IRON WARS IRONMAN MARK ALLEN PRO

What started out as a protest against athletes wearing speedos around town is now an established pre-race event.Īpart from the atmosphere the one thing that makes Kona unique is the location itself and the course.

Mainstays of Ironman tradition now include the Underpants Run, a 2.4km pre-race fundraiser. It was only having coached people who'd had such amazing experiences that I realised it’s not just about the race, but everything around it.”

IRON WARS IRONMAN MARK ALLEN PRO

“When you race as a pro it’s all about doing well but it can be a pretty miserable experience. “To win my age group I’d have to race as fast as I was as a pro.” The experience of taking part can vary hugely for athletes, he adds. “It’s so competitive now,” says triathlon coach and ex-pro Richard Hobson, who competed in 1994, 1995 and then again in 2010. A victim of its own popularity, competitors have to qualify to enter and it’s intensely competitive – 80,000 will vie for just 2,000 slots. It is now one of the most highly sought after – and difficult to enter races on the planet. What followed was a challenge to endurance athletes to see who was the toughest: swimmers, bikers or runners? On February 18, 1978, 15 competitors took part in the first ever Ironman. The race was famously the brainchild of a Naval officer John Collins, whose idea was to combine the three toughest endurance races on Hawaii into one race. And the best part is that you have the opportunity to be a part of those stories in the future.” Every corner has stories to tell of legendary clashes of triathlon titans. “That means that all the legends of my sport have been racing on the same circuit. The fact that it’s been nearly the same course over the years adds to its attraction, says pro athlete Åsa Lundström. 'It’s also one of a few races where most of the competitors are present at the location for a whole week before the race so you can see the world’s best triathletes walking around the village.” “It’s the legendary place where Ironman triathlon was born and the race where the best-of the-best in long distance triathlon are competing every year. “The spirit of Kona is really special,” says Suunto 9 product manager Markus Kemetter, who has competed in the race three times. The fierce rivalry and incredible endurance of the two athletes set the stage for the race to become one of the most popular challenges to feature on anyone’s ticklist. It was the year of the so-called ‘Iron War’, an epic duel between arch rivals Mark Allen and Dave Scott at the 1989 Ironman World Championship in which they fought neck and neck over the 226.2km course to finish just 58 seconds apart. Last year marked the 25th anniversary of an event remembered only by hardcore Ironman fans but it’s one that symbolizes much about the epic race – the struggle, the glory and the pain involved.

What’s behind it’s magnetic pull? Ahead of the 2015 edition of the race this Saturday, we set out to find out. It’s the race every triathlete aspires to do – at least once. If there’s one word that will strike fear and awe into an iron distance athlete it’s Kona.

Iron wars ironman mark allen