Ironman vs. Challenge: The Battle of Long-Distance Triathlons

2023-06-05 16:45:20

It was the late 1970s when several men sat together on the Pacific island of Hawaii and thought: We have this swimming competition, the bicycle race and the Honolulu marathon – it would be a great idea to try everything at once. Surprisingly, enough people found it really worthwhile to swim 2.4 miles (3.86 kilometers), cycle 112 miles (180 kilometers) and run a marathon (42.195 kilometers) in a row. In February 1978 the first race took place. 15 men competed, twelve finished, the long-distance triathlon was created. The name Ironman is said to go back to an exclamation by an officer stationed in Hawaii, who previously exclaimed: “Whoever wins, we will call Ironman.” Since then, Ironman has been used in everyday language as a synonym for this type of triathlon, which has turned into a lucrative business model. Because there are now Ironman competitions all over the world, including in Hamburg, where an accident happened at the weekend. A marketing company is behind the events – and there is a company in Franconia that competes with it: in the small town of Roth, south of Nuremberg, the “Challenge” takes place every year: a long-distance triathlon with a worldwide reputation, but by no means case “Ironman” may be called.

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