Ironman 70.3 Hawaii has joined the long list of canceled or postponed sporting events on the Big Island.
Ironman announced Monday that the 2020 Ironman 70.3 Hawaii triathlon, held annually along the Kohala coast, will be postponed to Aug. 15 due to the rapidly-spreading COVID-19 virus that has shut down other sporting events across Hawaii and the world.
The race was originally scheduled for May 30, and was just one of many of the organization’s upcoming triathlons scheduled to take place in the next few months to be postponed.
“With the health and safety of our community being an utmost priority, and based on the direction and recommendations of public health agencies and local authorities in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Ironman 70.3 Hawaii triathlon, originally scheduled for May 30, 2020, has been postponed to August 15, 2020,” the organization said in a statement released Monday.
“In what has been a continually evolving and challenging time globally, we recognize that the postponement may come as a disappointment but look forward to providing athletes with an exceptional race experience in the future.”
The announcement came a few hours before Gov. David Ige issued a stay-at-home order for the entire state of Hawaii, which will take effect starting midnight Wednesday and will remain in place through April 30.
The Ironman 70.3 Hawaii is a qualifier for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship and the Ironman World Championship. Twenty-four spots for the Ironman World Championship are reserved for Hawaii state residents who finish in the top of their age group at the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii.
The Ironman World Championship is still scheduled to held in Kailua-Kona on Saturday, Oct. 10.
The Ironman 70.3 Hawaii triathlon course will begin in Kohala with the starting line near Hapuna Beach and will then run north to Hawi for the bike course. The race will finish with the run portion in two loops near the Fairmont Orchid hotel.
The triathlon consists of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run. More than 1,000 athletes competed in last year’s race.