The idea for the original Ironman Triathlon was created by John Collins, a US Navy Commander, when a debate arose over which athletes were the most fit - swimmers, runners or bicyclists. Apparently, he thought it would be a good idea to combine three long-distance competitions -- the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, the Around-Oahu Bike Race, and the Honolulu Marathon. Keep in mind that the bike race was originally a TWO day event and was actually 115 miles. The start of the bike race was changed to coincide with the swim start/finish and the run race start and that shaved off a whopping 3 miles. It was decided that "whoever finishes first, we'll call him the Iron Man." On February 18, 1978 fifteen men started the race, TWELVE finished. Each of the racers had their own support crew to supply water, food, and encouragement during the event. Gordon Haller was named the first IRONMAN, completing the course in 11 hours 46 minutes 58 seconds.
And now you know...
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