Since its inception in 1978, the IRONMAN triathlon (consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run) has come to represent the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit for professional and amateur athletes alike.
Brent and Kyle Pease went viral after they crossed the finish line at their first IRONMAN together in Madison, Wis., in 2013. Kyle has cerebral palsy and cannot use his arms or legs, but after watching Brent complete his first IRONMAN race in 2010, Kyle asked if he, too, could participate. After finding the right equipment, the brothers started training. Eventually, their access to the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, was granted. After eight years of training, they finished the triathlon together, becoming the second push-assisted team to finish the course in Kona. They pushed themselves to finish at 14:23:59, according to Triathlonmagazine.ca.
The birth of IRONMAN
According to IRONMAN, tens of thousands of athletes from all walks of life, backgrounds, and abilities commit each year to challenge their limits of what is possible and commit to becoming an IRONMAN finisher for the first time.
The single-day event known as IRONMAN was the brainchild of Judy and John Collins. The couple had participated in the Mission Bar Triathlon in San Diego on September 25, 1974. The Collins moved soon after that from California to Hawaii the following year. They became involved in organizing a spirit run-swim competition in Honolulu, which got them thinking about putting on a triathlon event themselves. At the Waikiki Swim Club banquet in October 1977, Judy and John announced their Around the Island Triathlon, set to take place the following year. It would be an endurance race with three legs: running, swimming, and bicycling for 140.6 miles straight. On February 18, 1978, the first Hawaiian Iron Man Triathlon took place. In 1980, ABC’s Wide World of Sports filmed the event, giving it worldwide attention.
Two years after the first filming of the event, a photo of a young woman, Julie Moss, crawling across the finish line after she collapsed just a few yards from the end went viral for that time. It became a massive moment in the organization’s history.
In 2006, IRONMAN launched IRONMAN 70.3, a half-distance triathlon consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run. Now, thousands of athletes (and non-athletes) from all backgrounds and abilities commit to finishing an IRONMAN race.
Leading from the front
Sara Fix has been involved with IRONMAN for many years. After her stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer diagnosis in 2021, she was not able to participate in the way she wanted, but she was able to step in as a coach.
“I really do believe that the sport of triathlon, specifically IRONMAN, created the brain and the person that I am, and that has enabled me to do what I have been able to do. If you talk to my doctors, they said, ‘We don’t know if you’re ever going to run again, we don’t know if you’ll be able to swim again,’ and I said, ‘Oh yes, I will,’ and here I am. I feel like IRONMAN has saved me.”
IRONMAN 70.3 Waco race director Nancy Goodnight has completed every IRONMAN Texas race. “I feel very much that it changes lives. I know that it certainly changed mine. There’s a lot of empowerment, but it’s the community you build, the friends, the people that I train and race with,” she says.
IRONMAN wants to inspire people to realize the power of the human spirit through sport, according to Keats McGonigal, managing director for North America.
“This comes through our athletes who are participating, our volunteers who actively support the athletes, our spectators who are inspired by the stories they engage with, and the local communities who open their doors to support the events,” he says. “In all of our communities we have people who originally engaged with the events through volunteering. As part of the process, they saw people who looked like them competing. This inspiration leads to a mindset of, ‘if they can do, then so can I,’ and they start their own IRONMAN athlete journey.”
Local spirit
An integral part of the organization’s success is creating lasting relationships with host communities—a strategy that all sports event planners can integrate. “We see the host communities as our partners,” says McGonigal. “As a result, we seek to create win-win situations where we can collaborate on how to make the experience the best for everyone involved. This includes our athletes and volunteers but also the local residents and businesses. Ultimately, we must all work together to ensure our collective mutual success.”
McGonigal says IRONMAN shows its gratitude by giving back to its host communities in return for their vital support. “Through the work of the IRONMAN Foundation, which is the non-profit arm of the organization, we have given back $60 Million to over 10,000 organizations in our local host communities,” he explains. “We want to continue to leave a lasting legacy through our events, our charitable giveback, and the overall impact on the local communities.”
First steps
There are several resources on the IRONMAN website for first-timers who don’t know where to begin. This includes access to local clubs through the club finder tool, access to coaching through a partnership with TriDot, an AI-powered triathlon training platform, as well as listing all of the organization’s events. The first step is to pick the race that is most suited to you. Luckily, there’s an IRONMAN triathlon for everyone, and different course types suit varying strengths. Some factors to consider when picking the right one are distance, location, time of year, and course.
The IRONMAN 70.3 is an excellent introduction to the triathlon at half the distance from a full one, and the required training is not as extensive. It is also good to consider your strengths, whether it’s biking, running, or swimming. Strong swimmers might like IRONMAN, California, which features a river swim with a more powerful current. IRONMAN 70.3 in Maine is good if you prefer a flat bike course, but IRONMAN Lake Placid is a good option if you want more challenging hills. Consider what time of the year you want to race—this will also depend on when you want to train. If you live in a colder climate, think about doing one later in the year if you don’t want to train outdoors in the winter months. Location is also a significant factor when picking a race. The further it is, the more expensive it might get, considering travel costs.
IRONMAN also suggests that participants seek support from family, friends, and coaches. According to McGonigal, the best option when getting started is to find other people on their own IRONMAN journey. Training with others or through TriClub can help with motivation, training partners, and success tips. The IRONMAN journey is best experienced as part of the larger community.
Racing towards the future
Since the inception of the IRONMAN brand and its first event in 1978, the IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global phenomenon with hundreds of events across more than 55 countries. What began as a single race has grown into a worldwide portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon Series, the 5150 Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series, IRONKIDS, the World Triathlon Championship Series, and premier running events.
In the coming year and into 2026, McGonigal says, “IRONMAN will continue to offer life-changing moments for our athletes while always looking to innovate and provide the ‘WOW moments.’ Our focus remains on creating the best athlete experiences through our iconic courses, outstanding volunteer support, unique IRONMAN Villages, and all the way through the finish line celebration. For 2025, we are racing in new destinations in Ottawa, Canada; Boise, Idaho; and Rockford, Ill. For 2026 and beyond, stay tuned for more iconic locations to join the circuit as new host communities in the coming years.”
IRONMAN continues to mobilize and aims to spread the message that “anything is possible” through its races, communities, and events.
“At IRONMAN, our purpose is to inspire people to unlock their greatest potential through sports,” explains McGonigal. “We want to create experiences that fill hearts, consume minds, and enrich souls. This is the impact that we want to have on our entire IRONMAN community.”
