Ironman World Championship leaves Hawaii for 1st time

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) — The Ironman World Championship is being held outside Hawaii for the first time in four decades. That is because of uncertainty over whether the Big Island will be able to host the triathlon as scheduled in February during the coronavirus pandemic. West Hawaii Today reports triathletes will instead head to St. George, Utah, to compete on May 7. Organizers plan to bring the contest back to the islands in October 2022. Ironman participants swim, ride bikes and run a marathon. The first race was held in Honolulu in the 1970s. It moved to Kailua-Kona on the Big Island in 1981.