Ironman Triathlon
Encyclopedia
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...

 races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) consisting of a 2.4 miles (3.86 km) swim
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

, a 112 miles (180.25 km) bike
Bicycle racing
Bicycle racing is a competition sport in which various types of bicycles are used. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, bike trials, and cycle speedway. Bicycle racing is recognised as an Olympic sport...

 and a marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 42.195 kilometres (26.2 mi) run
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...

, raced in that order and without a break. Most Ironman events have a strict time limit of 17 hours to complete the race, where the Ironman race starts at 7:00 AM, the mandatory swim cut off for the 2.4 miles (3.9 km) swim is 2 hours 20 minutes, the bike cut off time is 5:30 PM, and all finishers must complete their marathon by midnight.

The name Ironman Triathlon refers to both the original Ironman triathlon and the annual Ironman World Championship
Ironman World Championship
The Ironman World Championship has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. It is owned and organised by the World Triathlon Corporation and is currently sponsored by Ford...

. Also called Ironman Hawaii, the world championships of the event, held annually in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

 since 1978
1978 in sports
1978 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Ingemar Stenmark, Sweden** Women's overall season champion: Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein-American football:...

 (with an additional race in 1982), are now preceded by a series of qualifying events. Ironman Triathlon became known for its grueling length, harsh race conditions, and television coverage
Broadcasting of sports events
The broadcasting of sports events is the coverage of sports as a television program, on radio and other broadcasting media. It usually involves one or more sports commentators describing the events as they happen.-United States:...

.

History

The idea for the original Ironman Triathlon arose during the awards ceremony for the 1977 Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...

 Perimeter Relay (a running race for 5-person teams). Among the participants were numerous representatives of both the Mid-Pacific Road Runners and the Waikiki Swim Club, whose members had long been debating which athletes were more fit, runners or swimmers. On this occasion, U.S. Navy Commander John Collins pointed out that a recent article in Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

magazine had declared that Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...

, the great Belgian cyclist, had the highest recorded "oxygen uptake
VO2 max
VO2 max is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and use oxygen during incremental exercise, which reflects the physical fitness of the individual...

" of any athlete ever measured, so perhaps cyclists were more fit than anyone. CDR Collins and his wife Judy Collins had taken part in the triathlons staged in 1974 and 1975 by the San Diego Track Club in and around Mission Bay, California
Mission Bay, California
Mission Bay is a saltwater bay or lagoon located south of the Pacific Beach community of San Diego, California. The bay is part of the recreational Mission Bay Park, which is the largest man-made aquatic park in the country, consisting of , approximately 46% land and 54% water...

, as well as the 1975 Optimist Sports Fiesta Triathlon in Coronado, California
Coronado, California
Coronado, also known as Coronado Island, is an affluent resort city located in San Diego County, California, 5.2 miles from downtown San Diego. Its population was 24,697 at the 2010 census, up from 24,100 at the 2000 census. U.S. News and World Report lists Coronado as one of the most expensive...

. A number of the other military athletes in attendance were also familiar with the San Diego races, so they understood the concept when Collins suggested that the debate should be settled through a race combining the three existing long-distance competitions already on the island: the Waikiki
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....

 Roughwater Swim (2.4 mi./3.86 km), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 mi./185.07 km; originally a two-day event) and the Honolulu Marathon
Honolulu Marathon
The Honolulu Marathon is one of the world's largest marathons. It takes place annually in Honolulu, Hawaii on the second Sunday in December. - History :...

 (26.219 mi./42.195 km).

Until that point, no one present had ever done the bike race. Collins calculated that by shaving 3 miles (4.8 km) off the course and riding counter-clockwise around the island, the bike leg could start at the finish of the Waikiki Rough Water and end at the Aloha Tower
Aloha Tower
The Aloha Tower is a lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of Hawaii in the United States. Opened on September 11, 1926, the Aloha Tower is located at Pier 9 of Honolulu Harbor. It has and continues to be a guiding beacon welcoming vessels to the City and County of Honolulu...

, the traditional start of the Honolulu Marathon. Prior to racing, each athlete received three sheets of paper listing a few rules and a course description. Handwritten on the last page was this exhortation: "Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life", now a registered trademark.

