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It was perhaps inevitable that the Ironman World Championship would follow its 70.3 counterpart and evolve into two days of racing. But three?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s the situation next year, although in fairness to the organisers, the first date in Utah in May<\/a><\/strong> is to finally get the 2021 event out of the way and clear the backlog of age-group qualifiers, some of whom earned their place as early as September 2019.<\/p>\n Thereafter we\u2019ll see a return to Hawaii with the pro women lining up on Thursday, October 6, the pro men on Saturday, October 8, and the age-groupers split between the two.<\/p>\n After this October\u2019s postponement for the second successive year, Ironman\u2019s initial plans for a February race always seemed shaky. Even if Hawaii\u2019s Covid restrictions eased, it would be peak season for the type of tourist whose swimwear won\u2019t have been tested in a wind tunnel.<\/p>\n So here we are. Utah first, and provided Ironman can persuade qualifiers to go, which may be a challenge given how many have Hawaii on their bucket list, it should prove a worthy host.\u00a0 It will have been a decade since a full distance Ironman race took place there, but in 2012 it took USA\u2019s Ben Hoffman \u2013 a four-time top 10 in Hawaii triathlete \u2013 9hrs 7mins to break the tape.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no doubt St. George can deliver a bona fide challenge, and as this year has shown with the Ironman 70.3 World Championship<\/strong><\/a> set against the red rock\u00a0backdrop suitably coloured by its iron content, the location is embracing its status as the \u2018Land of Endurance\u2019.<\/p>\nIronman World Champs head to Utah<\/strong><\/h2>\n