Ironman Racing
Mention the term "Ironman" to anybody and the response is either one of complete ignorance or a misty-eyed vision of elite athletes swimming, cycling, running immense distances with boundless energy across a sun-soaked seaside location.
For some, winning is the ultimate aim. For some more, qualification for the annual World Championship in Hawaii is more realistic, but for most there is only one true adversary - the course itself. The race starts, usually at 7am, with a 3.8km (2.4 mile) open-water swim, is immediately followed by a 180km (112 mile) bike ride and ends with a full 42.2km (26.1 mile) marathon. The whole race must be completed in under 17 hours. Although it all sounds extreme, most people in reasonable shape can complete an Ironman, providing they have a reasonable base-level of fitness, preferably some experience of triathlon or at least some ability in all three disciplines, and are prepared and able to commit themselves to some hard training. Second in terms of difficulty to completing an Ironman is getting to the start line.
But Ironman is not for the feint-hearted. The "Spirit of Ironman" was first attributed to Julie Moss who entered the Hawaii Ironman as an experiment for a college course to fins out how the mind and body reacted to the supreme challenge of the Ironman. She found herself in the lead as she neared the end of the marathon and her body was starting to shut down. She collapsed several times as she approached the line, only to be passed and beaten into second place within yards of the finish. Unable to stand, she eventually crawled to the end. The remarkable finish can be watched here (YouTube link) or here (6.8Mb flv-format video file).
In 2005 the Ironman 70.3 World Championship was commissioned - a series of races half the distance of the Ironman (70.3 miles in total, hence the term). Arguably the 70.3 distance is better suited to the "average" triathlete as the race is about as long as a sub-elite athlete can race without having to compete against the course itself. The 70.3 races are an excellent introduction to the Ironman discipline, and do not require the level of commitment to training and racing required to complete a full Ironman.
Each year there are Eton Tri athletes training for some of the worldwide 70.3 or full-distance Ironman events.
posted by Chris on 21st May, 2007