Big Island Triathlon

Local Triathlon Events

Kona, Big Island

Where the Sport Grew Up

When it comes to triathlon, the Big Island, and Kona specifically, is hallowed ground. Since 1981, Kailua-Kona has hosted the iconic IRONMAN™ World Championship, drawing the world’s top endurance athletes to its rugged lava fields and warm Pacific waters each October.

Chrissie Wellington, IRONMAN™ World Champion, running on Aliʻi Drive at the 2010 World Championship in Kona.
↗ Chrissie Wellington, 2010 Ironman World Champion in Kona

Small Town, Large Training Culture

Kona’s triathlon community is modest in raw numbers and enormous per capita. Drive Aliʻi Drive or the Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway on a weekday morning, and you will pass people swimming, riding, and running, most of them not training for anything in particular.

That depth shows up in the calendar. The Kona-Kohala coast hosts everything from a world championship to a free monthly biathlon that has been running for more than thirty years, along with the volunteer base and community support that keeps them alive. Whether you are racing, spectating, volunteering, or just curious, there is a way in.

Big Island Triathlon Events

IRONMAN™ World Champion Craig Alexander running past cyclists on the World Championship course in Kona.

IRONMAN™ Triathlon

Entry is by qualification at a regional IRONMAN™ race, or through the lottery and legacy programs. The day opens with a 2.4-mile swim in Kailua Bay, then 112 miles on the Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway out to Hāwī and back through the crosswinds, and closes with a marathon that finishes on Aliʻi Drive in front of a crowd that lines the road. 2026 marks the return to a single-day format, with professional men and women racing together for the first time since 2019. Aid station volunteer slots fill early.

Rani Henderson running past an IRONMAN™ banner over the lava rock in Kailua-Kona.

IRONMAN™ 70.3 Hawai‘i

Locally known as 70.3 Honu, named for the Hawaiian green sea turtle, it is the island’s half-distance race and one of the few 70.3 events anywhere offering qualifying slots to the World Championship in Kona. The 1.2-mile swim is in Pauoa Bay directly in front of the Fairmont Orchid, the bike heads north toward Hāwī on a stretch of the World Championship course, and the run finishes back on the Fairmont grounds. Slot allotments shift year to year, so confirm on the event site before you plan around it.

Penn Henderson running across the open lava fields during the Lavaman triathlon at Waikoloa.

LAVAMAN Triathlon

Lavaman is the island’s Olympic-distance race and the friendliest entry point into the sport here, with no qualification required. The swim starts in the calm waters of Anaehoʻomalu Bay at the Waikoloa Beach Resort; the bike is an out-and-back on a section of the World Championship course along the Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway; and the run crosses lava and sand before finishing on the beach. It is locally owned, net proceeds stay in the community, and the beach party afterward has a reputation of its own.

Swimmers wading in for the start of a Peaman biathlon at Kailua Bay in Kona.

PEAMAN Biathlons

Peaman has been a Kailua-Kona fixture for more than three decades, and it is still free to enter. Each event pairs a swim in Kailua Bay with a short run on Aliʻi Drive, at distances that suit everyone from first-timers to professionals training through the off-season. There are relay options and a Pea-Wea division for the kids. If you want to see what the sport looks like as part of ordinary life here rather than as a once-a-year spectacle, come to a Peaman on a Sunday morning. The epitome of a grassroots community event.

  • Monthly (Sundays)
  • Kailua-Kona (Kamakahonu Beach)
  • Various Distances
  • Facebook Group
Satellite map of the island of Hawaii showing the whole Big Island and surrounding ocean.

ULTRAMAN Triathlon World Championships

Ultraman began on the Big Island in 1983 and remains one of the hardest endurance events anywhere. Three days and roughly 320 miles around the island: a 6.2-mile swim from Kailua Bay to Keauhou paired with a climb to Volcanoes National Park, then a 171-mile ride through Hilo and the Hāmākua Coast to Hāwī, then a 52.4-mile double marathon back down the coast to Kona. Entry is by invitation, and the field stays small. The 2026 race is the 40th edition.

