A Look At The Field For The 2012 IRONMAN® World Championship Presented By myList

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2012 IRONMAN^® World Championship presented by myList is set to take place Saturday, October 13^th in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Nearly 2,000 athletes from 50 states & 64 countries will swim 2.4 miles in the Pacific Ocean, cycle 112 miles through the iconic lava fields of Kailua-Kona and run 26.2 miles finishing on the scenic waterfront of Ali'i Drive. This year's field is packed with compelling stories and information including the fact that 53% of the competitors will be competing in Kona for the first time (1,086 participants) - 71% of those first timers are men and 29% are female.

With a field of athletes ranging in age from 19 to 82, competitors have qualified for the IRONMAN World Championship one of five ways: by earning a slot at one of the qualifying events held worldwide, by being selected in the IRONMAN Lottery Program, by winning a slot through IRONMAN's charitable eBay Auction, through the IRONMAN Legacy Program or via a new program introduced this year called Kona Inspired, where fans voted on eight inspirational athletes who submitted compelling stories telling why they should go to Kona.

Here is a more in depth look at the demographics of this year's entire participant field:

• Gender
  • Male – 72%   
  • Female – 28%
• Age
  Age groups of 50+ and above have all seen 20% or more growth compared to last year's field. 
  • 20 & Under – less than 1% 
  • 21-30 – 14% 
  • 31-40 – 32% 
  • 41-50 – 31%
  • 51-60 – 14%
  • 61-70 – 6%
  • 71 & Older – 2%
• Global Population
  • Top Countries (% of international competitors)
    • Australia – 21% 
    • Germany – 13% 
    • Canada – 10%
    • Great Britain – 7%
    • Switzerland – 5%
  • Top Cities 
    • London, GBR – 19 participants
    • Sydney, AUS – 16 participants
    • Auckland, NZL – 13 participants
    • Toronto, CAN – 12 participants 
    • Perth, AUS – 10 participants
    • Tokyo, JAP – 10 participants 
• US Population
  • Top States (% of US competitors)
    • California – 17%
    • New York – 7%
    • Colorado – 6%
    • Hawaii – 6%
    • Florida – 5%
    • Texas – 5%
  • Top Cities
    • New York, NY – 28 participants
    • Boulder, CO – 20 participants
    • Kailua-Kona, HI – 19 participants
    • Honolulu, HI – 14 participants
    • Austin, TX – 11 participants

Professional Field 

As always, this year's professional race features tough competition, headlined by Australian athletes Craig Alexander, defending champion, attempting to capture his fourth World Championship title ('08, '09 & '11) and Mirinda Carfrae, the 2010 World Champion and 2011 runner-up.  Other top professionals include: 

• Women:
  • Leanda Cave – UK, 3^rd place at the 2011 IRONMAN World Championship, winner of the 2012 IRONMAN World Championship 70.3 
  • Rachel Joyce – UK, 4^th place at the 2011 IRONMAN World Championship and runner-up at 2012 IRONMAN Melbourne 
  • Caroline Steffen – Switzerland, 5^th place at the 2011 IRONMAN World Championship, runner-up at the 2010 IRONMAN World Championship 
  • Kelly Williamson – US, winner of Memorial Hermann IRONMAN 70.3 Texas (US Championship), 2^nd place finish at 2011 Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas
• Men:
  • Pete Jacobs – Australia, runner-up at the 2011 IRONMAN World Championship, 1^st place at 2012 IRONMAN Lake Placid 
  • Sebastian Kienle – Germany, winner of the 2012 IRONMAN World Championship 70.3
  • Andreas Raelert – Germany, three podium finishes in the last three IRONMAN World Championship races (3^rd in 2011, 2^nd in 2010 & 3^rd in 2009)  
  • Jordan Rapp – US, winner of the 2012 IRONMAN US Championship in New York

For additional information during the 2012 IRONMAN World Championship presented by myList please visit www.ironmanworldchampionship.com and the following site:

ftp://ironman:[email protected]/ 
Username: ironman
Password: !ironman
Server: filetrans.ketchum.com

About IRONMAN
The iconic IRONMAN^® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world.  Since the inception of the IRONMAN^® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines at the world's most challenging endurance races. Recognized for excellence through distinguished events, world-class athletes and quality products, World Triathlon Corporation (d/b/a IRONMAN), owner and operator of the IRONMAN^® Series, has grown from owner of a single race to a global sensation with nearly 190 events across five unique brands: IRONMAN^®, IRONMAN 70.3^®, 5150^™ Triathlon Series, Iron Girl^® and IronKids^®. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

SOURCE IRONMAN