With a nod to a local runner who was notorious for his demanding workouts, Collins said, "Whoever finishes first, we'll call him the Iron Man." Each of the racers had their own support crew to supply water, food and encouragement during the event. Of the fifteen men to start off in the early morning on February 18, 1978, twelve completed the race. Gordon Haller
Gordon Haller
Gordon Haller is the winner of the first Ironman Triathlon.-Biography:Haller grew up in Forest Grove, Oregon and earned a degree in physics at Pacific University....

, a US Navy Communications Specialist, was the first to earn the title Ironman by completing the course with a time of 11 hours, 46 minutes, 58 seconds. The runner-up John Dunbar, a US Navy SEAL, led after the second transition and had a chance to win but ran out of water on the marathon course; his support crew resorted to giving him beer instead.

With no further marketing efforts, the race gathered as many as 50 athletes in 1979. The race, however, was postponed a day because of bad weather conditions. Only fifteen competitors started off the race Sunday morning. San Diego's Tom Warren won in 11 hours, 15 minutes, 56 seconds. Lyn Lemaire
Lyn Lemaire
Eleanor Lynette Lemaire , also known as Lyn Lemaire, is an American former triathlete and championship cyclist. In 1979 she was the first woman to complete the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon, becoming the world's first female "Ironman" and – by default as the only woman in the race – the...

, a championship cyclist from Boston, placed sixth overall and became the first "Ironwoman".

Collins planned on changing the race into a relay event to draw more participants, but Sports Illustrated's journalist Barry McDermott, in the area to cover a golf tournament, discovered the race and wrote a ten page account of it. During the following year, hundreds of curious participants contacted Collins.

In 1981 organizer Valerie Silk moved the competition to the less urbanized Hawaii Island
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...

 (called the Big Island) and in 1982 moved the race date from February to October; as a result of this change there were two Ironman Triathlon events in 1982.
A milestone in the marketing of the legend and history of the race happened in February 1982. Julie Moss
Julie Moss
Julie Moss is an American triathlete. She first became known during the 1982 Ironman Triathlon, in which she competed as part of her research for her exercise physiology thesis. She has claimed that she did not initially take the race seriously and did not have any special training beforehand. ...

, a college student competing to gather research for her exercise physiology thesis, moved toward the finish line in first place. As she neared the finish, severe fatigue and dehydration set in, and she fell, just yards away from the finish line. Although Kathleen McCartney
Kathleen McCartney (triathlete)
Kathleen McCartney Hearst is an American former triathlete who won the Ironman World Championship in February 1982. She passed Julie Moss, who collapsed less than 10 yards from the finish line, and won the race...

 passed her for the women’s title, Moss nevertheless crawled to the finish line. Her performance was broadcast worldwide and created the Ironman mantra that just finishing is a victory.

The sport of triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...

 was added as an Olympic sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

 in Sydney as a shorter distance race (1500 metre (0.93205910497471 mi) swim, 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) cycle, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) run).

There have been a number of non-WTC "Ironman Distance" triathlons that have been held since the mid-1990s. The limited number of WTC-sanctioned events, and the limited number of entries available per race, have combined with a growth in the sport that has created demand for these non-trademarked events. Many of them share the 2.4 miles (3.9 km), 112 miles (180.2 km), 26.2 miles (42.2 km) format with Ironman. Originally, many used the Ironman name. Due to aggressive trademark protection, most of these races no longer use the word "Ironman". The largest of these include the Vineman Triathlon and Silverman Triathlon.

The original Ironman is held in conditions which are uniquely punishing for endurance racing: the Hawaii water is warm enough that helpfully buoyant wetsuits are not allowed; though the cycling hills have only moderate gradients they are normally crossed by strong and gusting winds; and the marathon leg of the race is usually extremely hot. Other races under the WTC aegis have their own difficulties, characteristic of their setting and season. Anyone completing one of these races within the time limit, so long as it is the prescribed distance, is entitled to call themselves an Ironman (the term being gender-neutral). At one time there was no cut-off time, then a 15 hour time limit. For these events the normal time limit is now 17 hours. Some iron distance races (not sanctioned by the WTC corporation, but using the same standard distances) have different cut-off times.

