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IRONMAN Race Day 1: Photos Capture Swim In Kailua Bay
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STORY SUMMARY

KONA, Hawaiʻi - A team of photographers are capturing the scenes of the first race day in the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN® World Championship triathlon.

THE VIEW FROM BELOW: Triathletes returned to Kailua Bay for the ROKA 2.4-mile ocean swim as part of the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship (Photo by: Tom Pennington / Getty Images for IRONMAN)

  • The IRONMAN photography team has shared the first batch of images from the start of the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN® World Championship in Kona.

From the IRONMAN media release:

More than 5,000 registered athletes from around the globe will converge on the Island of Hawaiʻi for the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN® World Championship triathlon. For the first time in the event’s 40-plus year history, the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship will take place as a two-day event on Thursday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 8 with half of the athletes competing each day. As the iconic endurance event returns to Kailua-Kona for the first time in three years, the IRONMAN ʻOhana will unite to Kū Like (stand together) as athletes make their long-awaited trip to compete in triathlon’s pinnacle event.

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW: Taking place in the Rainbow State of Hawai`i, Professional triathlete Sarah True is hoping for a reward at the end of the rainbow at the 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship (Photo by: Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images for IRONMAN)

The 2022 field of triathletes will tackle the ROKA 2.4-mile ocean swim in Kailua Bay, followed by the FULGAZ 112-mile bike ride along the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway from Kailua-Kona to the turnaround in Hawi, capped with a 26.2-mile HOKA run beginning on Aliʻi Drive, where spectators pack the roads, up Palani Road to the Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway, before making their way to the infamous Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi Authority. Athletes will complete their journey to the roar of thousands of spectators as they cross the historic Aliʻi Drive finish line.

FIRST OUT OF THE WATER: Lucy Charles-Barclay was the first professional female out of the water with a time of 50:57 during Thursday’s 2022 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship. Charles-Barclay is aiming to win her first IRONMAN World Championship. (Photo by: Tom Pennington / Getty Images for IRONMAN)