Irish Athletes at IRONMAN World Championships Kona
The iconic IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii took place last Saturday, 13 October. This year’s championships saw almost 2,500 athletes travel from all over the world to race against the best in their age group in long distance racing. Conditions on the day were dry with low winds meaning hot conditions on the course, and the 42.2km run in particular.
Nineteen athletes were on the start line representing Ireland in Kona, all finishing the 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run with some strong age category results. There were five top twenty age group finishes from James Curran, Helena Hayes, Declan Doyle, Siobhan Kennedy and Owen Martin.
Top ten in Age group
The highest age group placing came from Helena Hayes, in the 25 – 29 age group. Hayes finished tenth in her age group and 87th woman overall, completing in 10:16:03.
James Curran was the sole Irish triathlete to break nine hours, finishing in an impressive 8:56:19 and 17th in the 30 – 34 age category. He was also the 85th male to cross the line and in the top 100 overall.
Also racing in Kona was Kildare based triathlete Mariusz Olejniczak, representing Poland at the championships. Finishing in 8:46:49, and sixth in the 35 – 39 age group, Olejniczak was 52nd male across the finish line. This finishes off a successful 2018 season for Mariusz, who finished second in the Middle Distance National Championships at The Lost Sheep Triathlon.
results
See the results of all the Irish athletes below. For a full list of results visit the IRONMAN website here.
| Name | Finish Time | Age Category | Place in Age Category |
| Ciaran Byrne | 9:32:23 | 45 – 49 | 31 |
| James Curran | 8:56:19 | 30 – 34 | 17 |
| Declan Doyle | 9:21:28 | 45 – 49 | 15 |
| Sean Finn | 11:59:19 | 50 – 54 | 155 |
| Garry Hall | 10:05:19 | 45 – 49 | 101 |
| Helena Hayes | 10:16:03 | 25 – 29 | 10 |
| Michelle Heneghan | 11:10:56 | 30 – 34 | 49 |
| Mark Higgins | 9:40:35 | 35 – 39 | 110 |
| Donnacha Holmes | 9:25:15 | 40 – 44 | 43 |
| Emmet Kelly | 9:44:33 | 35 – 39 | 119 |
| Siobhan Kennedy | 12:22:48 | 55 – 59 | 16 |
| Martin Kirwan | 10:20:42 | 45 – 49 | 142 |
| Felicia Long | 14:05:48 | 45 – 49 | 71 |
| Owen Martin | 9:25:15 | 45 – 49 | 19 |
| Mark McCabe | 10:23:10 | 45 – 49 | 145 |
| Michael McCarron | 9:37:11 | 35 – 39 | 103 |
| Anne-Marie Power | 11:18:09 | 45 – 49 | 35 |
| Michael Scully | 9:47:19 | 30 – 34 | 119 |
| Charles Slovenski | 14:55:05 | 60 – 64 | 63 |