Today

The Ironman format remains unchanged, and the Hawaiian Ironman is still regarded as an honored and prestigious triathlon event to win worldwide. Although thousands of athletes worldwide compete at an Ironman event each year, the vast majority aim simply to just finish the course if they are first timers, or set a personal record if they've raced this distance before. Only very talented athletes realistically compete for a spot in Hawaii, and just finishing an Ironman race is often the highlight of many triathletes' career. Athletes with disabilities now compete in the event in the physically challenged category, and are required to meet the same cutoff times as able bodied competitors. Australian John MacLean was the first physically challenged athlete to complete the event.

People completing such an event within the strict event time cutoffs are agreed to be recognized as "Ironmen": the plural "Ironmans" refers to multiples of "Ironman" as a short form of "Ironman Triathlon." In the triathlon community an Ironman is someone who has completed a race of the appropriate distance, whether or not it falls under the aegis of WTC.

Ironman World Championships

Over time the popularity of the sport of triathlon grew, and the annual race on the Big Island became The Ironman World Championship, with a series of qualifying races required to enter the championship. The Hawaii race consists of the swim
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

 in the bay of Kailua-Kona, the bike
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...

 ride across the Hawaiian lava desert to Hāwī and back, and the marathon run along the coast (from Keauhou to Keahole Point
Keahole Point
Keāhole Point is the westernmost point of the island of Hawaii. The Kona International Airport was moved here from directly north of the town of Kailua-Kona in 1970, when the previous smaller airstrip was converted into the Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area...

 and back to Kailua-Kona); finishing on Alii Drive. The most recent Ironman World Championship took place on October 8, 2011.

The current Ironman Hawaii course record was set in 2011 by Craig Alexander
Craig Alexander (triathlete)
Craig Alexander is an Australian triathlete who is the 2008, 2009 & 2011 Ironman Triathlon World Champion. He is only the fourth man to win the Ironman World Championship two years in a row; the others were Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and Tim DeBoom. He is also only the fourth man to win the Ironman...

 (Australia), whose winning time was 8 hours 3 minutes 56 seconds. Chrissie Wellington
Chrissie Wellington
Christine Ann Wellington MBE , known as Chrissie Wellington, is an English triathlete and the current Ironman Triathlon World Champion...

 (Great Britain) set the women's course record in 2009 with a winning time of 8 hours 54 minutes 2 seconds.

For amateur triathletes, qualifying for the World Championship is through placement in one of the other Ironman series of races or a few selected Ironman 70.3 races. Entry into the race can also be obtained through a random allocation lottery or through the Ironman’s charitable eBay auction.

Ironman series

There are 26 Ironman Triathlon races throughout the world that enable qualification for 2012 Ironman World Championships. Professional athletes qualify for the championship through a point ranking system, where points are earned based on their final placement in Ironman and Ironman 70.3
Ironman 70.3
An Ironman 70.3, also known as a Half Ironman, is one of a series of middle-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation . The "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles covered in the race, consisting of a swim, a bike ride, and a run...

 events. The top 50 male and top 30 female professionals in points qualify for the championship. Amateur athletes qualify for the championship by receiving slots allocated to each age group's top finishers in a qualifying event. The Ironman qualifying events for 2012 include:

United States

  • Ironman Arizona in Tempe
    Tempe, Arizona
    Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...

    , Arizona
    Arizona
    Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

    ; added in 2005
  • Ironman Coeur d'Alene in Coeur d'Alene
    Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
    Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...

    , Idaho
    Idaho
    Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

    ; added in 2003
  • Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach
    Panama City Beach, Florida
    Panama City Beach is a city in Bay County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico coast. The city is often referred to under the umbrella term of "Panama City", despite being a distinct municipality from the older and larger inland Panama City to the east, making Panama City and Panama City...

    , Florida
    Florida
    Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

    ; added in 1999
  • Ironman Lake Placid in Lake Placid, New York
    Lake Placid, New York
    Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....

    ; added in 1999
  • Ironman Texas in The Woodlands, Texas
    The Woodlands, Texas
    The Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose...

    ; added in 2011
  • Ironman Louisville in Louisville
    Louisville, Kentucky
    Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

    , Kentucky
    Kentucky
    The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

    ; added in 2007
  • Ironman St. George in St. George
    St. George, Utah
    St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...

