Ironman World Championship Kona: When, where, and how you can follow the race - sailfish

Kona – the most legendary race in triathlon is coming up again. On Saturday, October 11, 2025, the world's best female athletes will gather on Big Island, Hawaii, for the IRONMAN Women's World Championship.

As the sun rises in Hawaii, the day draws to a close in Germany. We'll show you when and where you can watch the race live – and how you can make sure you don't miss any of the highlights.

When does the Ironman World Championship in Kona start?

The starting signal will be given in Kailua-Kona at 6:25 a.m. local time (HST). That corresponds to 6:25 p.m. in Germany (CEST) – perfect timing for a sporty Saturday evening. The pros will swim 3.86 kilometers in Kailua Bay before tackling the 180-kilometer bike course and the final marathon.

Schedule: What happens when: (German time)

Of course, the exact times depend on wind, currents, and the course of the race, but experience from previous years allows for a good estimate:

Start (swim): 6:25 a.m. Hawaii / 6:25 p.m. Germany

First out of the water: approx. 7:10 a.m. Hawaii / 7:10 p.m. Germany

Transition to bike: approx. 7:15 a.m. Hawaii / 7:15 p.m. Germany

First on the running course: approx. 11:30 a.m. Hawaii / 11:30 p.m. Germany

Winner crosses the finish line: approx. 3:00 p.m. Hawaii / approx. 3:00 a.m. Germany (Sunday, October 12)

Age group finishers: until approx. 12:00 a.m. Hawaii / until approx. 12:00 p.m. Germany (Sunday)

So if you want to watch it live, you should plan for a long night—the most exciting part of the race, the finish, takes place in Germany in the early hours of the morning.

Where can I watch the race live?

The race will be broadcast live worldwide on the official IRONMAN YouTube channel, accompanied by live tracking on ironman.com/live.

In Germany, Hessischer Rundfunk (hr) will broadcast the start of the swim live on television from 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. hr will then return to the air at 9:30 p.m. and broadcast the entire race live on free-to-air television—including the emotional finish on Ali'i Drive at around 3:30 a.m. German time.

Stay up to date with sailfish

Follow the race on our social media channels (Instagram, Facebook). We will provide you with exclusive insights, updates on our athletes, and real goosebump moments directly from the island. Because for us at sailfish, Kona is more than just a race. This is where triathlon history was made with theRebel Swimskin when Jan Sibbersen set the swimming record in 2018 with a time of 46:29 minutes – a milestone that still stands today.