What is the Iron Man competition?

Iron Man is a triathlon, an athletic event that calls for competitors to complete the three legs of the race: one swim, one cycling and one run. Although the term "Iron Man" can be used to describe any triathlon, especially those that include certain distances for each leg, official Ironman is a trademark of the event. The main event takes place every year in Kailu Kona in Hawaii, where the competitors have to finish 2.4 miles (3.86 km) to swim across the bay Kailua Kona, then 112 miles (180.2 km) cycling from Keauho to Kialoa to Kila-Cola and Kilaho-Kona again and Kaliia. Other Ironman triathlons take place in other places around the world. Some places that host qualification events include Japan, South Africa, the Canary Islands, Europe and the United States. Each location has a different number of available slots and the way in which they are threatened differs from one place to another. Some slots are also available through a lottery drawing.

The Ironman competition was first launched in 1978 and has been running since then. It was born from the debate among athletes that was the most suitable - swimmers, cyclists or runners. Although the competition runs every year, it was moved to October every year than in February, which is originally held. The transition period was in 1982 and as a result two competitions were held this year.

From its modest beginnings, this competition has grown dramatically. The first competition was actually only eleven competitors. The following year, approximately 50 competitors appeared to win the prestigious Iron Man title. However, only fifteen of these athletes actually competed because the competition was postponed due to bad weather. Today, Iron Man events see more than 1,500 competitors a year.

The number of Iron Man competitors would be even bigger if they did not have to go through a strict qualification event first.In fact, more than 3,000 hopes enter the lottery every year in the hope of finding a slot. However, only 150 seats are awarded to the citizens of the United States through the lottery and 50 is granted internationally.