Ironman
Be an IRONMAN expert with these stats on the World Championships
Want to know all about the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i? Check out these stunning stats on the people, places and performances that make it so special.
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Extreme endurance doesn’t come much more competitive or dramatic than the IRONMAN World Championship. Held on an active volcano in Hawaii, the bike/swim/run race was created was to settle an argument over whether cyclists were the fittest sportsmen.
Let’s do this
© Red Bull Content Pool
It’s now one of the most sought after endurance competitions, with almost 100,000 people competing in events around the world for a chance to fly to this island paradise and race through its amazing landscape. And these are some of the numbers that make it so special.
Discover the inspirational story of triathlete Tim Don by listening to the below episode of the How to be Superhuman podcast.
1. The 4.5-metre ‘Crawl of Fame’
In 1982, the women’s leader Julie Moss collapsed just minutes from victory. She picked herself up time and again but eventually had to crawl the last 4.5 metres to the finish line. It was a moment that made the race famous around the world. Watch it, and you’ll understand why.
Julie Moss became an IRONMAN triathlon legend after this race
© Carol Hogan
The 23-year-old rookie was competing as research for her thesis and was so fatigued and dehydrated she was barely able to control her body. Kathleen McCartney raced past her to take a surprised victory, with Moss still coming home in an incredible second place.
2. Entrants have to cover a total of 226.3km
The race is made up of a 3.8km swim in Kailua-Kona Bay, 180km of biking across the lava to Hāwī and back and a 42.2km coastal marathon from Keauhou to Keahole Point and back to Kailua-Kona.
Camilla Pedersen swimming during training for the 2017 Ironman Worlds
© Jesper Gronnemark/Red Bull Content Pool
3. 650,000 USD prize purse
The winners of the men and women’s pro races each stand to take home $120,000 as their part of a prize purse of more than half a million dollars. Cash prizes are handed out down to 10th place, which takes home $10,000. The race first offered a financial prize in 1986, when the organizers put up a total fund of $100,000.
A large cheque awaits the winners
© Rachel Ceretto/Red Bull Content Pool
4. 811 litres of chicken broth
Competitors eat through a huge amount of food. In 2018, as well as the equivalent of 5 full baths of chicken broth, there were 75 cases of bananas, 63 cases of oranges, 1,350 bread rolls and 66 kilograms of pretzels.
5. 49 qualifying races
You can’t just rock up and race, you have to earn your place – by winning your age group in one of 49 qualifying races in 27 different countries. This year more than 90,000 athletes competed in IRONMAN events around the world.
6. 96.7 percent finish rate
In 2018, the event saw the highest number of finishers with 2,307. It also had the biggest number of starters in history with 2,385 – meaning all but 3.3 percent of the field made the finish. The ever-expanding field first topped 1,000 in 1984 and rose over 2,000 in 2013.
Getting to the finish line is an achievement in itself
© Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool
7. 10,000 calories burned
The energy output of the competitors is staggering and they will burn through between 7,000 to 10,000 calories during the course of the race. That’s huge compared to the average human consumption of 1,500 to 2,500 calories in a normal day.
Braden Currie makes sure he's well fed before taking part
© Roy Schott
8. 360 calories per hour intake
Competitors don’t need to replace ALL the energy out with energy in, but they do need to fuel their body regularly to get to the finish. Their intake must be between 180-360 calories per hour – that’s 45-90 grams of carbohydrates.
9. 7 hours 52 minutes 39 seconds fastest winning time
The 2018 race was the fastest on record for both women and men – with German Patrick Lange getting below 8 hours and Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf coming home a little over 30mins slower on 8 hours 26 minutes 18 seconds.
In the first ever race on Big Island, the finish time was nearly 2 hours slower in the men’s race (9 hours 38 minutes 29 seconds, set by John Howard) and 3.5 hours slower in the women’s (12 hours 32 seconds, by Linda Sweeney)
Daniela Ryf holds the fastest women's Ironman Worlds time
© Jesper Gronnemark/Red Bull Content Pool
10. 2 islands
The Hawaiian island of Oahu first hosted the race before it moved across to Big Island in 1981. The original event combined three events: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, the Around-Oahu Bike Race and the Honolulu Marathon.
The sun rises for the start of the Ironman
© Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool
11. 43 years average age
The average IRONMAN competitor is over 40 but the oldest finisher, Drew Hollander, was 84 years old when he crossed the line in 2011. The oldest to WIN was Craig Alexander, who was 38 years of age when he won for the third time in 2011.
12. 36 percent American winners
American competitors have won more pro races than any other nation, with a total of 30 victories from 83. They have won 20 of the 42 men’s pro races (with Germany second on 9) and 10 of the 41 women’s pro races (equal with Switzerland).
The event begins early
© Jesper Gronnemark/Red Bull Content Pool
13. 1 in 4 post-race treatments
The medical tent is visited by up to a quarter of the field each year, much of it down to the insane 90 percent humidity that prevents competitors’ sweat from evaporating and causes heat stroke and disorientation.
The 112-mile (180.25 km) bike route can be exposed to high winds
© Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool
On top of that, competitors face temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius, which is made worse by reflection from the shiny lava and asphalt terrain, and also crosswind speeds up to 95kmh on the bike leg.
14. 98 percent recycling
The race creates a lot of waste and the cleanup is so important there’s a dedicated recycling manager. Last year two large shipping containers were filled with 360,000 cups, 31,608 cans, 127,215 bottles and 4,500 boxes.
15. 12,888 cans of Red Bull
Competitors take many different approaches to help their performance and caffeine is a popular choice. As little as 75-100 milligrams can provide a positive effect, which is probably why many pick up a Red Bull at the Energy Station set up along the marathon route.
A caffeine boost at the right time can do wonders
© Brian Bielmann/Red Bull Content Pool
16. 20 million views – people love to tune in and watch the action
The global popularity of the event has grown massively since it was first covered on TV in 1980. Last year, it was live-streamed on ‘Facebook Watch’ and drew in a huge number of viewers during the 20-hour stream.
Separate start waves have been introduced to ease crowding
© Jesper Gronnemark/Red Bull Content Pool
17. It takes 30 hours training per week to prepare for
Athletes, both professional and amateur, put in huge amounts of effort to prepare for this event. Most do between 18-30hrs training per week, including 11km of swimming, 360km of biking and 77km of running - plus weights, stretching and yoga.
18. There's 2,079 metres elevation gain
A never-ending road that just continues to rise
© Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool
The course climbs up and down the hills of Hawaii and rises more than 2km in total – 1,772 metres on the bike course and 307 metres on the run. Rules ban drafting on the bike and only allow ‘running, walking or crawling’ on foot.
19. 29 seconds closest finish
The smallest margin of victory came in the famous women’s race in February 1982, when Americans Kathleen McCartney and Julie Moss were separated by less than half a minute after Moss’ fatigue-struck finish. The closest men’s finish was a year later, in 1983, when legends Dave Scott and Scott Tinley finished 33 seconds apart.
20. The highest number of race finishes is 23
Brazilian Fernanda Keller has the highest number of race finishes, having completed more than 50 percent of all the races ever run. Her record is two more than the men’s highest, which is held by American Ken Glah, on 21.
Triathlete Fernando Keller has the highest number of race finishes
© Pedro Cury
21. You have to finish 17 hours or you'll get a DNF
The pressure’s on from the start – because if you don’t meet the course cut-offs you’re posting a DNF. The maximum time for the swim is 2 hours 20 minutes after the allotted start time, the bike cut-off is at 10 hours 30 minutes of cumulated time and the is stopped bang on 17 hours.
Don't get caught out by not finishing on time
© Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool
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