Ironman World Championship 2024: Billy Monger smashes predicted time in Kona

Racing driver and commentator Billy Monger has completed the Ironman World Championship race in Kona and smashed his predicted finish time, as well as the double-amputee World Record.

There was plenty of drama at this year’s men’s Ironman World Championship in Kona. Records tumbled throughout the race including one notable achievement.

Crossing the line and punching the air, double-amputee and racing driver Billy Monger achieved something even his team didn’t dare dream about.

Racing for Comic Relief

Billy Monger took on the Ironman World Champs as part of this year’s Comic Relief fundraising efforts, aiming to raise a seven-figure sum.

As well as the fundraising and awareness though, there was another goal – to finish – and beyond that, to attempt a world record.

In an exclusive interview for 220, Billy revealed: “The first goal is to finish in under the 17hr limit. Next is to break the existing record for a double amputee of 16:25hrs. Beyond that, sub-15hrs has a nice ring to it, but the team isn’t getting carried away.

“Kona is a different ballgame with the heat and humidity and wind on the bike, so a lot of our training numbers we take with a pinch of salt. If everything went perfectly and I perform out of my skin, could I break 15hr? That’s my dream scenario, but ultimately I just want to finish.”

Smashing the world record

Billy achieved his goals and more.

Racing in bib number 111, Billy completed the race in a total time of 14:23:56, breaking that 15 hours by over 30 minutes and setting a new record. He also came first in the PC/ID (Physically Challenged/Intellectual Disability) category and crossed the line 1,003 overall.

Breaking those times down, Billy exited the 3.8km swim after 01:07:29, setting a rapid 01:45min/100m pace. The challenging bike course was completed in 07:26:50, while the marathon-distance run took 05:26:26.

We’ll bring you more on this story once we have reactions from Billy on his race – for now though, the 220 Triathlon team send their congratulations on a fantastic achievement.

If you want to support Billy in his Kona quest, head to comicrelief.com/billydonate

Helen Webster Editor, 220 Triathlon

About

Helen has been 220's Editor since July 2013, when she made the switch from marathons to multisport. She's usually found open-water swimming and has competed in several swimruns as well as the ÖtillÖ World Series. Helen is a qualified Level 2 Open-Water Swim Coach focusing on open-water confidence and runs regular workshops at the South West Maritime Academy near Bristol. She is also an RLSS UK Open Water Lifeguard trainer/assessor.

With contributions from

Tim Heming