2019 Event
What:
Ultraman 35th Anniversary World Championships:
A 3-day, 320-mile (515-kilometer) individual ultra-endurance event which takes place on the Big Island of Hawaii. Entry is limited to 40 participants and is by invitation only. Founded in 1983, the event is held annually on the traditional Thanksgiving weekend.
When:
FRIDAY, November 29, 2019 Stage I Starting time 6:30 a.m.
SATURDAY, November 30, 2019 Stage II Starting time 6:30 a.m.
SUNDAY, December 01, 2019 Stage III Starting time 6:00 a.m. (Note earlier start time)
Where:
Stage I – 6.2-mile (10 km) ocean swim from Kailua Bay to Keauhou Bay, followed by a 90-mile (145 km) cross-country bike ride from Keauhou Bay around the southern tip of the island via Route 11 to finish at beautiful Kilauea Military Camp (KMC) Back Gate. Vertical climbs total 7,948 feet.
Stage II – 171.8-mi (276 km) bike ride heading north-east from KMC (Hwy 11) to Keeau, then turning south on Hwy 120 descending to Hwy 137 (The “Red Road”, Kalapana-Kapoho Road) for about 1.5-miles and turning left on Kalihikei Street, and looping back onto Hwy 137 south-west bound, eventually back onto Hwy 120 for the climb back to Hwy 11 and then on into Hilo. At the end of Hawaii Belt Road (Hwy 11) and the Banyon Drive intersection, turn left (east) onto Kalanianaole Avenue for approximately 1.3 miles, then left turn onto Keokea Loop, and back around to Kalanianaole Avenue to a right turn onto Banyon Way, then right turn onto Banyon Drive and the short, scenic loop around the park. Then, right turn onto Hwy 12 and Bayfront Hwy, across the “singing bridge” and the route continues north along the Hamakua Coast (Route 19) to Waimea, continuing down to Kawaihae via Hwy. 19, turning up Akoni Pule Hwy. (Route 270) to finish at Kamehameha Park, just east of Hawi town. Vertical climbs total 8,883 feet.
Stage III – 52.4-mile (84 km) double-marathon run from Hawi to Kawaihae (Route 270), then on to Kailua-Kona (via Route 19) and finishing at the Old Airport Park, Pavilion 1.
Time Limits: Each stage must be completed in 12 hours or less. The swim should be completed in 5-1/2 hours or less. Participants not reaching the respective finish lines within the 12 hour limits will be disqualified.
Who:
Limited to 40 athletes, participants are expected from Canada, Germany, Columbia, Honduras, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France, and the United States. Nearly the entirety of the field will have participated in at least one previous ULTRAMAN. Each must be accompanied by an individual support team of at least two persons over the entire course. Many of these team members volunteer from the Big Island community each year. The event attracts individuals who not only thrive on personal challenge and enjoy the thrill of victory, but who come to understand, as did the ancient Hawaiians, the importance of aloha (love), ohana (family), and kokua (help). Individual resources, mental, physical, and spiritual, are shared in an atmosphere where everyone who completes the course is a winner, and the pursuit of human excellence is the fundamental rule of the road.
CONTACT: ULTRAMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Sheryl Cobb, Race Director; David Cobb, Race Co-Director
PHONE: 808-938-7930 FAX: 808-939-9555
E-mail: ultramanworlds@gmail.com
website: www.ultramanlive.com
