Ironman Triathlon

An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile (42.20 km) run, raced in that order. It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.[1][2][3]

Most Ironman events have a limited time of 16 or 17 hours to complete the race, course dependent. The race typically starts at 7:00am; the mandatory swim cut off for the 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim is 9:20am (2 hours 20 minutes), the mandatory bike cut off time is 5:30pm (8 hours 10 minutes), and the mandatory marathon cut off is midnight (6 hours 30 minutes). Any participant who manages to complete the triathlon within these time constraints is designated an Ironman.

The name "Ironman Triathlon" is also associated with the original Ironman triathlon which is now the Ironman World Championship. Held in Kailua-Kona, the world championship has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978 (with an additional race in 1982). Originally taking place in Oahu, the race moved to Kailua-Kona in 1981, where it continues today.[4] The Ironman World Championship has become known for its grueling length, harsh race conditions, and Emmy Award-winning television coverage.[5][6]

Other races exist that are of the same distance as an Ironman triathlon but are not produced, owned, or licensed by the World Triathlon Corporation. Such races include The Challenge Family series' Challenge Roth[7] and the Norseman Triathlon.

History
Aloha Tower was the original bike-to-run transition site

The idea for the original Ironman Triathlon arose during the awards ceremony for the 1977 Oʻahu Perimeter Relay.[8] Among the participants were 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 magazine had declared that Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx had the highest recorded "oxygen uptake" of any athlete ever measured, so perhaps cyclists were more fit than anyone. 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, as well as the 1975 Optimist Sports Fiesta Triathlon in Coronado, California. 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 Roughwater Swim (2.4 mi or 3.9 km), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 mi or 185 km; originally a two-day event) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.219 mi or 42.195 km).[9]

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, 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.[10] Of the fifteen men to start off in the early morning on February 18, 1978, twelve completed the race. Gordon Haller, 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.[4][11][12]

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.[9] Lyn Lemaire, 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.[9][11] During the following year, hundreds of curious participants contacted Collins.

Start and finish of the Ironman World Championship on Aliʻi Drive in Kailua-Kona Hawaii

Valerie Silk and WTC

Around 1979 Collins no longer wanted to direct the Ironman race and approached Nautilus Fitness Center owners Hank Grundman and Valerie Silk about taking over control of the race. Grundman previously had extended his club's facilities to many of the Ironman competitors. Following the couple's divorce in 1981 Silk received ownership of Ironman.[13][14] That year she moved the competition to the less urbanized Hawaiʻi Island[9] (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, 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 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. By the end of that year the race had maxed out at 1,000 participants, with a lottery used to fill the field while turning away another 1,000 interested participants.[14]

In 1990, with the help of Lew Friedland, Dr. James P. Gills acquired and purchased the Hawaii Triathlon Corporation, owner of the Ironman brand, for $3 million from Silk. With the Ironman brand, Gills established the World Triathlon Corporation with the intention of furthering the sport of triathlon and increasing prize money for triathletes.[15][16][17]

A number of non-WTC full distance triathlons 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-mile (3.9 km), 112-mile (180 km), 26.2-mile (42.2 km) format with the Ironman triathlon. Originally, many used the Ironman name. Due to aggressive trademark protection, most of these races no longer use the word "Ironman".

Today

The Ironman format remains unchanged, and the Hawaiian Ironman is still regarded as an honored and prestigious triathlon event to win worldwide.[18][19]

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.

Swim Smart Initiative

In 2013, Ironman piloted the "Swim Smart Initiative" in North America and brought with it some notable safety related changes to the Ironman format. These changes included new rules regarding swim course formats, water temperature regulations, pre-swim warm ups, wave starts, and additional rescue boats/watercraft (paddle-boards, kayaks, etc.). The Swim Smart Initiative also introduced "resting rafts" so that athletes may exit the water to rest without being disqualified.[20]

Ironman World Championship
Main article: Ironman World Championship

Over time the popularity of the sport of triathlon grew, and the annual race on the Big Island became The Ironman World Championship. In 1983, admission to the race began following a qualification based system, whereby athletes had to obtain entry to the race by competing in another Ironman race and gaining a slot, allocated on a proportional basis. The Hawaii race consists of a swim in the bay of Kailua-Kona, a bike ride across the Hawaiian lava desert to Hāwī and back, and a marathon run along the coast (from Keauhou to Keahole Point and back to Kailua-Kona); finishing on Aliʻi Drive. The most recent Ironman World Championship took place on October 12, 2019 and was won by Jan Frodeno of Germany in 7:51:13 and Anne Haug of Germany in 8:40:10.[21][22]

The current Ironman Hawaii course record was set in 2019 by Jan Frodeno (Germany), whose winning time was 7 hours 51 minutes 13 seconds. Daniela Ryf (Switzerland) set the women's course record in 2018 with a winning time of 8 hours 26 minutes 18 seconds.[21][22]

Amateur triathletes can qualify for the World Championship through placement in one of the other Ironman series of races. Entry into the race can also be obtained through various contests and promotions, or through the Ironman Foundation's charitable eBay auction.

