Top images from 2018 Ironman World Championship – Friday
The penultimate day ahead of the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i saw the professional athletes gather for their pre-race press conference, while IRONMAN CEO and President Andrew Messick revealed to the media that 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship would take place in
FROM TAUPÕ WITH LOVE: IRONMAN Vice President of World Championship Events, Diana Bertsch shows her delight after the announcement that the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship will be held in Taupõ, New Zealand. The 2019 edition of the race will be hosted in Nice, France. (Photo by Donald Miralle/ IRONMAN)
The penultimate day ahead of the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i saw the professional athletes gather for their pre-race press conference, while IRONMAN CEO and President Andrew Messick revealed to the media that 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship would take place in Taupõ, New Zealand, a destination with strong links to the island of Hawai’i.
KAILUA-KONA, HI – OCTOBER 11: A general view of a Hawaiian performer during the Professional Athlete Press Conference leading up to the 2018 IRONMAN World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 11, 2018. (Photo by Donald Miralle for IRONMAN)KONA CAFFEINE CRAVING: Swimmers participate in a race week ritual of swimming out and sipping coffee at the Kona Coffee Boat in Kailua Bay ahead of the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship brought to you by Amazon on Thursday (Photo by Donald Miralle/ IRONMAN)SIGN THEM UP: Following the Thursday morning press conference, the professional athletes signed in for their race briefing ahead of the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship brought to you by Amazon in Kailua-Kona. Both the men’s and women’s races will be fiercely-contested, with the likes of German duo Patrick Lange and Sebastian Kienle going head-to-head with Canadian Lionel Sanders, among others, while athletes such as Lucy Charles, Sarah Crowley and Mirinda Carfrae will be aiming to stop Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf from going home with a fourth consecutive IRONMAN World Championship title. (Photo by Donald Miralle/IRONMAN)WALKING ON WATER: Male and female athletes tackled the 1.5-mile (2.4km) Kona Underpants Run course on Thursday morning under clear blue skies. Athletes sign up for the race that first started back in 1998 by donating $25 (Photo by Donald Miralle/IRONMAN)PADDLING AS ONE: IRONMAN CEO and President Andrew Messick hands over the tribal paddle and shares the “breath of life” to Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas, to signify a union made on Thursday for the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship to be hosted in the Waikato region of New Zealand’s North Island. The Great Lake Taupõ District is rich in history and is one of the world’s most unique and picturesque areas (Photo by Donald Miralle/IRONMAN)INSPIRING STORIES FROM ACROSS THE WORLD: IRONMAN announcer Paul Kaye hosted a special speaker panel on Thursday, where attendees heard real-life stories of what inspired the panel members to compete in the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship brought to you by Amazon. Among the speakers were Sarah Reinertsen (far right) who in 2005 became the first above the knee amputee with a prosthetic leg to complete the race, and is back for another crack at Kona. Australian Leigh Chivers (third from right) – who lost his wife and son to brain cancer earlier this year – also shared his heartbreaking story but reaffirmed his determination to complete the IRONMAN World Championship race on Saturday. (Photo by Donald Miralle/IRONMAN)EYES ON THE PRIZE: Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf and Germany’s Patrick Lange demonstrated their focused mindset ahead of the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship brought to you by Amazon in Kailua-Kona at Thursday’s Press Conference. The two are defending champions, but Ryf is also hunting down her fourth straight victory in this race, after winning the 2015, 2016 and 2017 editions (Photo by Donald Miralle/IRONMAN)PIECE OF CAKE: Noah Aldrich (right) celebrated his 13th birthday on Thursday with his 10-year-old brother Lucas, who suffers from a rare disease called Lissencephaly which leaves him wheelchair-bound. Noah and Lucas have an unbreakable bond and compete in triathlons, with the Noah providing pulling Lucas in the swim and bike and pushing him on the run. (Photo by Donald Miralle/IRONMAN)OCEAN COMMOTION: Athletes make the final preparations for the IRONMAN World Championship brought to you by Amazon by taking in the stunning waters of the Pacific Ocean less than two days before the 2018 race. Competitors will tackle the 2.4-mile (3.86km) course, before heading onto the 112-mile (180.25km) bike route before battling it out on the 26.2-mile (42.2km) marathon course in what will be hot and humid conditions on The Big Island (Photo by Donald Miralle/IRONMAN)UNDER-PRANCE RUN: Thursday morning in Kailua-Kona got underway with a number of male and female athletes taking part in the annual Kona Underpants Run, where competitors raced over 1.5 miles (2.4km). The event has now entered its 21st year, with over $300,000 being raised for local charities (Photo by Donald Miralle/IRONMAN)
