Today is the Day!

October 10, 2009 | Johan | 1 comment »

Today is the day: the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii!

“If you are a triathlete, there is no bigger day in this sport than the Ford Ironman World Championship. It is the race that defined our sport as it came of age, and continues to be the defining race in our sport for any avid triathlete.” www.ironman.com

Once upon a time in the 70′s
The idea for the original Ironman Triathlon arose during the awards ceremony for the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay Race. The participants had been debating which athletes were more fit: runners, swimmers or cyclist. They decided that the debate should be settled through a race combining the three existing long-distance competitions already on the island: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (3.86 km), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (185.0 km; originally a two-day event) and the Honolulu Marathon (42.195 km). One of the later organisers said: “Whoever finishes first, we’ll call him the Iron Man.” And so on February 18, 1978 a total of 15 men took to the water in Honolulu, Hawaii for the very first Ironman Triathlon.

The Road to Kona
To get to the starting line in Kona nowadays, you must either be very lucky and get yourself a spot through the lottery, or very talented, and win yourself a qualifying spot at one of the qualifying triathlons held around the world. Tens-of-thousands of triathletes try to get one of those coveted Ironman spots every year. Only 1,800 succeed. It takes years of dedication, countless miles of training and a lot of blood, sweat and tears to make it here.

To get to the starting line in Kona, you must also be a little crazy. Or let’s say “eccentric” at the very least. Why else would you dedicate years of hard work to become one of the “lucky” ones to put your body through the most grueling endurance race in the world?

An Ironman in three minutes
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVIrHc3Hnqc[/youtube]

Inspirational Ironman stories
Behind every Ironman and Ironwoman lies a great story. Each year over 1,800 of those exceptional life stories gather on a small beach in Kona. Stories of beating incurable disease, overcoming incredible odds and the awesome power of the human spirit. Here are two of those stories that touched me most:

John Blais – “the Blazeman”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vrjp2P0GlE[/youtube]

Father & Son: team Dick & Rick Hoyt

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM[/youtube]

Puts your own trials and tribulations in a new perspective, right?

Stay tuned!
The starting gun for the 2009 Ironman World Championships will go off at 7:00 am Hawaii Time on Saturday October 10th. Coverage can be found on www.ironman.com and triathlon.competitor.com. I will write post-race wrap-up as soon as the results are in!