KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2012 IRONMAN® World Championship presented by myList is set to take place Saturday, October 13th in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Nearly 2,000 athletes from 50 states & 64 countries will swim 2.4 miles in the Pacific Ocean, cycle 112 miles through the iconic lava fields of Kailua-Kona and run 26.2 miles finishing on the scenic waterfront of Ali'i Drive. This year's field is packed with compelling stories and information including the fact that 53% of the competitors will be competing in Kona for the first time (1,086 participants) - 71% of those first timers are men and 29% are female.
With a field of athletes ranging in age from 19 to 82, competitors have qualified for the IRONMAN World Championship one of five ways: by earning a slot at one of the qualifying events held worldwide, by being selected in the IRONMAN Lottery Program, by winning a slot through IRONMAN's charitable eBay Auction, through the IRONMAN Legacy Program or via a new program introduced this year called Kona Inspired, where fans voted on eight inspirational athletes who submitted compelling stories telling why they should go to Kona.
Here is a more in depth look at the demographics of this year's entire participant field:
- Gender
- Male – 72%
- Female – 28%
- Age
Age groups of 50+ and above have all seen 20% or more growth compared to last year's field.- 20 & Under – less than 1%
- 21-30 – 14%
- 31-40 – 32%
- 41-50 – 31%
- 51-60 – 14%
- 61-70 – 6%
- 71 & Older – 2%
- Global Population
- Top Countries (% of international competitors)
- Australia – 21%
- Germany – 13%
- Canada – 10%
- Great Britain – 7%
- Switzerland – 5%
- Top Cities
- London, GBR – 19 participants
- Sydney, AUS – 16 participants
- Auckland, NZL – 13 participants
- Toronto, CAN – 12 participants
- Perth, AUS – 10 participants
- Tokyo, JAP – 10 participants
- Top Countries (% of international competitors)
- US Population
- Top States (% of US competitors)
- California – 17%
- New York – 7%
- Colorado – 6%
- Hawaii – 6%
- Florida – 5%
- Texas – 5%
- Top Cities
- New York, NY – 28 participants
- Boulder, CO – 20 participants
- Kailua-Kona, HI – 19 participants
- Honolulu, HI – 14 participants
- Austin, TX – 11 participants
- Top States (% of US competitors)
Professional Field
As always, this year's professional race features tough competition, headlined by Australian athletes Craig Alexander, defending champion, attempting to capture his fourth World Championship title ('08, '09 & '11) and Mirinda Carfrae, the 2010 World Champion and 2011 runner-up. Other top professionals include:
- Women:
- Leanda Cave – UK, 3rd place at the 2011 IRONMAN World Championship, winner of the 2012 IRONMAN World Championship 70.3
- Rachel Joyce – UK, 4th place at the 2011 IRONMAN World Championship and runner-up at 2012 IRONMAN Melbourne
- Caroline Steffen – Switzerland, 5th place at the 2011 IRONMAN World Championship, runner-up at the 2010 IRONMAN World Championship
- Kelly Williamson – US, winner of Memorial Hermann IRONMAN 70.3 Texas (US Championship), 2nd place finish at 2011 Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas
- Men:
- Pete Jacobs – Australia, runner-up at the 2011 IRONMAN World Championship, 1st place at 2012 IRONMAN Lake Placid
- Sebastian Kienle – Germany, winner of the 2012 IRONMAN World Championship 70.3
- Andreas Raelert – Germany, three podium finishes in the last three IRONMAN World Championship races (3rd in 2011, 2nd in 2010 & 3rd in 2009)
- Jordan Rapp – US, winner of the 2012 IRONMAN US Championship in New York
For additional information during the 2012 IRONMAN World Championship presented by myList please visit www.ironmanworldchampionship.com and the following site:
ftp://ironman:!ironman@filetrans.ketchum.com/
Username: ironman
Password: !ironman
Server: filetrans.ketchum.com
About IRONMAN
The iconic IRONMAN® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines at the world's most challenging endurance races. Recognized for excellence through distinguished events, world-class athletes and quality products, World Triathlon Corporation (d/b/a IRONMAN), owner and operator of the IRONMAN® Series, has grown from owner of a single race to a global sensation with nearly 190 events across five unique brands: IRONMAN®, IRONMAN 70.3®, 5150™ Triathlon Series, Iron Girl® and IronKids®. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.
SOURCE IRONMAN