Is Ironman Done as a Race?

The recent USA Championships in Woodlands Texas were a disaster. That is if you are an old school triathlete looking for great competition. Ironman at least in North America has gone the way of the marathon. It’s a participation event more than a race. At the 2018 LA Marathon 232 runners ran under 3 hours. 8,000 or half the field finished in over 5 hours. At 5 hours it’s participation. The LA Marathon is a for profit business and they don’t care about fast times. They want numbers. Ironman for that matter is the same thing, they need numbers. But the one thing Ironman has different is Kona. How does Ironman rectify the Woodlands race with Kona? I have a solution.

1. Designate Participation Ironman races - The goal here is finish. The rules are simple, wear a helmet, obey the general corse rules passing on the left, speed zones etc. Draft if you want. No Kona slots and No Legacy qualifications. 
2. Kona designated races - All Current rules apply. 
3. A USA Championship race can’t be a participation race.