A garden variety corporate press release might say that Sharron Ackles has decided to "move on to new challenges" or that she wanted to "spend more time with her family." That's the corporate way—boilerplate statements designed to protect both the dignity of the person being let go and continuity of the letter-goer.

To its credit WTC didn't put out a release like that. The sources close to the Ironman that I've talked to are in agreement. Kona-based Sharron Ackles was not retained by Florida-based WTC because the latter wanted to bring the event to another level. WTC has had the corporate balls to admit that.

One source puts it this way: "There were licensed Ironman races that had production elements that WTC felt were superior to the race in Kona—races both in North America and in the Pacific Rim—and WTC couldn't have that."

One longtime Ironman-watcher came to Ackles' defense, though, and said this: "How is it that WTC can fault Ackles for not producing a race that her own superiors wouldn't know how to produce?" The flip side of the coin is that this is precisely why the WTC had to go outside the family. WTC knows what they want their flagship race to look like, and while they may not have the expertise to put on that race, they'll know that race when they see it. They must go elsewhere to find the person to manufacture and produce their vision in Kona.

If they have to go outside the company to find the talent to put on the next iteration of the Hawaiian Ironman, they'll not find the talent in Kona, as Ackles is the best the Big Island can offer. Ackles may not be capable or willing to upgrade a somewhat folksy event to the level of, say, a major marathon, but make no mistake: She's no piker. She puts on a premier event, and who will take her place? Dave McGillivray? Tom Cooney? Whomever it is, if he or she is an upgrade from Ackles it's going to be someone whose name is familiar.

That's a problem, and for two reasons. First, as one person put it to me, "People that good have their own gigs, and they've had their gigs for fifteen or twenty years. It'd take a lot to make them move." And second, it's not like they'd be moving from San Francisco to San Diego. It's a move to Kona. That's a place you either really want to move to, or you really, really don't. There are a lot of premier race directors who wouldn't move there for quadruple the salary WTC is likely to offer.

And here's another thing about Ackles: She really does know how to build a loyal team of sergeants and foot soldiers. The WTC must certainly have scrambled to make sure that the volunteers and coordinators were calm and reassured. I suspect Ackles will help in that process, as a person of her class would.

No doubt, the WTC has made a risky move in its effort to move the race forward. But the Ironman is their property, and they've done a very good job of enhancing both the badge that is Ironman, and the Ironman experience for those who do the race. WTC will go through a lot of hand-wringing in ushering in this new era, but they'll get it done, and it'll work out for them.

The Sharron Ackles era will be remembered fondly, as was the Valerie Silk era before it. It's funny how, with this particular race, women have always run it, with the exception of a two-year run in the early 90s. Perhaps only a woman's sensibility can pull off an event that is so large in scope, but so nuanced in experience. Here's hoping the WTC can make the transition to a new RD smoothly, whomever she may be.