Ironman series

There are over three dozen Ironman Triathlon races throughout the world that enable qualification for the 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 events. The top 50 male and top 35 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 include:[23]

Europe

North America

South America

Africa

Asia

Oceania

Specifications of the Ironman races
Town/CityCountryRegionwater typewetsuit rule# swimming loopsAustralian exitBike total ascent# biking loopsrunning elevation# running loops
Puerto del CarmenSpain (Canaries)Europesaltmandatory2yes250813323
Cork Ireland Europe salt mandatory 2 yes 1000 2 230 4
TallinnEstoniaEuropesaltmandatory1no100013204
CopenhagenDenmarkEuropesaltmandatory1no113822624
HaugesundNorwayEuropefresh-1yes200012404
HamburgGermanyEuropefresh-1yes40021204
KlagenfurtAustriaEuropefresh-1no168021182
FrankfurtGermanyEuropefresh-1yes100021004
KalmarSwedenEuropebrackish-1no75021203
Emilia RomagnaItalyEuropesalt-1no70021004
NiceFranceEuropesalt-2no20951-4
BoltonEnglandEuropefresh-2yes174523204
TenbyWalesEuropesalt-2yes209524184
BarcelonaSpainEuropesalt-1no-2-3
VichyFranceEuropefreshgenerally forbidden1yes11942-4
MaastrichtNetherlandsEuropefresh-1yes106022804
ZurichSwitzerlandEuropefresh-1no13001404
Kailua-KonaUSA (Hawaii)North Americasaltno1no17721307 1
The WoodlandsUSA (Texas)North Americafresh1no122424393
Santa RosaUSA (California)North America2no12012 84 3
Lake PlacidUSA (NY)North America2yes 2549 2 489 2
Mont TremblantCanada (Quebec)North Americafreshoptional1no18002476 2
MadisonUSA (Wisconsin)North Americafresh1125622882
CambridgeUSA (Maryland)North Americabrackish2no4452892.5
ChattanoogaUSA (Tennessee)North Americafresh1no 1465 2 351 2.25
LouisvilleUSA (Kentucky)North America1no 1661 2 86 2
Panama City BeachUSA (Florida)North America2yes 4421 45 2
TempeUSA (Arizona)North AmericaSalt1 no 785 3 109 2
CozumelMexicoNorth AmericaSalt 1no 3 3
FlorianópolisBrazilSouth AmericaSalt 2yes 2 4
Mar del PlataArgentinaSouth AmericaSalt -2 572m 3 3
Nelson Mandela BaySouth AfricaAfricaSalt-1no1370m2300m4
Subic BayPhilippinesAsia
GuryeKoreaAsia
PenghuTaiwanAsia
LangkawiMalaysiaAsiaSalt
Port MacquarieAustraliaOceaniaSaltOptional1no24
CairnsAustraliaOceaniaSaltOptional1no900m203
BusseltonAustraliaOceaniaSaltoptional1no
TaupoNew ZealandOceaniaFreshoptional1no23

Notable Ironman triathletes

Men
  • Patrick Lange
    • Former Hawaii course record holder (7:52:39 in 2018)
      • Split Times: Swim: 50:37 | Bike: 4:16:04 | Run: 2:41:31
  • Mark Allen
    • 6-time winner of the Ironman Hawaii (joint men's record)
    • 5 consecutive victories in Hawaii (overall record)
  • Jan Frodeno
    • Current record holder for the fastest time for all iron-distance races (7:35:39 at Challenge Roth in 2016) (not a WTC event).
  • Tim Don
    • Official WTC-brand world record for fastest Ironman in Brazil 2017 with a time of 7:40:23[24]
  • Dave Scott
    • 6-time winner of the Ironman World Championship (joint men's record)
  • Scott Tinley, two-time winner, three-time Ironman World Series Champion and most top ten finishes.
  • Luc Van Lierde
    • 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

