Audio player is loading
Google
Click here to have WELT articles preferred in Google searches.
Defending champion Casper Stornes tore it off the bike - the consequences: a broken collarbone and a fracture of a lumbar vertebra. Former Hawaii winner Lucy Charles-Barclay preferred to stay in Los Angeles for a few more days to train. In the middle of the final preparation for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, where the women's and men's races will be decided on the same day on October 10th for the first time since 2019, hurricane “Nolo” is causing concern for some athletes.
“A storm is on its way to the island,” the bandaged Stornes had emphasized. A gust of wind caught him, the Norwegian fell on his bike and had to bury his dream of another triumph just two days after arriving on the Big Island.
Two weeks before the race over 3.86 kilometers of swimming, 180.2 kilometers of cycling and 42.2 kilometers of running, “Nolo” had reached wind speeds of 165 kilometers per hour 235 kilometers south of the island of Hawaii. A flash flood warning was issued for Hawaii's northernmost island until Thursday morning local time. Hawaii even received federal aid from the US government for preventative protective measures.
What El Niño has to do with the Ironman World Championships
But the residents and the several thousand athletes who will once again make the Big Island – the southernmost and easternmost of the islands – the triathlon center of the world can breathe a sigh of relief. “Nolo” is moving further away from the Hawaiian Islands, the responsible disaster control authority has already announced. Accordingly, the first sporty greetings from Hawaii were posted on social networks: blue sky, palm trees, pure idyll.
In any case, the northern Hawaiian Islands were more affected. The Big Island got off more or less unscathed. Nevertheless, the authorities warn: The waves triggered by “Nolo” will reach the southern coasts of the islands in the next few days and could cause life-threatening surf and current conditions.
Lucy Charles-Barclay, who had to drop out in a drama finale a year ago, made her way to Kailua-Kona with a stopover in Los Angeles. Like the former Ironman world champion Laura Philipp, she is one of the candidates for the title - even if both had to struggle with problems this year.
One can at least guess what awaits her, her other rivals and the men's competition for the three-time Hawaii winner Patrick Lange at his last World Cup this time. The fact that El Niño is causing an unusual hurricane season this year is one thing. The particularly strong climatic phenomenon could also have an impact on the other conditions on race day. It could be even warmer, even more humid than usual.
After all: According to the specialist portal “tri-mag.de”, the well-known and feared Mumuku winds could be significantly more moderate, which would at least mean less headwind on long sections of the bike route. However, additional cooling is missing, even when swimming, where wetsuits are prohibited due to the already high water temperatures and the buoyancy that some people use is no longer available.
It could be particularly tough in the final marathon, which leads, among other things, through the deserted so-called Energy Lab. Spectators are not allowed there, the heat is intensified by the lava fields for the athletes. “It's like running in a boiling pot,” wrote title contender Kristian Blummenfelt alongside photos in which the Norwegian can see the heat exertion during training.
He is still missing the title in Hawaii. He won the World Cup in St. George in spring 2022. It was a catch-up race during the corona pandemic that should actually have taken place in Hawaii in 2021.
Afterwards, the Ironman World Championships took place in two locations: Hawaii and Nice, with men and women alternating. That is now history, the myth is once again present and future. The last time it was like this was in 2019 - and on the historic day for German triathlon, Jan Frodeno and Anne Haug - both of whom have ended their careers - were crowned champions.
