In the family of triathlon lovers, when we hear "Ironman", it is not a certain Robert Downey Jr that we think of in the first place. For the most seasoned triathletes, this will be the major event not to be missed on the sports calendar and for amateurs with less time to devote to exercise, the goal of sometimes a lifetime. Indeed, "The Iron Man" does not only have its place in the world of fiction with comics and the big screen; It is also the premier category of triathlon. And we can say that we chose his name well.
Ironman: The mother category of Triathlon
We are talking here about a sporting event that takes place over a total distance of 226 km. As for the other formats, the departure is made in swimsuit or rather in a wetsuit in a lake, the sea or the ocean depending on the region. So, to claim the title of Ironman and become a woman or an iron man, you must already swim 3.8 km in open water. When you get out of the water, it is your road bike that awaits you for a "small" ride of 180 km which once finished must be followed by 42km of running or in other words a marathon.
What are the origins of Ironman?
Who gave birth to this real obstacle course of ultra endurance? To find out, you have to travel a little, already geographically… direction the Pacific in Hawaii… and in time too. It was indeed at the end of the 70s that a former Commander of the U.S.S Navy a certain John Fletcher Collins and his wife Jody founded and organized the first " Ironman" of the name on the island of Oahu. This is why the event, although today democratized and taking place in the four corners of the globe, retains a special link with the Pacific archipelago. 
The invention of this XL format of triathlon, initially intended to become a real sports institution now worth almost $ 1 billion, has continued to be the subject of growing interest and attract new followers of the discipline. Let's go back together on the performances that marked the Ironman! When you discover the event for the first time, you can say that finishing in the allotted time is already a great performance in itself. And it's true, how to contradict this reasoning? We will have the opportunity to talk about that a little later. Here, we will focus on the most incredible performances achieved on the discipline, but not to distort the comparisons too much, we will stay on the times achieved on this mythical island of Oahu. Indeed, depending on the course and weather conditions, the total effort can be more or less difficult to achieve (the swell and the current at sea penalize swimming performance compared to a freshwater event, the strength of the wind and its direction can considerably impact the bike part as well as the difference in altitude present on the course). Then obviously you have to be more lenient with the slightly older performance, especially because of the technological improvements made to racing bikes. Indeed, today, the best are no longer on a simple aluminum frame with two wheels but on a magnificent carbon car out of the factory to smash the record… Of course, this does not detract from the merit of these athletes who will be able to push the limits of performance thanks to technology. But for someone trying to understand the time gaps between the 80s and today, this is a good part of the answer! Otherwise, you can always ask a certain Laurent Jalabert who is a decent runner and who does not like the swimming part, how he regained nearly 1000 places in the ranking during one of these participations in Hawaii. Yes, cycling is not forgotten! And then, it must also be said that for the more than 40 years that the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii exist, as much to tell you that the event has become professionalized and that the times shot down by the real "Iron Men" without armor, sometimes lead us to believe that superheroes exist for real! 
Ironman: The best performances of iron women!
Honor to the " iron women"! And how not to talk about those ladies who managed to finish the three events in less than 9 hours. Realize this, this is like swallowing the almost 4 km of swimming in barely an hour, holding an average speed close to 37 km / h on the bike, a little less than 5:00 of effort (and prohibition to ride in a peloton) to finish the marathon in less than 3:00, that is to say not below 14km / h! Among them, there is of course the German titleholder Anne Haug and also came third in 2018 with an almost identical time around 08:40 of effort. Daniela Ryf of course! World champion from 2015 to 2018 each time in less than 9 hours with a world record in the women's category of 8h 26min 16sec achieved in 2018! The Swiss who could even have been five-time world champion without this second place on the 2014 edition. Another four-time world champion, there is one, named Chrissie Wellington. The British who will also manage to pass under the 9 hours mark. A triple world champion under 9 hours, it also exists in Australia with Miranda Carfrae and her seven podiums! Well, even if we said that we were only talking about performances under 9 o'clock, we are still obliged to make an exception for Natascha Badmann. Because when you're a six-time world champion… Well, we applaud, that's all! It should be noted that Switzerland is still very well represented. One name we are not allowed to miss is Paula Newby-Fraser… who is just eight times world champion between 1986 and 1996, no less! And that it is hard not to add to this list the names of other ultra athletes who have achieved times almost under this bar of 9, as we know the merit and courage they have!
