Five Facts about the Ironman World Championship in Kona
Happy Friday and welcome to the Friday 5! The Ironman World Championship takes place this weekend in Kona, Hawaii. If you are a Triathlon nut like me, you are probably very excited to follow some of your favorite athletes on Saturday. In honor of this event, I am sharing 5 fun facts about this epic annual event.
1. The First Ironman Race: After a road race in Oahu in 1978, a few participants got into a discussion about who are the fittest athletes: swimmers, cyclists, or runners? A Navy Commander named John Collins was part of this conversation and he decided to come up with a plan to settle the debate. He proposed combining the 2.4 mile Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the 112 mile Around Oahu Bike Race (that had been done over 2 days), and the Honolulu Marathon into one event. He said that whoever finishes the race first will be called "Ironman". The race took place that year on February 18th and there were 15 participants, 12 of them finished, and the winner was Gordon Haller with a time of 11:46:58. In 1981, the event was moved to Kona, where it has taken place ever since.
2. The Closest Finish: In 1982, the closest finish was recorded as Kathleen McCartney passes Julie Moss yards before the finish line. Julie Moss, a graduate student at the time, infamously crawled her way to the finish line in an emotional display of sheer grit and determination.
3. The Fastest Finish: The fastest male finish was recorded in 2011 by Craig Alexander who finished in a record 8:03:56. Miranda Carfare holds the female record for the fastest finish that occurred in 2013 when she completed the 140.6 mile event in 8:52:14.
4. The Underpants Run: The much talked about "Underpants Run" was created in 1998 as a form of protest by athletes that were not allowed to go into stores in their Speedos. It is now a long standing tradition and ice breaker for athletes getting ready to participate in the grueling Ironman event. It takes place 2 days before the big race and it is a 1.2 mile run where athletes run in, well, their underpants or some form of them! It serves as a fundraiser for local charities and this event has raised over $270, 000 since it's inception.
5. Celebrity Finishers: There have been a number of celebrities complete the Ironman World Championship race. Here are a few: Olympic Fast Track Skater Apolo Ohno finished the event in 2014 with a time of 9 hours and 52 minutes, Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay competed in 2013 with a finishing time of 14 hours 4 minutes, former Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward did the event in 2013 with a time of 13 hours and 8 minutes, and Tara Costa from the Biggest Loser competed in 2011 with a time of 13 hours 56 minutes to name just a few.
Will you be following the Ironman World Championships this weekend? Have you or any of your friends ever competed in an Ironman Race? Who do you think is the fittest athlete...swimmers, cyclists or runners?
Have a Great Weekend!
I had no idea that this event was happening (or that it has such an interesting history!). I've never competed in a triathlon myself, but I have friends who have (even some who have completed the Ironman) so I'm super intrigued by the elite level athletes who compete.
I don't know much about triathlons but that looks like a GORGEOUS course! What a pretty place to race!
Woah, these athletes always inspire me. I have a classmates who competes in full iron mans while in dental school. The time and dedication spent training for these races is admirable :)
Thanks for these tidbits. That footage of the crawl to the finish line is unbelievable. I think I remember seeing that back in the day. I love the Kona coverage!
I actually knew most of these things about Ironman. My good friend and running partner was there the year of Julie Moss's dramatic finish (though quite a ways behind her). I have a few friends that will be competing this year, so I'll probably be following along online.
I didn't know all this. So fun! Thanks for sharing!
Haha the underpants run looks like so much fun...to watch anyway! Not sure I'd be out there in my underwear!!
I have never been into the Ironman competitions, but I wouldn't mind watching in their underpants! HA!
That's really cool! I never knew much about how Ironman started. I have such admiration for triathletes...I'd love to do one one day!
So cool! I won't be watching but Ironman just amazes me. And to be honest, I don't think swimmers, cyclists or marathoners are the fittest athletes - those are all endurance sports and I think the fittest athlete would have to excel at more than endurance alone.
There's a girl from my gym competing. Can't wait to hear how she does!
How beautiful this area is - probably at triathlete's dream!
I think I'd have to skip the underpants run but hat is pretty funny. Ha Ha!
The underpants run looks pretty fun. I never knew much about the Ironman race, so these are good to know.
Love Ironman, the company health and fitness coach for my last job competed in Ironman last year and it was fun getting updates about his training and the actual race!
The Underpants run sounds hilarious but I love that it's for charity. It's thanksgiving weekend in Canada so, not much TV watching happening here.
A friend of mine just finished the Ironman in Chattanooga . Kona looks beautiful! The underpants run sounds hilarious!
I always said if I ever completed an Ironman, I'd get a tattoo. Since there's no chance of me ever participating in one, I remain unmarked! I am in awe of anyone who completes an Ironman. Especially amateur athletes--the only incentive is the glory of the finish line!
I love the idea of doing a race in Hawaii! But then again, I love racecations! It's super motivating for me.
I love all these facts!
We have a great ironman race near my home each May and it is so inspiring to see! I learned a lot from this post!
Thanks for sharing!
The Underpants Race makes me laugh. I would never do something like that myself, but I love the fact that it raises money for charity.
I can't believe they run in their underwear! I love that it is now a fundraiser.
This looks like such great fun. Never heard of this before. So funny that people run in their underwear!
It sounds like a challenging run, but it's definitely worth all the effort. It's fun and you get to enjoy such a lovely view as well!
How awesome!!! That sounds so hard but SO good! My dad is a huge ironman runner so I will need to share this with him. He would love it.
How fun! I haven't participated in the Ironman before, but I participate in a marathon for the first time ever last month.
Wow, what a fun experienced! I am so excited to watch this in person!
If only I was in shape to do a triathlon! I bet this was a beautiful invigorating experience in Kona Hawaii.
I've always wanted to visit. It would be amazing to visit and compete in something like this! I wonder if I could convince my husband to do it with me!
I couldn't imagine doing an event like this. One of my students that I taught had mentioned that he had completed the Ironman. I was so impressed!
I think swimmers are the most fit! My HS boyfriend participates in this, or he used to. I was very proud of his work!
Totally need to show this to my hubs! He's a marathon runner and as soon as he does Boston, I know he's going to want a new goal!
What a cool race! I love that you mentioned the celebrity finishers-pretty interesting!
I never knew the origins of IM! What a cool story! I am so amazed by IM athletes. It just seems like such an overwhelming undertaking!
Thanks for sharing, I never knew any of this about the Ironman! I did get to run with an ironman once, that was cool.