Women
  • Natascha Badmann
    • First European female winner of Ironman World Championship
    • 6-time winner of the Ironman World Championships
  • Mirinda Carfrae
    • Three-time winner of the Ironman World Championship (2010, 2013, 2014)
    • Reached the podium in 6 of 7 attempts at Ironman Hawaii (silver: 2009, 2011,2016; bronze: 2012; DNF: 2015, 2016)
    • Women's record-holder for the overall Kona course (8:52:14, set in 2013) and the run course (2:50:38 in 2013)[25]
  • Paula Newby-Fraser
    • 8-time winner of Ironman Hawaii (overall record)
    • 4 consecutive victories in Hawaii
    • 24 Ironman victories overall (overall record)
    • Nicknamed "The Queen of Kona"
  • Daniela Ryf
    • Winner of the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Ironman World Championship
    • Eighth woman to earn more than one Kona title
    • Set a course record of 8:26:18 (2018)
    • Fastest female Ironman distance triathlon bike time: 4:26:07 (Kona, 2018)
    • Official WTC-brand Ironman world record[n 1] holder: 8:26:18 (Hawaii, 2018)
  • Chrissie Wellington
    • 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)
    • Former female Hawaii course record holder: 8:54:02 (2009)
    • Current female record holder for the fastest time for all Ironman distance races (8:18:13 at Challenge Roth in 2011[26])
    • Holds the two fastest-ever women's times over the Ironman distance triathlon: 8:18:13 (Roth, 2011), 8:19:13 (Roth, 2010).
    • Fastest female Ironman distance triathlon marathon run time: 2:44:35 (Roth, 2011)
    • Greatest number of sub-9 hour times (nine, five more than Paula Newby-Fraser's previous record)
    • Undefeated over the Ironman distance triathlon
    • First winner of the Ironman World Championship from the United Kingdom
  1. record over all WTC Ironman-branded ("M-dot") races only

Ironman world records

Men
Event Record Athlete Nationality Competition Place Ref
Full Ironman 7:35:39
(45:22-1:36-4:08:07-1:18-2:39:18)		 Jan Frodeno  Germany Challenge Roth 2016 Roth, Germany [27]
Swim (3.9 km) 41:26 Christof Wandratsch  Germany Ironman Austria 2006 Klagenfurt, Austria [28]
Swim (3.9 km; current-aided) 39:08 Luke Bell  Australia Ironman New York 2012 New York, United States [29]
Bike (180.2 km) 4:01:14 Andrew Starykowicz  United States Ironman Texas 2017 The Woodlands, Texas, United States [30]
Run (42.2 km) 2:34:39 Matt Hanson  United States Ironman Texas 2018 The Woodlands, Texas, United States [31]

Women
Event Record Athlete Nationality Competition Place Ref
Full Ironman 8:18:13
(49:49-1:56-4:40:39-1:17-2:44:35)		 Chrissie Wellington  United Kingdom Challenge Roth 2011 Roth, Germany [32]
Swim (3.862 km) 45:04 Amanda Stevens  United States Ironman Germany 2012 Frankfurt, Germany [33]
Swim (3.862 km; current-aided) 40:29 Dede Griesbauer  United States Ironman New York 2012 New York, United States [29]
Bike (180.246 km) 4:26:07 Daniela Ryf   Switzerland 2018 Ironman World Championship Hawaii, United States [27]
Run (42.195 km) 2:44:35 Chrissie Wellington  United Kingdom Challenge Roth 2011 Roth, Germany [32]

Ironman 70.3
Main article: 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-mile (1.9 km) swim, 56-mile (90 km) bike ride, and 13.1-mile (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.

For amateur athletes, some 70.3 events acted as qualifiers for the full Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.[34] However, the 2015 qualifying year marked a large de-emphasis on using selected Ironman 70.3 series races as an avenue for amateur athletes to qualify for the Ironman World Championships. The change was made to accommodate for the increased number of qualifying slots created from the newly added full Ironman events.[35]

For professional triathletes, up to three 70.3 events can be used to accumulate points to be put towards their championship qualifying point rankings.[23]

Ironman 70.3 Budapest - 2014

Ironman brand trademark

The Wanda Sports Group, the parent company that owns WTC and subsequently the Ironman brand, pays royalties to Marvel Entertainment for use of the Ironman brand.[36] As part of the licensing agreement both Marvel and Wanda agree to not use the "Iron Man" and "Ironman" trademarks in ways that would suggest an association with the other or cause brand confusion. World Triathlon Corporation CEO Andrew Messick has stated that the agreement has been in place for decades and the royalties paid are "not material to the business."[36] Iron Man first appeared in 1963, whereas the first Ironman triathlon was raced in 1978.

