Speaking today at the press conference for the 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in St. George, Utah, IRONMAN Chief Executive Officer Andrew Messick stated that the company is reviewing all options for their 2022 World Championship event, including moving the race out of Hawaii.

“We’re exploring every option,” Messick said, and “that includes potentially taking the race out of Kona.”

The IRONMAN World Championships has, for its entire history, been hosted in Hawaii (in Kona since 1981). However, the 2020 edition of the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 race has been postponed to February, 2022.

Additionally, travel to Hawaii is still highly regulated. Quarantines are required for all non-vaccinated individuals, as well as those whose vaccine records the state does not accept. The current quarantine period for those who do not meet the vaccine or negative test requirement is 10 days.

It is the lack of predictability that Messick cited as the primary reason for IRONMAN to consider moving the race from Hawaii for 2022.

Messick did not specify whether or not IRONMAN was considering this move as temporary or to a rotating schedule that 70.3 Worlds currently follows, not did he provide guidance on alternate locations.