    , Utah
    Utah
    Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

    ; added in 2010
  • Ironman U.S. Championship in New York City, New York
    New York City
    New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

    ; added in 2012
  • Ironman Wisconsin in Madison
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

    , Wisconsin
    Wisconsin
    Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

    ; added in 2002

Europe

  • Ironman France in Nice
    Nice
    Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

    , France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

  • Ironman European Championship
    Ironman Germany
    The Ironman Germany, with running and finish in central Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is a triathlon race in the Ironman series and is held annually in July...

     in Frankfurt
    Frankfurt
    Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...

    , Germany
    Germany
    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

    .
  • Ironman Switzerland, in Zürich
    Zürich
    Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

    , Switzerland
    Switzerland
    Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

  • Ironman Regensburg in Regensburg
    Regensburg
    Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...

    , Germany
    Germany
    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

  • Ironman UK in Bolton
    Bolton
    Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...

    , United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

  • Ironman Lanzarote in Puerto del Carmen
    Puerto del Carmen
    Puerto del Carmen is the main tourist town on the island of Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain. It is part of the municipality of Tías. Most of Lanzarote's over 1 million visitors per year choose this town as their destination...

    , the Canary Islands
    Canary Islands
    The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...

    , Spain
    Spain
    Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

  • Ironman Austria in Klagenfurt
    Klagenfurt
    -Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...

    , Austria
    Austria
    Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

  • Ironman Wales in Tenby
    Tenby
    Tenby is a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, lying on Carmarthen Bay.Notable features of Tenby include of sandy beaches; the 13th century medieval town walls, including the Five Arches barbican gatehouse ; 15th century St...

    , Wales
    Wales
    Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...


Australia

  • Ironman Asia Pacific Championship in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
    Melbourne
    Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

  • Ironman Australia in Port Macquarie
    Port Macquarie, New South Wales
    Port Macquarie is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The city is located on the coast, at the mouth of the Hastings River, and has an estimated population of 44,313....

    , Australia
    Australia
    Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

  • Ironman Western Australia in Busselton, Australia
    Australia
    Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...


Canada

  • Ironman Canada in Penticton
    Penticton, British Columbia
    Penticton is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha Lakes. Its 2010 population was 37,721 .-Name origin:...

    , British Columbia
    British Columbia
    British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

    , Canada
    Canada
    Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

  • Ironman Mont-Tremblant in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec
    Quebec
    Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

    , Canada
    Canada
    Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...


Other

  • Ironman Brazil on Florianopolis Island
    Florianópolis
    -Climate:Florianópolis experiences a warm humid subtropical climate, falling just short of a true tropical climate. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic weather for autumn and spring. Frost is infrequent, but occurs occasionally in the winter...

    , Brazil
    Brazil
    Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

  • Ironman Cozumel in Cozumel
    Cozumel
    Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatan Channel. Cozumel is one of the ten municipalities of the state of Quintana Roo...

    , Quintana Roo
    Quintana Roo
    Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....

    , Mexico
    Mexico
    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

  • Ironman New Zealand in Taupo
    Taupo
    Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....

    , New Zealand
    New Zealand
    New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

  • Ironman South Africa in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
    South Africa
    The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...


Men

  • Craig Alexander
    Craig Alexander (triathlete)
    Craig Alexander is an Australian triathlete who is the 2008, 2009 & 2011 Ironman Triathlon World Champion. He is only the fourth man to win the Ironman World Championship two years in a row; the others were Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and Tim DeBoom. He is also only the fourth man to win the Ironman...

    • 3-time Ironman World Champion (2008, 2009 and 2011)
    • Current Hawaii course record holder (8:03:56 in 2011)

  • Mark Allen
    Mark Allen (triathlete)
    Mark Allen is the six-time Ironman Triathon World Champion. He graduated from UC San Diego,where he was an All-American swimmer, with a degree in biology....

    • 6-time winner of the Ironman Hawaii (joint men's record)
    • 5 consecutive victories in Hawaii (overall record)
    • Nickname is "The Grip"

  • Jon Blais
    • The first person with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
      Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
      Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...

       (ALS or "Lou Gehrig's disease"), a terminal muscle-wasting illness, to enter and complete the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. He completed the October 15, 2005, race in 16 hours and 29 minutes. He died on May 27, 2007.

  • Stefaan Engels
    Stefaan Engels
    Stefaan Engels , also known as "marathon man", is a Belgian marathoner and triathlete, the first man who finished 365 consecutive marathons in a single year with 365 marathons completed in 2010...

