Thousands of athletes competed in the 2023 Kaiser Permanente Ironman California triathlon Sunday in Sacramento, complete with a record-breaking performance from the first-place finisher.The 140.6-mile course included a 2.4-mile swim down the American and Sacramento rivers, a 112-mile bike ride around the Sacramento River delta region and then a two-loop 26.2-mile marathon course. The finish line was just west of the California State Capitol building.Dan Plews, of Auckland, New Zealand, took the overall victory and finished the course first. Ironman organizers said Plews set the fastest finishing time for an age-group athlete in the full-distance Ironman triathlon. He finished the course in seven hours, 56 minutes and 56 seconds.For several athletes, Sunday’s race was their first Ironman competition. That was the case for Morgan Dawson, who came to Sacramento from Texas for the competition. Dawson was visibly emotional at the finish line.“Excited. Emotional. I worked hard to get here, and it’s quite an accomplishment. So proud,” Dawson. “Being out there all day, I PR’d my bike, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out even with all the rain.”First-time Ironman athlete Edwin Hooy traveled to Sacramento all the way from Singapore for Sunday’s race. He said all his hard work preparing for the triathlon paid off.“Really happy. Really happy. Relieved. I’ve been training for this for one and a half years, so it’s all the effort and race and reward today,” Hooy said. “Feeling great. I achieved my target time, in fact below my target time, so really happy today.”Athletes for Sunday’s Ironman came from all over the world. Murat Guney, who is from Turkey, said this was his sixth Ironman. Despite the heavy rain downpours throughout the course of the day and night, Guney said he was happy with his performance.“It was tough, but I got it. It was a very nice race. But I gave it my all. Unbelievable,” Guney said.Craig Taylor, who is from Los Angeles, said Sunday’s race was his 15th Ironman competition. He placed 13th overall. He said despite not having the race he was hoping for, he was encouraged to have his family cheering him along the way.“It’s really awesome. It’s what helps motivate you all the way to the finish and stuff, like, I’ve got my daughter and all my family and stuff, so it’s absolutely awesome having everybody out,” Taylor said. “Didn’t achieve the goal that I wanted, which was to qualify for the world championships, so now I got to go try again.”IRONMAN California will return to Sacramento on Oct. 27, 2024. Visit Sacramento recently announced a partnership to continue the race in Sacramento through 2028.
Thousands of athletes competed in the 2023 Kaiser Permanente Ironman California triathlon Sunday in Sacramento, complete with a record-breaking performance from the first-place finisher.
The 140.6-mile course included a 2.4-mile swim down the American and Sacramento rivers, a 112-mile bike ride around the Sacramento River delta region and then a two-loop 26.2-mile marathon course. The finish line was just west of the California State Capitol building.
Dan Plews, of Auckland, New Zealand, took the overall victory and finished the course first. Ironman organizers said Plews set the fastest finishing time for an age-group athlete in the full-distance Ironman triathlon. He finished the course in seven hours, 56 minutes and 56 seconds.
For several athletes, Sunday’s race was their first Ironman competition. That was the case for Morgan Dawson, who came to Sacramento from Texas for the competition. Dawson was visibly emotional at the finish line.
“Excited. Emotional. I worked hard to get here, and it’s quite an accomplishment. So proud,” Dawson. “Being out there all day, I PR’d my bike, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out even with all the rain.”
First-time Ironman athlete Edwin Hooy traveled to Sacramento all the way from Singapore for Sunday’s race. He said all his hard work preparing for the triathlon paid off.
“Really happy. Really happy. Relieved. I’ve been training for this for one and a half years, so it’s all the effort and race and reward today,” Hooy said. “Feeling great. I achieved my target time, in fact below my target time, so really happy today.”
Athletes for Sunday’s Ironman came from all over the world. Murat Guney, who is from Turkey, said this was his sixth Ironman. Despite the heavy rain downpours throughout the course of the day and night, Guney said he was happy with his performance.
“It was tough, but I got it. It was a very nice race. But I gave it my all. Unbelievable,” Guney said.
Craig Taylor, who is from Los Angeles, said Sunday’s race was his 15th Ironman competition. He placed 13th overall. He said despite not having the race he was hoping for, he was encouraged to have his family cheering him along the way.
“It’s really awesome. It’s what helps motivate you all the way to the finish and stuff, like, I’ve got my daughter and all my family and stuff, so it’s absolutely awesome having everybody out,” Taylor said. “Didn’t achieve the goal that I wanted, which was to qualify for the world championships, so now I got to go try again.”
IRONMAN California will return to Sacramento on Oct. 27, 2024. Visit Sacramento recently announced a partnership to continue the race in Sacramento through 2028.