Ironman Forced to Forfeit $2.7 Million for Running an Illegal Lottery

By Daniel Werly, Esq.   The Ironman World Championship, held every October in the barren lava fields of Kona, Hawaii, is the world’s most prestigious (and arguably the most difficult) long course triathlon race. First held in 1977, the race combined the three toughest endurance races in Hawai’i—the 2.4-mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim, 112 miles of the Around-O’ahu Bike Race and the 26.2-mile Honolulu Marathon—into one event.    Not just any triathlete can participate in Kona.Â