    • Most Ironman Triathlon races completed in one year (20 between December 2007 and November 2008)
    • Nickname is "Marathon Man"

  • Dick and Rick Hoyt
    Team Hoyt
    Team Hoyt is a father and son team from Holland, Massachusetts, who have competed together in various athletic endeavors, including marathons and triathlons...

    • Around age 65, Dick completed the Ironman Triathlon with disabled son Rick, who cannot walk or talk. Dick pulled Rick in a boat through the swim, rode with him on a specially outfitted bike through the 112 miles (180.2 km) ride, and pushed him in a wheelchair through the run.
    • Completed six Ironman Triathlon competitions.

  • Luc Van Lierde
    Luc Van Lierde
    Luc Van Lierde is an athlete from Belgium, who has been competing in triathlon since 1990.-Athletic career:Van Lierde's international career started in 1990 when he came fourth in the World Olympic Distance Triathlon Championships...

    • First European male winner of Ironman Hawaii
    • Holder of all-time record until 2011 (7:50:27 in 1996 Ironman Europe)
    • Set the Hawaii course record (8:04:08) in 1996, which held until 2011

  • Andreas Raelert
    Andreas Raelert
    Andreas Raelert is a German triathlete .On 10th July 2011, Raelert broke the world record time for an Ironman Triathlon distance race at the at Challenge Roth event in Roth, Germany...

    • Current record holder for the fastest time for all Ironman-distance races (7:41:33, Roth, 2011)

  • Dave Scott
    Dave Scott (triathlete)
    Dave Scott is a U.S. triathlete and the first six-time Ironman Triathon World Champion. He won the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii six times in 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1987. Only his rival, Mark Allen, managed to match these six titles eight years later...

    • 6-time winner of the Ironman Hawaii (joint men's record)
    • Nickname is "The Man"

  • Normann Stadler
    • 2-time Ironman World Champion (2004 and 2006)
    • Hawai'i bike course record holder (4:18:23 with an average of 26 mph; under overcast weather conditions)

  • Marino Vanhoenacker
    Marino Vanhoenacker
    Marino Vanhoenacker is a Belgian triathlete. On 3 July 2011, he broke the world record for the full triathlon at the Ironman Triathlon at Klagenfurt in Austria, finishing after 7 hours, 45 minutes and 58 seconds, beating Luc Van Lierde's 1997 time of 7h50m27s.-Biography:Marino Vanhoenacker was...

    • 6-time winner of the Ironman in Klagenfurt, Austria
    • Currently (2011) holds the record time of 7 hours, 45 minutes and 58 seconds at "Ironman" sanctioned events

  • Greg Welch
    Greg Welch
    Gregory John Welch OAM is an Australian triathlete. He is acknowledged as one of the greatest triathletes due to his remarkable dominance in winning the "The Grand Slam" which includes the ITU Triathlon World Championships , The Ironman World Championship , the ITU Duathlon World Championships and...

    • First non-American male winner of Ironman Hawaii
    • Won the Grand Slam of races during his career
    • Nickname is "Mighty Mouse"

Women

  • Natascha Badmann
    Natascha Badmann
    Natascha Badmann is a professional triathlete from Switzerland and was the first European woman to win the Ironman Triathlon World Championships. She won the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005....

    • First European female winner of Ironman Hawaii
    • 6-time winner of the Ironman Hawaii

  • Lisa Bentley
    Lisa Bentley
    Lisa Bentley is a Canadian triathlete. She has been competing on the Ironman race series since late in the 1990s. In 1988, Bentley was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. Despite this, she has won 11 Ironman competitions...

    • 11-time Ironman Winner from Canada
    • 5 Top 10 finishes at Ironman World Championships.
    • Competed as one of the best female triathletes of all time while living with the challenges of cystic fibrosis

  • Kelly Bruno
    Kelly Bruno
    Kelly Bruno is a world-record holding amputee runner and athlete. She was a contestant on the 21st season of the television show Survivor.-Biography:...

    • Holds Ironman Hawaii record for female amputees
    • Second female amputee to finish the Ironman Hawaii (2007)
    • Was a contestant on Survivor: Nicaragua
      Survivor: Nicaragua
      Survivor: Nicaragua is the 21st season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It premiered on September 15, 2010 at 8:00pm, moving to the Wednesday timeslot for the first time since Survivor: Borneo....


  • Paula Newby-Fraser
    Paula Newby-Fraser
    Paula Newby-Fraser is an Ironman triathlete and duathlete. She was born in Southern Rhodesia and raised in South Africa, where she was a nationally-ranked swimmer as a child....

    • 8-time winner of the Ironman Hawaii (overall record)
    • 4 consecutive victories in Hawaii
    • 24 Ironman victories overall (overall record)
    • Nickname is "The Queen of Kona"

  • Sarah Reinertsen
    Sarah Reinertsen
    Sarah Reinertsen is an American athlete. She was the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii....

    • First woman to attempt/complete the Ironman Hawaii triathlon on a prosthetic leg
    • Nickname is alwastri

  • Yvonne van Vlerken
    Yvonne van Vlerken
    Yvonne van Vlerken is a Dutch triathlete and duathlete, twice winner of Quelle Challenge Roth, who in 2008 set a then world record for Ironman-distance triathlon races...

    • broke Paula Newby-Fraser's 14 year old all-time record in wet and cold conditions setting a 8:45:48 at Quelle Challenge Roth in 2008, and held this record for one year
    • twice winner of Quelle Challenge Roth
    • recorded a sub-9 hour time (8:51:55) on her Ironman-distance debut in Roth, 2007
    • three sub-9-hour Ironman-distance results
    • the only female athlete in history to hold the world record over both the half-Ironman distance (4:07:29 at Ironman 70.3 Antwerp 2006) and the Ironman-distance (8:45:48 at Challenge Roth 2008)

  • Chrissie Wellington
    Chrissie Wellington
    Christine Ann Wellington MBE , known as Chrissie Wellington, is an English triathlete and the current Ironman Triathlon World Champion...

    • Winner of the Ironman Hawaii World Championship at her first attempt, less than a year after turning professional
    • 3-time successive and 4-time overall female winner of Ironman Hawaii (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011)
    • Current female Hawaii course record holder: 8:54:02 (2009)
    • Current record holder for the fastest time for all Ironman-distance races (8:18:13 at Challenge Roth
      Challenge Roth
      The Challenge Roth, is a triathlon race in and around Roth, Germany. It is held annually in July.-Course:The distance is the Ironman distance, even though the race is not part of the official Ironman series....

       in 2011)
    • Holds the five fastest-ever women's times over the Ironman-distance: 8:18:13 (Roth, 2011), 8:19:13 (Roth, 2010), 8:31:59 (Roth, 2009), 8:33:56 (Port Elizabeth, 2011) and 8:36:13 (Tempe, 2010)
    • Official Ironman world record recordrecord over all WTC Ironman-branded ("M-dot") races only holder: 8:33:56 (Port Elizabeth, 2011)
    • Fastest female iron-distance bike time: 4:36:33 (Roth, 2010)
    • Fastest female iron-distance marathon run time: 2:44:54 (Roth, 2011)
    • Greatest number of sub-9 hour times (nine, five more than Paula Newby-Fraser's previous record)
    • Undefeated over the Ironman distance
    • First Ironman World Champion from the United Kingdom

Ironman 70.3

In 2005, WTC instituted the Ironman 70.3 race series. This shorter course, also known as a Half Ironman, consists of a 1.2 miles (1.9 km) swim, 56 miles (90.1 km) bike ride, and 13.1 miles (21.1 km) run. As with the Ironman series, it consists of a number of qualifying races at various locations worldwide, culminating in a world championship race with athletes drawn largely from top finishers in the qualifying events. The world championship is held at Lake Las Vegas
Lake Las Vegas
Lake Las Vegas is located in Henderson, Nevada. Lake Las Vegas refers to both a man made lake and to the area built around the lake. The area is sometimes referred to as the Lake Las Vegas Resort...

 in Henderson, Nevada
Henderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...

. For amateur athletes, some 70.3 events act as qualifiers for the full Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. For professional triathletes, up to three 70.3 events can be used to accumulate points to be put towards their championship qualifying point rankings.

The Ironman trademark

The Ironman Triathlon logo is a trademark of the World Triathlon Corporation. The WTC has also registered the trademark "Ironman Triathlon" for its athletic competitions, and the trademark "Ironman" for a line of clothing, athletic equipment, and souvenirs, and licensed the name to Timex for their line of Timex Ironman
Timex Ironman
The Timex Ironman is a digital wristwatch first produced by Timex in 1986 that continues to be made in various styles today.-History and development:...

 wristwatches. The trademark also extends to the use of "140.6" and "70.3," the respective distances for a full and half Ironman.

Symbols

M-Dot is the symbol that refers to the event. The symbol is taken from the Ironman logo, which is the word IRONMAN (in all caps) with a dot on top of the letter M, which is meant to look like a person. The dot is the head of the person and the M is the body of the person. It represents the need to have a fit body and a strong willpower.

Iron-distance triathlon

Other organizations holding a race of equal distances may only refer to their triathlons as a "Full Distance Triathlon" or something similar, occasionally also involving the -man suffix, though the term 'ironman' is used to refer to such races unofficially. Races that are not officially "Ironman" race are also referred to as Iron distance and Half Iron distance (unofficially).

Examples of such races on the full iron distance are:
  • The Challenge Family is a series of large full and half iron-distance triathlon races. Full distance races take place during 2011 in:
    • Barcelona
      Barcelona
      Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

      , Spain
      Spain
      Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

    • Cairns, Australia
    • Cape Town
      Cape Town
      Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

      , South Africa
    • Challenge Copenhagen, in Copenhagen
      Copenhagen
      Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

      , Denmark
    • Henley-on-Thames
      Henley-on-Thames
      Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...

      , United Kingdom
    • Challenge Roth
      Challenge Roth
      The Challenge Roth, is a triathlon race in and around Roth, Germany. It is held annually in July.-Course:The distance is the Ironman distance, even though the race is not part of the official Ironman series....

      , in Roth
      Roth bei Nürnberg
      Roth is a town in Bavaria, Germany, the capital of the district Roth. It is located about 25 km south of Nuremberg.-History:...

      , Germany
    • Vichy
      Vichy
      Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...

      , France
    • Wanaka
      Wanaka
      Wanaka is a town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is situated at the southern end of Lake Wanaka, adjacent to the outflow of the lake to the Clutha River. It is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. Wanaka is primarily a resort town but has both summer and winter...

      , New Zealand

More full distance races:
  • Outlaw Triathlon, Nottingham
    Nottingham
    Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

    , UK
  • Embrunman, Embrun
    Embrun, Hautes-Alpes
    Embrun is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Description:...

    , France
  • ElbaMan Island of Elba
    Elba
    Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...

    , Italy
  • ForestMan, New Forest
    New Forest
    The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....

    , UK
  • Norseman Triathlon
    Norseman triathlon
    The Norseman xtreme triathlon is a non-Ironman branded triathlon, point to point, race held in Norway annually. The distances are equivalent to those of an Ironman race with the swim starting from the loading bay of a car ferry, through the water of the Hardangerfjord fjord to the local town,...

    , Eidfjord
    Eidfjord
    Eidfjord is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Eidfjord was separated from Ulvik May 1, 1891....

     to Rjukan
    Rjukan
    Rjukan is a town and the administrative center of Tinn municipality in Telemark . It is situated in Vestfjorddalen, between Møsvatn and Tinnsjå, and got its name after Rjukanfossen west of the town. The Tinn municipality council granted township status for Rjukan in 1996. The town has 3 386...

    , Norway
  • Bergen Triathlon, at the island Askøy
    Askøy
    Askøy is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Since the opening of the Askøy Bridge leading to the mainland in Bergen in 1992, the population has increased rapidly. Its population growth is as of 2008 among the highest in Norway...

    , outside Bergen
    Bergen
    Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....

    , Norway
  • Kalmar Triathlon
    Kalmar Triathlon
    Kalmar Triathlon is a triathlon race, the only in Sweden on the Ironman distance. It is also Swedish championship ....

    , Sweden
  • Vineman Full Sonoma County, CA
  • ChesapeakeMan, Cambridge, MD USA
  • Revolution 3 Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH USA
  • Beach 2 Battleship, Willmington, NC USA

Training for Iron-distance triathlon

Training for the Ironman or Iron-distance triathlon requires preparing for long-distance competition in three events. Training can take several years of aerobic base training before a triathlete is prepared to safely compete at Iron-distance events. There are many coaching services available for full-distance triathlon training.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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