Humbold Goes Five for Five

With persistence and determination, Reinhold Humbold overcame the wrath of Madame Pele to win his fifth age group title in a row last year. The extreme winds prevented him from making his target time, but his 10:27 was fast enough to keep his winning streak going.
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Older Stories

Fast Age Group Qualifying Times

As we get closer and closer to the Ford Ironman World Championships, I would like to draw your attention to some particularly good age group times that I have noticed in many recent races. Read the story »

Swimmer Wohlers Masters The Bike and Run

Coming from a family with active parents who get their kids involved in sports at an early age is a definite plus to becoming a good athlete. That's Lindsay Wohlers' story. Read the story »

Yo, Lance: I'm Talking To You

Dear Lance: I hear you're going to be doing Ironman. Neat. But like those women who write their hotel room numbers on their underwear and throw them at Tom Jones, there are triathlon coaches everywhere who are going to be writing their email addresses on water bottles and heaving them in your direction. Read the story »

Lisbeth Kenyon: From the Sidelines to Leading the Pack

Growing up in Norway, Lisbeth Kenyon was not a born-athlete who loved to compete. She participated in sports such as swimming and cross country skiing, but didn't care for competition. Her brother was excelling in decathlon and her sister in swimming, but Kenyon was content to cheer them on. It was later that she caught the bug. Read the story »

2010 Ford Ironman World Championship Lottery Winners

Thanks to the vision of Ironman founder John Collins, who insisted that a system be maintained to allow the "common man" a chance to compete in this great race, 200 far-from-common age-groupers will join the rest of the 1,800 strong in Kailua Bay on October 9, 2010 for the Ford Ironman World Championship. Once you're done celebrating ... get training! Read the story »

Men's Kona Qualifiers

Ford Ironman Arizona took place on November 22nd, 2009 and, like Ironman Florida, it provides a reset, of sorts, for those that may have had a less than desirable finish at the Ford Ironman World Championship, including Ed McDevitt, pictured here on his way to winning the men's 35-39 age group in Tempe. There were a few folks that fit this bill, but others simply wanted to qualify earlier. Read the story »

Dede Griesbauer - The Road from Wall Street to Alii Drive

With three top-10 finishes at the Ford Ironman World Championship, Dede Griesbauer has been Kona's most consistent American woman over the last three years. The six-year pro has two Ironman titles on her resume, but her journey to the world of Ironman was not typical. Read the story »

Hirotsugu Kuwabara, A Brand New Pro

The 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship was the high point of Hirotsugu Kuwabara's triathlon career. "I have never been so excited after a race before," he said of his Kona debut. "I was able to do my best in the highest stage and was very happy." Read the story »

About the Race

Qualifier for Ford Ironman World Championship If you are a triathlete, there is no bigger day in this sport than the Ford Ironman World Championship. It is the race that defined our sport as it came of age, and continues to be the defining race in our sport for any avid triathlete.

To get to the starting line in Kona, you must either be very lucky and get yourself a spot through the lottery, or very talented, and win yourself a qualifying spot at one of the qualifying events held around the world.

Tens-of-thousands of triathletes try to get one of those coveted Ironman spots every year. Only 1,800 succeeded.

That means 1,800 "lucky" people get to test themselves on one of the biggest challenges the sports world has to offer ... 2.4-miles of swimming, 112-miles of biking, and a 26.2-mile marathon run through tough ocean waves, and challenging lava-covered terrain.

While there are thousands of triathlons around the world, it is this one that truly defines the sport. It all began at an Awards Ceremony for a relay running race in Honolulu in 1977. A group of local athletes discussed the idea of an endurance triathlon and combining three major events that already existed on the island. John Collins suggested combining them and making it a single-day event. Later that evening, Collins took the stage announcing the event and that "whoever finishes first, we will call him the IRONMAN." It has since become triathlon's Super Bowl, Wimbledon, World Series, World Cup, and Tour de France all rolled into one. What makes this event so unique is that "average" people get to compete alongside the best in the world.

Available Now from IronmanDVD

2007 Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 DVD
Relive the November 10, 2007 race with this DVD. Watch as Andy Potts, a highly decorated athlete with short-course success, sprinted to a first place 3:42:33 finish, while Australia�s Mirinda Carfrae broke the course record and claimed victory finishing at 4:07:25. In addition to the competitive professional field, more than 1,400 other triathletes ranging from 19 to 82 years old crossed the finish line, including Mark Rothbaum, manager of country music legend Willie Nelson, and Stacey Junio, who celebrated her recent weight loss in preparation for the event. $34.95 Available now.