Ben Hoffman Out of Kona with Stress Fracture

Ironman champ Ben Hoffman will not be racing, he announced yesterday.

Ben Hoffman is out of this year’s Ironman World Championship due to a sacral stress fracture. The Coloradan has been a podium contender for the better part of a decade, most notably placing second in 2014, fourth in 2016, and ninth last year. He is a six-time Ironman champion, most recently going sub-8 hours to win the Ironman African Championship in 2017. (His time: 7:58:39.)

“Unfortunately, I’m here with some bad news today,” Hoffman started his Instagram announcement. “I’m announcing that I will not be comping in Kona 2018. We always push ourselves to the limit to be as ready as possible for the big race, and unfortunately this time I pushed a little too far. I suffered a grade four sacral stress fracture in my right side. In the interest of my long-term health, I’ve decided to pull the plug on the race this year. I will still be on the island to support my sponsors and teammates that are racing. Right now it’s just about resting and recuperating so I can get back to 100% as soon as possible. I fully believe that I will put this behind me and return to a high level of racing. I’m already looking forward to 2019. Thank you everyone who has supported me in this journey so far. It means everything to have your belief and support.”

The news comes less than a month after two-time Kona champ Jan Frodeno announced he would not be racing on the Big Island because of a stress fracture in his sacroiliac joint.