Safety issues slice 2 miles off Ironman
Records will count, but some racers unhappy with latest glitches in event
It was a near-perfect April day last Saturday when thousands of athletes took off on what was meant to be a 140.6-mile Ironman triathlon in The Woodlands.
They had trained countless hours, paid a registration fee approaching $800, and traveled from across the country to be there. But as they made their way along the course Saturday, an issue became apparent: It wasn’t quite long enough.
Ironman officials confirmed Tuesday that they shortened the cycling portion of the race from the regulation distance of 112 miles to about 110 miles, resulting in initial confusion about whether course times would count and records would hold. Contestants say they were unaware of the discrepancy before the race.
Over the weekend organizers said that world records set in the race would not stand. But in a statement Tuesday they reversed that decision and said that the men’s and women’s world Ironman records achieved in The Woodlands on Saturday would be recognized, despite the short course.
Matt Hanson, a professional Ironman athlete from Storm Lake, Iowa, set the men’s record of 7:39:25. Hanson’s 2:34:39 in the marathon was also a world record for the fastest mara-
thon leg in the Ironman.
Melissa Hauschildt of Australia set the women’s record of 8:31:05.
The error, which met with various reactions, added to a list of glitches for the race that has been held for eight years in the Houston suburb. Officials struggled in the past to figure out an agreeable cycling route. Some online expressed outrage anew at the short length. Ironman said it regretted any inconvenience. Others who participated said it didn’t matter much.
“Your Garmin’s always going to come out a little different,” said Ben Holliday, a 53-year-old from Georgia. He noticed that the bike portion was a little short but said he was focused on the marathon run that came next. Everyone was on the same course.
The change to the course came during a final check on the morning of the race and was ascribed to safety precautions, according to the statement from Ironman officials.
The majority of the planned cycling route went along the Hardy Toll Road, which was closed to traffic. But an issue arose regarding where the cyclists would be told to turn around along the highway to make a loop. The intended location was not far enough — but to move it was not deemed safe by race organizers.
“It was determined that the safest turnaround location was not true to the predicted course measurement,” the statement said. “For the course to be the standard 112 miles, the turnaround location would have needed to be placed in an area which cut down the width of the course and included a low wall embankment, making that location unsafe.”
Unauthorized scooters also appeared along the bike course during the race, leading to the removal of all twowheeled motor vehicles from the course, according to the statement. But many participants also complained about a lack of policing of competitors who allegedly broke rules about cycling too close to one another, or forming a peloton, to reduce drag.
Complications revolved around the cycling portion of the course years prior. In 2016, officials scrambled in the months leading up to the race to find a new route after a Montgomery County commissioner said the cyclists could not go through his precinct due to road construction concerns.
It was unclear then whether the race would continue to occur in The Woodlands. But a new course was charted into Harris County on the Hardy Toll Road, where participants this year made two, long loops. The race date was also moved from May to April, in hopes of better weather.
Both organizers and community leaders ahead of the 2018 event praised the local involvement and fun atmosphere of the course, which some have claimed as a favorite because it is so flat.
Race representatives said in the statement that they have already begun to work with local officials to fix the course for the 2019 race.
Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle said he was excited in the future to incorporate trails which are being constructed in the county.
“I’m very excited about not only what we’re doing now with them, but what we may be doing in the future,” he said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to work with the Ironman institutions and their athletes and the number of visitors that they bring to us.”
Because of the unauthorized scooters, policies related to bike course access are also being reviewed, according to the statement.
Typically, a full Ironman race is a 2.4-mile swim, 112mile bike ride and, finally, 26.2-mile run. The top male and female professional athletes this year in The Woodlands finished with times of 7:39:25 and 8:31:05, respectively.
Hanson, the Ironman professional from Storm Lake, Iowa, was unsure early in the day on Tuesday if his world record would count. Later in the day, he said he was informed that it would stand, despite the shorter course.
In any event, he said he was glad to see athlete safety take precedent and only wished that the error was not distracting so much from the accomplishments of his fellow competitors.
“It seems to completely be overshadowing what could have been a really, really exciting race on both the men’s and the women’s side,” Hanson said.
A post about the shortened distance on the “Ironman Texas” Facebook page garnered dozens of comments from people criticizing the inability of organizers to get the course right. One wrote that the length issue should have been publicized before the race’s start. Another replied that he would not be signing up for the 2019 race as planned because of the news.
“Really disappointing that a North American Championship can’t produce a race course up to standards,” a third said.
But a number of participants remained proud of their accomplishment.
“Two miles doesn’t take away from the toughness of the race at all,” said Laura Aguirre, a 30-year-old Houstonian who competed. “I really don’t think that it was a big deal.”
“Two miles on the bike, anybody can hammer that out,” agreed Jeff Dahle, 56, of Minnesota. “The overall day, you couldn’t have asked for any better day.”
“Get over it,” said Dave Schwartz, 53, of California. “Lots of courses are short or long.”