Saturday marks the 37th year of the Ironman World Championship. Presented by GoPro, the annual event draws thousands to the Big Island for the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.
This year, some 2,425 competitors from Hawaii, the U.S. and beyond either qualified or won a lottery spot to take part in the 140.6-mile triathlon, which requires the help of some thousands of volunteers.
The theme of the 2015 Ironman World Championship is “onipaa” — the strength to remain steadfast, resilient and resolute.
The first talk of Ironman came in 1977 as a way to challenge athletes who had seen success at endurance swim, running and biathlon events. John Collins, a Naval officer, and his wife, Judy, proposed to combine the three toughest endurance races in Hawaii — the 2.4-mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim, the 112-mile Around-Oahu Bike Race and the 26.2-mile Honolulu Marathon — into one event.
On Feb. 18, 1978, 15 people came to Waikiki to take on the challenge. Of the 15 to start, 12 completed the race. Gordon Haller, a US Navy Communications Specialist, was the first to earn the title Ironman by completing the course with a time of 11:46:58.
In 1981, the race moved to Kona on the Big Island where traffic hazards were lower and the island’s barren lava fields presented more of a challenge to athletes with winds gusting up to 60 mph in areas and temperatures averaging in the high 80s and low 90s.
The event quickly grew from 15 people in the first race in 1978 to 1,381 participants in 1987. This year, 2,425 athlete are expected to participate.
The 2014 Ironman World Championship top male and female finishers were Germany’s Sebastian Kienle and Australia’s Mirinda Carfrae, who also finished first among women in 2013. Kienle completed in the race in 8:14:18 while Carfrae clocked a time of 9:00:55. Bree Wee was the first Big Island triathlete to cross the finish line with a time of 9:34:37. Keish Doi was the first amateur Big Island finisher with a time of 10:13:49.
For more information, visit www.ironmanworldchampionship.com.