Apolo Ohno – What It Means to be An Ironman

Apolo Ohno made the decision to compete in the 2014 Ironman competition in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and committed to it. After four years off from speed skating, Apolo missed the training and the competition involved in this intensive sport and decided that the Ironman competition was a good way to get it back.

The Ironman is the most difficult one-day race in the entire world. It covers over 140 miles broken up in three different parts, swimming, biking, and running. It begins with a 2.4 mile swim which takes place in some type of body of water depending on the location of the competition. Immediately after you exit the water you are jumping right onto a bike to do a 112-mile bike ride. Then if you can possibly endure anymore you go on to the 26.2 miles of pure running.

The ironman competition dates back to 1978 when John Collins, thought it might be a good idea to combine three of the hardest competitions on the island to make just one race. John and his wife, called it the ironman triathlon and challenged anyone who would be up to competing, and on Februaury 18, 1978, 15 competitors showed up to battle and work for the ironman title.

Enough about the things that everyone knows about here are some things that most people never realized when thinking about the ironman competition. The race is continuous meaning you don’t get to stop to eat something or even go to the bathroom it is a go-go-go situation. Most ironman competitors will urinate if necessary while they are biking, they’ll slightly lift up from their seat and just go, not exactly the most ideal conditions. Another thing is that amateurs are not on a separate course from professional competitors; the only difference is that the amateurs will start 30 minutes after the professionals have gone. The next thing is that there is a time cap on how long you have to complete the competition. You have a merely 16 hours to reach the finish line. The world record time is held at 7 hours, 41 minutes, and 33 seconds. Could you imagine?

Honestly for most people, simply competing is an amazing accomplishment; I mean who can say that they covered over 140 miles via swimming, biking, and running all within 16 hours? Not many people. The type of endurance and tenacity it requires is unbeatable.