While many athletes around the globe are still vying to qualify for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, 44 Hawaii residents — including 24 from the Big Island — have secured a spot at the starting line on Oct. 10 through the newly dubbed “IRONMAN World Championship Hawaii Drawing”.
There were 77 entries vying for 24 slots designated for Big Island residents, and 120 athletes from the outer-islands seeking the 20 state slots.
The drawing takes the place of the long-standing local lottery program IRONMAN had used to keep a Hawaii contingent in the world championship race. That program had always been free for Hawaii residents who qualified, opposed to IRONMAN’s “Kona Lottery Program,” which charged a fee and was deemed not compliant with US government lottery and gambling laws in May, resulting in a nearly $2.8 million fine.
There were also more relaxed requirements to enter compared to years past. This year, the drawing winners have to complete a qualifying triathlon consisting of at least a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run before Aug. 23, but it does not need to be an IRONMAN branded event. The majority of the Big Island drawing selections have already qualified by racing in IRONMAN 70.3 Hawaii on May 30.
Also, the three-year Hawaii residency needed to enter the drawing has been dropped. Now, participants only had to show proof of residency through a Hawaii state ID, driver’s license or a combination of other paperwork such as a vehicle registration or utility bill.
The drawing entry period ran from May 31 to June 5. The winners of the drawing are still required to pay the registration fee for the 2015 IRONMAN World Championship.
Hawaii Island selections
1. Adam Ankrum
2. Alexis Ballinger
3. Erik Basden
4.Una Burns
5. Keish Doi
6. Richard Duncan
7. Casey Francis
8. Jacob Head
9. Sandoz Maurer
10. Travis Obrey
11. Edgar Ombac
12. Jean Orlowski
13. Jay Plasman
14. Kevin Prater
15. Shirley Pratt
16. Sylvia Ravaglia
17. William Rickards
18. Susan Smith Nixon
19. Mary Stupi
20. Michael Sullivan
21. Cecilia Weber
22. Gerd Weber
23. Thomas Wipp
24. Charles Wood
Hawaii State selections
1. Lisa Allosada
2. Jodi Birdsong Ottman
3. Francois Bougard
4. Patrick Castello
5. Matthew Conners
6. Dylan Dacus
7. Sean Gurney
8. Charles Ed Harrison
9. Brendon Lee
10. Deborah Mattheus
11. Leonard McCarthy
12. Phillip McGain
13. James Ramos
14. Kate Roxanne Johnson
15. James Selman
16. William Stedman
17. Aleisha Swartz
18. Pei Tung Wu
19. TonyUeno
20. John Voorhis