  • November 27-29, 2026
  • Kailua-Kona, Circling the Island
  • 6.2-mi swim, 261-mi bike, 52.4-mi run
  • www.ultramanworlds.com
Overhead view of the mass swim start churning the water in Kailua Bay at the IRONMAN™ World Championship.

Ho‘ala Training Swim, Hosted by IRONMAN™

Hoʻala is the traditional dress rehearsal for the World Championship swim: the full 2.4-mile course in Kailua Bay, on the real line, in the weeks before race day. It draws IRONMAN™ athletes doing a final check alongside local swimmers who want the experience without the steep entry fee. Spectators watch from the pier and the seawall. If you have ever wondered what it feels like to race the actual course, this is a great opportunity to get a glimpse.

  • Sunday, October 4, 2026
  • Kailua-Kona (Kamakahonu Beach)
  • 2.4-mi swim
  • Website | More Info

Penn Henderson, R(S)

Part of Kona’s Triathlon Community

My wife Rani and I have raced nearly every event on this island, most of them many times over. Lavaman, Honu, Peaman, the Hoʻala swim, and the IRONMAN™ World Championship, which we have both finished in Kona. When we are not racing, we are volunteering, crewing, or standing on Aliʻi Drive near midnight watching the last finishers come through. Rani is a third-generation Big Islander, and together we organize the Jingle Bell Beach Run, now one of Kona’s largest annual events, which Rani started back in 2005.

Buyers who find me through this sport rarely lead with square footage. They ask whether they can ride out the front door, which bay is calm at six in the morning, and how a house lives in October when the island fills up. Those I can answer from experience.

Penn Henderson wearing a lei at the finish of the Honu 70.3 at Waikoloa.
↗ Back in the day – Ironman 70.3 Hawai‘i

Big Island Triathlon

What Training Here Actually Looks Like

Wide view of the open water swim start spread across Kailua Bay below Historic Kailua Village.

Swim

Kailua Bay off the pier is the default, with a marked buoy line and year-round water in the high seventies. Keauhou Bay, Anaehoʻomalu, Hapuna, and Kua Bay all work depending on where you are based. Surf and current are usually mild on the Kona side, which is why the sport landed here in the first place.

Cyclist tucked in aero position on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway during the Lavaman triathlon.

Bike

The Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway is the island’s main training corridor, with a wide shoulder running north from Kona to Kawaihae and up to Hāwī. Climbing options run from Aliʻi Drive to Kaloko Drive up to 4,000 feet in about eleven miles. Wind and heat are the real training, not the elevation.

Rani Henderson running through spectators lining Aliʻi Drive at the 2010 IRONMAN™ World Championship.

Run

The Old Airport, Pines Beach at the Energy Lab, Aliʻi Drive, Mana Road, Kaloko Trails, and the Kohala resort paths cover most easy mileage. Waimea, at 2,700 feet, offers cooler air and rolling terrain when you want it. Most people here run early, and the trade-off is that you get sunrise over Hualalai for it.

Race Week in Kona as a Homeowner

October is the highest-demand week of the year for short-term rentals in Kailua-Kona and along the Kohala Coast, and it books out further in advance than any other. If you own, or you are looking at a property with rental income in the picture, this week is worth understanding before you buy rather than after.

A few things to know. Road access on Aliʻi Drive and on portions of the Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway is restricted on race day, so a property’s location affects how the week feels. Short-term rental rules on the Big Island depend on county zoning and, inside the resort communities, on the specific association, and they are not uniform. I can provide the actual rules and rental history for any property you are considering, in writing, before you make a decision.

Oceanfront properties in Kona and Kohala Coast with stunning ocean views and resort-style amenities.
→ Iconic Ali‘i Drive, Kailua-Kona
Property Questions?

Where Endurance Athletes Tend to Buy

Kailua-Kona & Ali‘i Drive

Convenient access for running and ocean swims. Condos dominate, and this is the most rental-friendly stretch on the island.

