Editing Ironman Triathlon (section)

==Ironman World Championship==
{{main|Ironman World Championship}}

Over time, the popularity of the triathlon grew, and the annual race on the Big Island became The Ironman World Championship. In 1983, admission to the race began following a qualification-based system, whereby athletes had to obtain entry to the race by competing in another Ironman race and gaining a slot allocated on a proportional basis. The Hawaii race consists of a [[swimming (sport)|swim]] in the bay of [[Kailua, Hawaii County, Hawaii|Kailua-Kona]], a [[Cycling|bike]] ride across the Hawaiian lava desert to [[Hawi, Hawaii|Hāwī]] and back, and a [[Marathon (sport)|marathon]] run along the coast (from [[Keauhou]] to [[Keahole Point]] and back to Kailua-Kona); finishing on Ali{{okina}}i Drive. The most recent Ironman World Championship took place on October 6, 2022, and was won by Gustav Iden of Norway in 7:40:24 and Chelsea Sodaro of the United States in 8:33:46.<ref name="IMWC-Men">{{cite web |title=2022 Ironman World Championship Overall Results - Day 2 |url=https://www.ironman.com/im-world-championship-2022-results |access-date=July 29, 2019 |publisher=SportStats}}</ref><ref name="IMWC-Women">{{cite web |title=2022 Ironman World Championship Overall Results - Day 1 |url=https://www.ironman.com/im-world-championship-2022-results |access-date=July 29, 2019 |publisher=SportStats}}</ref>

The current Ironman Hawaii course record was set in 2024 by [[Patrick Lange]] (Germany), whose winning time was 7 hours 35 minutes 53 seconds. [[Daniela Ryf]] (Switzerland) set the women's course record in 2018 with a winning time of 8 hours 26 minutes 18 seconds.<ref name="IMWC-Men"/><ref name="IMWC-Women"/>

Amateur triathletes can qualify for the World Championship by placing in one of the other Ironman series races. Entry into the race can also be obtained through various contests and promotions or through the Ironman Foundation's charitable eBay auction.