What is the Ironman?
The Ironman triathlon is considered as one of the most popular and grueling endurance events in the world, participated only by supremely fit individuals. The Triathlon involves a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles bike ride and 26.2 miles marathon run, without a break. Not only is the length grueling, time limit for each leg is implemented. Most Ironman events only allot 17 hours to finish the three-leg race and begin at 7am. The swim should take 2 hours and 20 minutes; bike ride should be completed for 8 hours and 10 hours and the marathon run cuts off at midnight.
How the Ironman Triathlon Works
Athletes seeking for a less intense endurance test may consider Ironman 70.3 series. Called as Half-ironman, it is called 70.3 series representing the total distance of the triathlon – 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile marathon run. Ironman 70.3 is one of the fastest rising triathlon series in the world.
Though the Hawaii Ironman is regarded as the forefather of all triathlons, the Ironman qualifying competition consists of 23 Full Ironmans and 5 Half Ironman races, held throughout the world. Athletes will be qualified to compete to the Ford Ironman World Championships which is help in Kona, Hawaii every October. Nearly 1,800 athletes participate in the most challenging endurance competition in the world.
Still looking for more? Try Hyperman Triathlon, which is three times the distance of Ironman and takes over three days; or the Decatriathlon, which is 10 times the distance of Ironman and takes 18 days or less.
How to Train for Ironman Triathlon
Depending on your current physical state, Ironman training usually takes 20 to 36 weeks. The first month will concentrate on prepping your body for the rigid training you will be undergoing. Take your first month as a warm-up, where you build up your strength and endurance. Swimming techniques will also be focused during this time. The amount of training starts at 8 hours a week and gradually increases as you go further with your training.
Over the succeeding months, you will focus on doing one leg of the triathlon, whether its swimming, biking or running. Training hours increases up to 15 hours per week. Never overdo your training. You may reduce the intensity, but do not cut back on the training hours. You may need to tweak some techniques and focus on improving your stamina and endurance level along the course of time. Every person is a bit different so training regimens will most likely need to be altered accordingly.
Ironman triathlon training is not only about physical health but requires mental conditioning and hard determination.
Should I Do An Ironman?
An Ironman is not for the faint of heart. It is a grind and should not be something you decide to do on a whim. The training alone requires time, hard work and the dedication. It will require many early mornings or late nights squeezing in your workouts. If you have a family it is going to take a creative effort to workout between everybody’s schedules.
It is strongly suggested to try some smaller triathlons first to see if you can handle the rigors of the race. Many local races, which you can find via a quick search, are in the ballpark of Swim 500 Meters, Bike 12.4 Miles and Run 3.1 Miles. They then go up from there in terms of distance. Those are a great starting point to see if this is something you can and want to fully invest your time in.
Good Luck!
