Bob Babbitt - The Complete Ironman: The Official Guide to the Ultimate Endurance Race

THIS IS A CARLTON BOOK

Published by Carlton Books Ltd

20 Mortimer Street

London W1T 3JW

Text and design 2018 Carlton Books Ltd

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.

For more brand information, please visit www.IRONMAN.com IRONMAN and the M-DOT logo are registered trademarks of World Triathlon Corporation. Official Product of the IRONMAN TRIATHLON. Used here by permission.

ISBN 978-1-78097-988-5

Editorial Manager: Chris Mitchell

Design Manager: Andri Johannsson

Design: www.fogdog.co.uk

Production: Ena Matagic

Picture Research: Paul Langan

A CIP catalogue for this book is available from the British Library

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Patrick Lange celebrates becoming the 2017 IRONMAN World Champion, breaking the course record in the process.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD BY ANDREW MESSICK

This is a very exciting year for us here at IRONMAN. Through celebrating our 40th anniversary a milestone we've named "40 Years of Dreams" we've had the opportunity to express gratitude, to reminisce, and to dream. Many athletes, communities, partners, staff, and volunteers have shaped our history and helped pave the way for others to fulfill their potential by crossing one of our life-changing finish lines.

From the very first race on the shores of Oahu, Hawai'i in 1978, IRONMAN has carved out a unique legacy in sports history. This is largely due to our extraordinary athletes and the hundreds of thousands of unforgettable journeys they have shared with us. This year, we are proud to mark four decades of IRONMAN athletes proving that "Anything is Possible".

This book tells the story not only of our races, but of our community. You will learn about the history of this unique sport, and you will be introduced to a cast of characters who helped bring us to where we are today. We trust that you will find something encouraging and inspiring in these pages.

As we continue to grow around the world, we hold tightly to the ideals that launched that very first challenge in 1978.

On behalf of all of us at IRONMAN, thank you for being part of our family.

Andrew Messick

President and Chief Executive Officer, IRONMAN

Gordon Ramsay before his first IRONMAN World Championship race in October 2013.

FOREWORD BY GORDON RAMSAY

The race of a lifetime I finished the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i in 2013.

I spent months training: I would leap up at 4am to dive into the pool three days a week, followed by two-hour sessions on the bike; in between, I took on 6-12 mile runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then a long-distance run on Saturdays Sundays were a much-appreciated rest day.

Ill never forget stepping off that plane in Hawai`i. So many emotions. Up until that point I had completed 15 marathons, three ultra-marathons, and three IRONMAN 70.3 races. But now I was getting ready to do the worlds toughest IRONMAN competition, and I was suitably nervous and excited!

Theres nothing else quite like it. When race day comes, youre up at 3am, and if youre like me then you couldnt fall asleep until after 11pm the night before. I was just too damn excited for what was to come. The swim at the start of the race is an extraordinary moment, it is just so surprisingly quiet. The starting cannon for the pros goes off, and you can hear every age-groupers footsteps in the sand, pounding away as they move towards the water. Youre thinking, This is insane, but then before you know it hours have gone by as you chip away at a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.

As I looked around, taking in the scenery, surrounded by amazing athletes, I was inspired to keep going and finish what I had come to accomplish. And whether it is your first, your second, or even your fifth race, theres an unspeakable bond between all of the finishers. We support one another, before, during and after.

When you cross that finish line soaking wet, out of breath, thirsty, hungry, in pain and utterly exhausted, you are suddenly empowered. Theres nothing quite as gratifying. And already, Im thinking about my next race.

INTRODUCTION BY BOB BABBITT

Back in 1977, US Naval Commander John Collins and his wife Judy had already participated in some of the early triathlons run in San Diego, California at the start of the decade. Having moved to Oahu, Hawai`i, they put out a challenge to a group of friends that eventually led to the creation of the IRONMAN triathlon.

Bob Babbitt at the third IRONMAN race in 1980. The event had grown from 15 starters to 108 by this point.

An article had been published in Sports Illustrated insisting that cyclist Eddy Merckx, the five-time winner of the Tour de France, was the worlds best endurance athlete. At the awards dinner for the Perimeter Relay, an open-water swim race in Oahu, people started discussing who was actually the worlds fittest. Some felt a hypothetical swimmer or runner would be the best endurance athlete over a cyclist. Commander Collins and his wife, who had both participated in shorter swim, bike and run events in San Diego in the mid-1970s, decided to go to the stage and take the microphone.

Well start with the 2.4-mile Waikiki Rough Water Swim, they said, and follow that up with the Around Oahu Bike Ride, which is 112 miles, and then finish up with the 26.2-mile Honolulu Marathon. Well call the winner the IRONMAN.

At that first IRONMAN race on February 18, 1978, there were only 15 brave souls, including John Collins, standing in the sand of Sans Souci Beach to see if it was actually possible to swim, bike and run 140.6 miles all in one day. The first-ever IRONMAN champion was taxi driver Gordon Haller, who finished in 11:46:40.

In the 40 years since John and Judy announced their new event combining three of the toughest existing endurance races on the island of Oahu the IRONMAN World Championship has become the most important one-day endurance event on the planet. Thousands of people dedicate their lives to trying to earn a qualifying spot in the championship, which is now held in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i each October.

The IRONMAN brand has grown to include more than 150 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events over 55 countries around the world. From 15 starters to hundreds of thousands, the desire for people from all walks of life to become an IRONMAN is stronger now than it has ever been. This book will take you on a journey through time and share the history, the training and the classic moments of what has become an international phenomenon.