adds that the separation of the men’s and women’s races will continue for at least several years, with an ongoing rotation between two venues.
While Ironman itself has yet to comment publicly on the matter, Triathlon Today says the news has come from several anonymous sources including some that are “directly connected to Ironman”.
The news comes following the first Ironman World Championship to hold a men’s and women’s race on separate days, which was widely praised for its ability to allow both men and women their own day in the spotlight.
However, there were some issues with this year’s world champs, with prices soaring and Ironman reportedly struggling to recruit volunteers for two days of racing.
Given the date change, this could spell trouble for any Brits hoping to race both Ironman Wales and the Ironman World Championship, as the two events would be just one week apart.
Meanwhile, its suggested that the standard Ironman France Nice event will still take place in June as planned and won’t be affected by the men’s world champs travelling to the city in September.
We’ve reached reached out to Ironman for comment and will update this article when we hear back.
Top image credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman)