OK, so a bunch of guys in Hawaii are sitting around a table arguing who's in better shape: runners, swimmers, or other athletes. One of the guys stands up and says "Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't we combine the Waikiki Roughwater Swim with the Around-Oahu Bike Race and the Honolulu Marathon?"
I'm serious. That's what he said. This was in 1978 and the proposal was made by Navy Commander John Collins during the awards ceremony for a Hawaii running race. He proposed that these three events be completed in immediate succession. The triathlon would be comprised of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bicycle ride and a 26.2 mile run. Collins said that the winner of the competition would earn the title "Ironman."
On Feb. 18 of that year, 15 men competed in the first annual Ironman competition. Twelve of them finished the race and Gordon Haller became the first Ironman with a time of 11 hours, 46 minutes and 58 seconds. Since then, the Ironman competition has evolved into the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, drawing about 1,500 contestants each year and is held at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
The 140.6 mile competition now limits the official time a participant has to complete the race to 17 hours, with the most recent winning time set by Timothy DeBoom of the United States. He completed the three legs of the race in slightly over 8.5 hours.
Now, I know what you're asking yourself: How can I get to the Ironman World Championship? Well, they don't let just anyone compete. Most participants must first qualify at a regional Ironman competition.
There are 22 of these held annually all over the world. It is by finishing well in one of these events that you will qualify for the World Championship.
The man and woman who win the triathlon each go home with $70,000 for being the first to cross the finish line. And with the total purse weighing in at $325,000, the Ironman World Championship is the richest triathlon around.
A prize like this doesn't come without more than sufficient hard work.
The average training for this race lasts in excess of seven months. We're not talking about walking on the treadmill and watching TV, either. Participants have to be ready for every contingency. In the recent 2001 competition, 50 mph wind gusts were the obstacle standing in their way.
What does this person go through? The average training week entails seven miles of swimming - that's a third of the English Channel. There's also 232 miles of biking. That's like riding your bike from New York City to Philadelphia and back - then riding to Philly again. Then there's an additional 48 miles of running. That's another 48 miles.
This doesn't mean that you have to be in your prime to participate. The oldest man to complete the triathlon was Norton Davey, who was a whopping 82 years old! The only down side to this is that he finished in 18 hours and 20 minutes, more than an hour over the specified time limit. This leaves the title to Bill Bell, a 77-year-old. Oddly enough, both of these seniors came from the state of California. Hmm...
At the opposite end of the spectrum are the man and woman who hold the records for speed at the World Championship. For the men, Luc Van Lierde set the standard at 8:04:08 in 1996. For the women, Paula Newby-Fraser covered the 140.6 miles in 8:55:28 in 1992.
If you're itching to see more of the Ironman World Championships, you don't have to wait until next year's race on Oct. 19. NBC will be recapping the events on Sunday, Nov. 18, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
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