The best Iron Men of the Ironman.
Copyright Tony Pham at PexelsAnd among boys, what gives? Already, six-time world champions in Hawaii, it's not complicated, there are two. A certain Dave Scott, to whom it was difficult to come and take the first place in the 80s with a personal best at 8h 28min. And then, another American, Mark Allen , who took over in the early 90s, with three times in less than 8h 10min! It's hard to miss Peter Reid in the early 2000s. The Canadian, triple world champion between 1998 and 2003, is impressive in his consistency with his seven podiums! We will recall the importance of not having too unfavorable weather conditions to go for records on these distances, but we notice that for the men of iron, to bring down the bar of 8h 20min requires a debauchery of colossal energy and a mind not of iron, but of steel! So, when you have Mark Allen (08h 07m 45s), Luc Van Lierde (08h 04min 08s), Craig Alexander (08h 03min 56sec), and Chris McCormack (08h 10min 37sec) with such times… Moreover, speaking of these last two, it must be said that Australians, from 2001 to 2013, it was a guaranteed podium at each edition! But hey, for the last six years, Germany has been the best producer of "ultra humans", with an average of almost two athletes on the podium each year! Over the last four years, the performances of the top three finishers have been simply mind-blowing… less than 08h 10min! To better imagine the dementia of these times, we simply have to understand the looks that it implies. 
In swimming, this usually means finishing in less than 50 minutes. For the regulars of the pool, you will understand that we are talking about holding a pace equivalent to about 40 seconds at 50 meters, for 3.8 km and in open water because with water lines and without the shots it is too easy! Once this aquatic warm-up is over, you still need to have enough reserve to maintain an average of 41 km/h on the bike, for 180 km! So here, cycling enthusiasts will tell you that keeping this pace in a peloton is doable, but not forever… For most, not easy to pedal already an hour. So when you see these gentlemen holding this pace for 4h30 without taking advantage of the aspiration of another cyclist, we tend to wonder how it is possible, especially since there is still the marathon right after! And on the running part, it means a small tempo at 15 km / h … A marathon in less than 3 hours in fact! They are actually four to have passed under the bar of 8 in Hawaii. The American Timothy O'Donnell (07h59min40sec), the Belgian Bart Aernouts (07h56min41sec), and of course the Germans Patrick Lange (07h52min30sec and double world champion) and Jan Frodeno (07h51min13sec and three-time reigning world champion and record holder). Aliens! What if you thought there wasn't much spectacular to tell about Ironman performances after mentioning all these names? Well, what will you say about what's next? Yes, how not to be seized with admiration and overwhelmed by emotion when you see athletes who leave with the double challenge of finishing the race while overcoming their handicap. These are athletes who still make us feel something deeper in sport in general. Because here, the main interest is not the place in the general classification although it is sometimes remarkable, but the real fight against a race that seems impossible to achieve and illness. These women and men are the bearers of the Ironman motto "Everything is possible". How to remain indifferent to the performance of Lisa Bentley who suffers from a form of cystic fibrosis finished third in 2006; Many participants with physical disabilities, amputee athletes who, even after failed participations, made it their obligation to return and finish one day. There is also Jonathan Seth Blais nicknamed "Blazeman" who suffering from Charcot's disease, a neurodegenerative disease that caused paralysis in both forearms, will become an Ironman in 2005 two years before his death. Blazeman the bearer of the number 179, which will be reserved by the organizers for the bravest athletes, is the symbol of these athletes who have decided to fight against the disease and also to be the bearers of a message of hope for all in sport and in life "nothing is impossible" !
