Ironman announces Kona pro start list

The first women’s-exclusive Ironman World Championship race in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, is just over two weeks away. Today Ironman confirmed the 55 pro women who will compete on Oct. 14 for a US$375,000 prize purse.

In addition to the 55 pros set to start, there are over 2,000 age-group women registered for the race.

Sodaro set to defend title

Chelsea Sodaro, last year’s champion, will wear race number 1 in Kona, with the four-time runner up at the event (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022), Lucy Charles-Barclay, appropriately wearing #2 and last year’s third-place finisher and 2019 champion, Anne Haug, wearing #3.

Five-time Ironman world champion Daniela Ryf (#4) returns in search of another world title on the Big Island. The Swiss star dominated the world championship event held in St. George in 2022, but hasn’t won on the Big Island since 2018. Earlier this summer Ryf blasted to an astonishing world-best performance at Challenge Roth, but had a disappointing day at the recent Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland, where she finished ninth.

Taylor Knibb “hoping to race” in Kona

As we reported last week, American Taylor Knibb (#5) is planning to make her full-distance debut in Kona after successfully defending her 70.3 world title in Lahti in August. The American will be competing in the race with her mother, Leslie, who has competed at the Ironman World Championship six times (five times in Kona and also at the 2022 event in St. George), finishing on the podium twice.

Other podium contenders in the race include Germany’s Laura Philipp, who finished fourth in 2019 and 2022, American Sarah True, the reigning Ironman European champion, and Great Britain’s Kat Matthews, who has made a remarkable comeback to racing after being hit by a car while training for last year’s Kona race.

There are two Canadians in the field – Melanie McQuaid, who is the first 50-year-old to qualify as a pro for the Ironman World Championship, and Jen Annett.