The Ironman Triathlon is a well known Endurance Competition, with lot of enthusiasts and athletes participating from all over the world. For those who are not aware of Ironman Triathlon events, a brief information would not only make you aware of it, but also could also inspire you to become a participating athlete.
History of Ironman Triathlon:
The idea of Ironman Triathlon was born in 1977 in Waikiki Island, out of a debate as to who are the best fit athletes swimmers, cyclists or runners. Later on, U.S. Navy Commander John Collins suggested that the Waikiki 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 (26.219 mi./42.195 km), already being held on the Waikiki Island can be combined to have one big sporting event. Eventually, the final course was "Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life" handwritten by Collins. Collins said, "Whoever finishes first, we'll call him the Iron Man." So finally in the early morning on February 18, 1978, 15 athletes participated, out of which 12 completed the race. Gordon Haller, a US Navy Communications Specialist, won the first Ironman title in a time of 11 hours, 46 minutes, 58 seconds. The runner-up was John Dunbar, a US Navy SEAL.
Ironman Triathlon Facts:
Ironman Triathlon is a long distance racing series organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).
The event involves non-stop participation in a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon run of 26.2-mile (42.2 km) to be completed in one day.The Ironman World Championship is held in Hawaii Island (Big Island) every year.
There are over 24 Ironman Triathlon qualifying races throughout the world for the Ironman World Championships.
A point ranking system qualifies Professional athletes for the championship, 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 can qualify for the championship by receiving slots allocated to each age group's top finishers in a qualifying event. US’s ABC TV had featured the Ironman Triathlon World Championship on television in 1980 as part of Wide World of Sports. Around 88 different countries have been represented at the championship over the years.
Ironkids Triathlon Series:
Ironkids Triathlon Series was started in 1985 with more than 40,000 kids participating including famous alumni, such as Lance Armstrong, Olympian Hunter Kemper, 2003 ITU Triathlon World Championship silver medalist Laura Reback, Olympian Nick Radkewich and more.
Ironkids have classified courses according to age - children between the age group of 6 to 8 are classified as Juniors, competing in a 50 yard swim, a 2 mile bike ride and a 500 yard run.
Children between 9 to 11 years are classified as intermediate, with a challenge of 150 yard swim, a 4 mile bike ride and a 1 mile run. The senior group is classified as 12 to 15 years old with a 300 yard swim, an 8 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run.
Ironman Triathlon Lanzarote:
The Ironman Triathlon Lanzarote is held in Puerto Del Carmen, the main tourist resort of Lanzarote and is considered to be one of the toughest courses with strong winds, but with beautiful views of the landscape and ocean under the intense Lanzarote sun. There are 40 qualifying slots awarded for the IRONMAN World Championships. The Swimming course is 3.8 kms long, the Bike course is 180 kms long and the Run course consists of 3 laps.
The Ironman 70.3 also known as the Half Triathlon Marathon is also held in Lanzarote. It is one of the qualifying races for the Ironman World Championships.
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