It’s Skipper, and I wouldn’t put against him saying this for publicity. But I think it’s an interesting point from a pofession/career point of view and the replies certainly seem to agree.
3 Likes
That strikes me as him wanting someone to come forward with cheaper accomodation or even donations to help fund it. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone starts a Go Fund Me or similar on the back of it.
4 Likes
Are you going alone? 
I know a few years back (maybe 5-6) a friend said to allow at least £10k for a family of 4; but things have escalated significantly since.
1 Like
Large thread on ST about it. Also another thread about the 2023 increase for the race itself. Check this out!
Kalmar, Copenhagen and Mt. Tremblant were the last qualifying races for 2022 IMWC, with the Kona slot costing $1050 + fees.
That same weekend IM Vichy was held, qualifying for Kona 2023. Reading the Athlete Guide I was shocked to see that the slot costs now $1400 + 4.4386% Hawaii Tax + 9.25% Active fee, which adds up to almost $1600. Are we crazy?
It is not a matter of who is able to pay for that any more, but who doesn’t mind being laughed at by IM. 33% price increase and as many athletes as possible in two days. What a shame, but I guess Kona has its days counted….
5 Likes
Luckily I’m unlikely to qualify but I don’t think I could justify the cost anymore. I get the impression UTMB is increasing as well.
I think roll down will start to increase next year. Although if you are at that level of triathlon I’m guessing you’ve got fairly deep pockets!
2 Likes
Didn’t someone just do Copenhagen and said they were just asking people for a slot?
1 Like
I’ve booked my 2023 accomodation, paid in full, made it known it was for Ironman and booked 19 days (I may not use the full booking but figure it may also help stop the gouging if they think they may end up with just a 5 day booking).
Car hire was fucking brutal, but necessary. I haven’t dared start on the flights yet.
It kind of feels as if Kona has jumped the shark, magic gone a bit - if I get gouged on accomodation and/or flights are ridiculous I might bin it.
14 Likes
I think so. One thing that does not seem to get mentioned on the ST threads is the energy/CoL that’s happening in Europe. They seem unaware of that but the exch rate gets mentioned a lot.
Finger in the air, I’d say that if you have kids and want to go to Kona, with everything else going on, you’d need to be in the £200k p/a plus bracket not to worry about the costs. Maybe more?
1 Like
The MO seems to be just that the owners say ‘pay X more or I will cancel’ and they get told do ‘do one’ and then it gets listed on another platform.
This seems very short term thinking by Hawaii to me but if you are an owner and can see everyone around you milking it, it’d be hard not to I guess.
When a week trip to Kona starts to cost the same as a luxury month in Mauritius you’ve got to question the logic.
2 Likes
I really really do not want to do any ‘what other holiday could I have for the same ££££’ comparison…
7 Likes
Can’t really put a finger on the cost like that.
Look at Bolton, Blackburn-with-Darwen etc.
you can get a new build 3-bed semi in a decent area for £235k. Job in Manchester for a 35 minute commute (£9 train fare, or £4 bus).
Just depends on how your life is set up, really 
When I was looking at going, prior to Covid, I’d costed it at £10k for my wife and I for 14 days, including a layover in San Francisco. But food/drinks can quickly escalate that to £12k over a two week period.
Going alone, on a shoestring, I’d managed to get it down to £4K for five nights.
Neither of those included the entry fee.
But you could do 6 months B&B in Scarborough for the same money 
Nah, it’ll be the experience of a lifetime and well worth it.
4 Likes
How many flights is LHR>KOA? I’m guessing 2 or 3, depending if you can fly from SFO to KOA direct, or to HNL first.
Just getting there with a bike looks draining.
The States is super expensive atm; and Hawaii is worse iirc. My brother said a box of cereal was £5 in Florida.
This is why adults should not eat cereal
It’s a food for children.
3 Likes
I think that was just an indicative price that I remembered EVERYTHING is expensive there he said.
1 Like
Mrs FP’s best friend in Sydney said a cabbage is $13 now. She’s Chinese, so eats a lot of cabbage!
1 Like
But that’s just down to the poor exchange rate, surely???
Check out your job role over in the US (but not in a Right to Work state) and you’ll find the salary is 30-40% higher.
Suddenly a £5 box of cereal doesn’t look too expensive.
Also, Waitrose have MANY MANY boxes of cereal for £4.
1 Like
Yes but you then have medical ins and Florida, horrendously high property tax and tornado insurance. It’s all swings and roundabouts. Nobody is flush with money right now at the ‘regular’ end of the spectrum in most western countries.
Plus Hawaii is a bloody long way from anywhere!
1 Like