Keauhou

Quieter, slightly elevated, with bay access and an easy ride north. More single-family inventory than Aliʻi Drive.

Kohala Coast

Resort living with IRONMAN™ and LAVAMAN courses out the front gate. Paved paths, strong rental demand, and reliable morning water.

Waimea

Elevation, cool air, and rolling roads. The choice for people who would rather train in 70 degrees than 85.

FAQ

Common Questions About Triathlon On The Big Island

Because the Ironman World Championship has been held here since 1981, and the race defines the sport. Every October, the town fills with the fittest people on earth, Alii Drive closes, and the energy is unlike anything else that happens on this island. The course itself is the reason it earned that status: a 2.4-mile swim in Kailua Bay, 112 miles on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway through the lava fields to Hawi and back, and a marathon finishing on Alii Drive. Heat, wind, and exposure make it the hardest day in triathlon.

Three times. That is not a credential I lead with in real estate, but it does mean I know these roads, this water, and this heat from the inside rather than from a spectator’s view. It also means I understand what athletes are looking for when they consider moving here, because I was one of them looking at the same things. If training is a serious part of why the Big Island appeals to you, that is a conversation I genuinely enjoy having.

Exceptional, and harder than most people expect. The Queen K is the most famous training road in the sport, with long open miles, relentless crosswinds through the lava fields, and heat that teaches you pacing lessons you cannot learn anywhere else. Swimming happens in Kailua Bay year-round in water that rarely drops below the mid-seventies, with the pier-to-buoy course marked and swum daily by dozens of people. Running is best early or late, and the upcountry options in Waimea and Holualoa give you cooler air and real climbing when you need a break from the coast.

A real community that operates year-round rather than in October. There is a daily open-water swim group at the pier, regular group rides on the Queen K, and a steady population of professional and serious amateur athletes who train here through the season. The bike shops, coaches, physical therapists, and fitters in Kona are unusually good for a town this size, precisely because the demand is here. For someone relocating, the athletic community is one of the fastest ways into island life.

More than most people realize. LavaMan at Waikoloa Beach Resort each spring is the standout, an Olympic-distance race starting at Anaehoomalu Bay, and it is a permanent fixture on my family’s calendar. The Ironman 70.3 events, the Peaman series in Kailua Bay, and a steady stream of local runs, ocean swims, and cycling events fill out the year. In December, there is the Jingle Bell Beach Run on the Kailua-Kona waterfront, which I co-founded. The calendar here supports year-round racing rather than just one weekend.

Extraordinary and disruptive in equal measure, and residents feel both. The town is full, Alii Drive closes, the Queen K sees closures on race day, and traffic requires planning for that entire week. It is also one of the best weeks of the year to be in Kona, with the expo, the underpants run, the pier swim, and a finish line that goes past midnight. Most residents plan around it and go watch. If you are considering property along the course, understanding what that week looks like is worth doing before you buy, not after.

Kailua-Kona and Keauhou put you closest to the swim and the start of the Queen K, which is why so many athletes base there. Kalaoa and the hillside above town give you climbing straight out the door and cooler air to sleep in, with the Queen K minutes away. Waikoloa Village sits right on the bike course, with the coast ten minutes down the road. Waimea offers cool temperatures, some of the best running and cycling on the island, and enough elevation to matter. Tell me what your week looks like, and I will match it to the right area.

Yes, which is the underrated part. West Hawaii’s weather barely changes; the ocean stays swimmable every month; and there is no season when the roads close or the water gets too cold. What you adapt to instead is heat and wind, and building your day around early mornings quickly becomes second nature. Athletes who move here from seasonal climates usually say the consistency is what changed their training most, more than the famous roads did.

Talk Story

Every Big Island move starts with a conversation. Tell me what you are looking for, and we will take it from there.

Compass Real Estate in Kona, Hawaii - Penn Henderson, Big Island Real Estate
Penn Henderson of Compass

75-1029 Henry St., Suite 301
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

Phone: (808) 345-6214
Email: penn@pennhenderson.com