2009 Hawaii Ironman 70.3,
The Qualifying Event for the Kona Ironman
The 2009 Hawaii Ironman 70.3 takes place on May 30th, and this year is hosted by the Fairmont Orchid.
The Fairmont is one of the nicest hotels on the island, if not the whole world, and a good portion of the race will be held on the Fairmont grounds.
This event also known as the Honu or Half Ironman is a annual event that many locals compete in.
The race is half the distance of the World Championship Kona Ironman later in October, Swim - 1.2 miles, Bike - 56 miles, Run - 13.1 miles.
This event is very important to triathletes looking to compete in the Kona Ironman, as there are 79 slots that will be filled after this competition.
• 35 qualifying slots to the Ford Ironman World Championship will be available to Big Island athletes that meet the residency requirements.
• 20 qualifying slots to the Ford Ironman World Championship will be available to all other neighbor island athletes that meet the residency requirements.
• 24 International qualifying slots to the Ford Ironman World Championship will be available to all other athletes.
Also up for grabs are 50 qualifying slots to the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3.
Athletes also get a chance to get a feel for the conditions that the October race are run under.
The race starts at Hapuna Beach State Park at 7:00 am. The atheletes then make their bike transition back at Hapuna Beach, after doing the 1.2 mile rectangle swim.
Exiting Hapuna Beach, riders will travel the Queen Ka'ahumanu Hwy and then onto Akoni Pule Hwy. The turnaround is in the Hawi Town area.
The bike finish is at the Fairmont Orchid Hawaii.
The run will be entirely within the resort grounds and will cover paved roads, cart paths and grass on several out-and-back segments.
The Award Ceremonies and finish of the race are also held at the Fairmont, and should be a Gala event.
Follow this link for more info on the 2009 Hawaii Ironman 70.3
Also check out our pages on the upcoming Big Island Marathon, and the 2009 Kona Hawaii Ironman.