The Ironman Triathlon logo is a trademark of the World Triathlon Corporation.[37] The WTC has also registered the trademarks for "Ironman," "Ironman Triathlon," "M-Dot," and "70.3."[38] WTC has licensed the Ironman name for use, such as in the line of Timex Ironman wristwatches.

Notes
  1. Hudson, Ryan. "2012 Ironman World Championship: The hardest day in sports". SB Nation. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  2. "FAQ:How do I know if I have the right stuff to do an IRONMAN?". Ironman. Archived from the original on August 21, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  3. Walpole, Brian. "The making of an Ironman". Performance Sports and Fitness. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  4. "A Look Back at a Look Back: Ironman's First 10 years". ironman.com. World Triathlon Corporation. January 23, 2003. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  5. Collings, Jennifer. "Not Your Everyday Athlete". NASA.gov. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  6. "Ironman wins 16th Emmy Award". Hawaii 24/7. May 4, 2012. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  7. "2012 last year for Penticton Ironman triathlon". CBC. August 24, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  8. "Triathlon Timeline - USA Triathlon". USA Triathlon. Archived from the original on November 23, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  9. Axelson, David (November 27, 2014). "Coronado Residents John And Joan Collins Honored As Ironman Founders". Coronado Eagle and Journal. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  10. "Sanction permit, entry form and athlete guide first annual Hawaiian Iron Man Triathlon 1978" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 19, 2014.
  11. McDermott, Barry (May 14, 1979). "Ironman". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  12. Newell, Paul (October 10, 2008). "Ironman competition co-founded by Navy officer in 1979". NavySeals.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  13. Tinley, Scott (August 10, 2014). "A Straight 40 To Go". trihidtory.com. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  14. Chick, Bob (October 22, 1983). "Ironwoman". The Evening Independent. p. 1–C. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  15. Williams, Pete (September 15, 2008). "Equity firm buys Ironman parent". Street & Smith's Sports Group. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  16. Carlson, Timothy (December 20, 2009). "End of year news roundup". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  17. Scheppler, Bill (2002). The Ironman Triathlon. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-8239-3556-7.
  18. "Ironman World Championship, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii Triathlete's Guide". BeyondTransition. September 29, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  19. McCormack, Chris; Tim Vandehey (2011). I'm Here To Win. Center Street. ISBN 978-1-4555-0267-7.
  20. "IRONMAN Introduces SwimSmart Initiative in North America". IRONMAN.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  21. "2018 Ironman World Championship Overall Results - Men". SportStats. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  22. "2019 Ironman World Championship Overall Results - Women". SportStats. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  23. "IM Qualifying". World Triathlon Corporation. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  24. "The Monday Round-Up: IRONMAN Record Falls in Brazil". IRONMAN.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  25. Ward Barber, Jennifer (October 12, 2011). "Mirinda Carfrae Seizes Her Second World Championship". ironman.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  26. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. "Frodeno Sets World Record At Challenge Roth". triathlete.com. July 19, 2016.
  28. "WACKELT DER 20 JAHRE ALTE SCHWIMMREKORD?". swim.de. October 9, 2015.
  29. "Ironman New York City's Record-Breaking Swim Times". triathlete.com. October 31, 2014.
  30. "Andrew Starykowicz clocks impressive 4:01:14 bike split in comeback race at Ironman Texas". Triathlon Magazine. April 22, 2017.
  31. "04/28/2018 Results: IRONMAN North American Championship". Ironman Official Site. April 28, 2018. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018.
  32. "Chrissie Wellington Breaks Women's Iron-Distance Record In Roth". triathlete.com. July 10, 2011.
  33. "Vanhoenacker and Steffen Dominate Frankfurt". Ironman. July 8, 2012. Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  34. "Ironman World Championship Qualification". World Triathlon Corporation. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  35. Mavis, Bethany (July 22, 2014). "How Losing Kona Slots Will Affect 70.3 Races". Competitor Group, Inc. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  36. Bachman, Rachel (July 26, 2019). "Iron Man to Ironman: Pay Up". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  37. "IRONMAN - Trademark Details". Justia. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  38. "Intellectual Property Usage". World Triathlon Corporation. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
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References
  • Müller, Mathias; Carlson, Timothy (2010). 17 Hours to Glory: Extraordinary Stories from the Heart of Triathlon. Boulder, CO: Velo Press. ISBN 978-1-934030-43-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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