|
IConceived by North-American mariner John Collins, Ironman emerged in Hawaii in 1978 and had the participation of 15 super athletes, out of which only 12 finished the contest. Comprising of a 3.8-km swim, 180-km cycling and 42-km race, it ended up being defined as a test of boundary overcoming and much persistence.
The Ironman movement involves people from several countries, whether through organization of contests or participation of athletes. There are 26 selective contests distributed throughout Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Americas that define 1500 competitors for the final in Hawaii. The final, moreover, attracts about 30 thousand visitors to Kona Island, thus confirming the strength of the event.
The triathlon has been practiced in Brazil since 1982, and today has about 15,000 athletes actively participating. The greatest number of athletes come from the following regions: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Bahia, among others.
The event, under organization by Latin Sports, has been growing vertiginously since 2001. In 2005, approximately 1170 athletes enrolled in Ironman Brazil Telecom, an event that by its magnitude attracts more and more investments, rendering a relevant contribution to the world of sports in Brazil.
Florianópolis, Santa Catarina state capital, has been home to the event during the last 3 years. With a population of approximately 300,000 inhabitants and one of the best quality of life in the country, the island, apart from being paradisiacal, is easily accessible by land, air and sea.
Ironman Brazil Telecom is organized and promoted by Latin Sports, and sponsored by Brazil Telecom and Track & Field.
Ironman is more than an event; it is the overcoming of all boundaries.
The first Ironman - February 18, 1978
By Carlos Galvão*
There are several versions of the triathlon sport's origin. Some are fictitious and others not so much. Let's see below the version that is accepted as the “official” one.
In a small beerhouse in the Hawaiian capital, Honolulu, Primo Brewery united with some sportsmen recounting their feats in three of the most traditional contests of the city (which still exist till today): the Waikiki Rough Water Swim, swim contest with 2.4 miles; the Around Oahu Bike Race, cycling test whose circuit goes round Oahu Island, completed in two days and with 112 miles; and the well-known Honolulu Marathon with its traditional distance of 26.1 miles.
The sportsmen tried to discover which of the three contests demanded greater resistance from the participants. Since each one was defending his specialty and did not reach an agreement, an American mariner named John Collins made a challenge to put an end to the discord: he proposed that all undergo the three contests on the same day and the winner would become the Ironman.
At first, some did not take John Collins' proposal seriously. However, since the majority accepted the challenge, they all set a date for the first Ironman: February 18, 1978. Fifteen athletes paid a symbolic registration fee of three dollars to take part in the contest.
As was to be expected, the structure to hold the competition was amateurish and precarious. A good example of this is that there was no water or volunteers during the contest. The mariner John Collins, for example, stopped halfway in the race to dine in a small restaurant. Another mariner called Yohn Dunbar, after leading part of the contest, stopped to drink something and his friends, seeing how tired he was, offered him a cold beer. He accepted it without thinking twice and, as a result, lost the leadership to a cab driver called Gordon Haller, who won the challenge in 11 hors and 46 minutes. Twelve out of the fifteen athletes who started the contest finished.
There was a second edition of the Ironman in 1979, and this time it was sponsored by Nautilus Fitness Center academy, whose owner was Valerie Silk. As in the previous year, fifteen athletes began and, coincidentally, twelve finished. However, there was now a woman among the twelve, Lyn Lemaire. The winner among the men was Tom Warren, with the time of 11 hours and 16 minutes.
The following year, 108 athletes enrolled, calling the attention of the North-American network NBC to cover the event. A young swimming instructor by the name of Dave Scott decided to accept the challenge and ended up beating the previous record: 9 hours and 24 minutes.
With 326 enrolled athletes in 1981, Valerie Silk decided to transfer the event to the tranquil streets of Big Island in Kona to avoid the chaos that the event could have caused in Honolulu's frantic traffic. Dave Scott who was injured, did not take part, and the winner's honors fell on John Howard, who finished the contest in 9 hours and 38 minutes. The number of women increased significantly: twenty-two women took part in the competition, which was won by Linda Sweeney in 12 hours and 01 minute.
Thereon, the contest gradually grew and, due to the great popularization, the organizers decided to, for the sake of safety, limit the number of participants to 1,500 athletes. From this moment on, Ironman began its internationalization phase, with contests held around the globe, all qualifying for this circuit's great final in Kona Island.
It did not take long for Ironman's variations to appear. Always in the same format: swim, cycling and, to finish, the race, the now called triathlon (TRI = three; ATHLON = combat) began to include distances that were more accessible to many other people. While the Ironman has 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km of cycling and 42 km of racing, the Olympic Triathlon has 1.5 km of swimming, 40 km of cycling and 10 km of racing. There is still the Sprint or Short Triathlon, which has exactly half of the distances in the Olympic Triathlon.
Train safe!
*Carlos Galvão, 33, graduate in business management and with specialization in sports management, is a triathlete, co-founder and executive director of Latin Sports S.A., company that organizes Ironman Brazil Telecom and promotes Half Ironman de Pucón. He is director of triathlon for Associação Brasileira de Esportes de Aventura (ABEA), was Brazilian Triathlon Vice-Champion in 2002, 5th place in the 2000 South American Triathlon Championship, 3rd place in the São Paulo State Duathlon Championship in 2000, and São Paulo State Triathlon Champion in 1999, in addition to competing in Ironman contests.
|