KAILUA-KONA — The seawall along Alii Drive was packed Saturday morning as spectators watched nearly 400 athletes take to the waters of Kailua Bay for the 2.4-mile Hoala Ironman Training Swim.
Brazil’s Rafael Goncalves was the first out of the water with a time of 48 minutes and 10 seconds. The Rio de Janeiro-based athlete finished comfortably in front of Australia’s Hayden Smith (50:56) and Germany’s Christopher Menk (50:59).
Goncalves has a history of rising to the occasion in Kailua-Kona. Last year at the Ironman World Championship, the Brazilian age-grouper was first overall out of the water with a time of 49:38.
Daniel Kniseley was the first Kailua-Kona finisher with a time of 53:44, good for sixth overall. Local young gun Daniel Manzo (56:08) finished 10th.
It is the second time the swim has been held to kick off race week. The event was open to the public and benefits Kai Opua Canoe Club and the Ahuena Heiau.
While the race gave athletes a timed run on the championship course, the event did not simulate the new swim start that will debut this year.
Kona is known for its iconic mass start, but Ironman officials announced earlier this year that the age group men and women will have staggered start times to avoid congestion on the pier and density on the bike portion of the race. In 2013, nearly 1,200 athletes exited the water within a 15-minute span.
The male age group athletes will start at 6:50 a.m., while the age group women will start at 7. The professional men will start at 6:25 and the women at 6:30.
“We are always looking at ways to improve the event,” Vice President of Ironman World Championship Events Diana Bertsch said. “What happens in Kona is that everybody is fast — they are the best of the world. We sat in awe last year watching the amount of people come out of the water.
“It was time to take the next step and evolve as a race, while also respecting the history of the race. It has always been a mass start, but the change is in the best interest of the race and the athletes.”
Changes also were made to the professional prize purse structure and qualifying slots for the Ironman World Championship.
World Triathlon Corporation announced in a press release that the changes to the prize structure will provide fewer focused professional races creating bigger purses in those races, create a meaningful and regionally fair schedule that promotes more head-to-head competition among top professional athletes, and improve sequencing of events with consideration of the World Championship race.
“This is a philosophical and concentrated move to provide our professional athletes with a competitive calendar and to help build rivalry and competition while generating excitement around the races,” said Andrew Messick, chief executive officer for Ironman. “This has been an important change that we have been working towards for the past six months.”
Going forward, the Ironman races with no pro prize money are in Boulder, Colo.; Louisville, Ky.; Madison, Wis.; Cambridge, Md.; Lake Tahoe, Calif.; Panama City Beach, Fla.; Muskoka, Canada; Los Cabos, Mexico; and Lake Placid, N.Y. All Championship races will pay first through 10th. In 2015 Ironman will have a total prize payout of more than $5 million, an increase of 3.7 percent from the 2014 total, according to Messick.
All the changes have been made to address the growth the sport has seen in recent years. Between Ironman and 70.3, there are now 110 events spanning six continents and 27 countries.
The change hitting closest to home was Ironman 70.3 Hawaii — aka Honu — losing its Ironman World Championship qualifier status. However, the race still serves as a qualifier for the 70.3 World Championship, which will be held in Zell Am See-Kaprun, Austria, in 2015. Honu is also among among 11 Ironman 70.3 races for age group athletes only.
Hawaii is assured a presence in Kona through the Big Island and state lotteries. Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau in Germany will be the only race of that distance to qualify age group athletes for the Ironman World Championship.
“When we started Honu there were not a whole lot of 70.3 races,” said Bertch, who also serves as Honu’s event director. “The whole 70.3 series has really developed and are dynamic events that attract a different type of athlete. Some do cross over, but 70.3 has its own world championship now.
“It is part of the growth of the brand and of the sport. It is really exciting.”