IRONMAN Hawaii: Beginnings

The Idea

The idea for the first IRONMAN triathlon was born in 1978 on Oahu Island, Hawaii, when during the awards ceremony for a running challenge competitors were arguing about who is more fit: swimmers, runners or other athletes. In the process US Navy Commander John Collins remarked that the great Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx was said to have the highest oxygen uptake ever measured and that therefore cyclists were probably the fittest athletes. Collins and his wife Judy had already taken part in a couple of short-distance triathlons in the previous years. Thus familiar with the concept Collins proposed to settle the debate by a race combining the three long-distance competitions already existing on Hawaii: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles / 3,85 km), the Around Oahu Bike Race (115 miles / 185 km; originally a two-day stage race) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles / 42,195 km). Collins suggested that the bike race, by leaving out 3 miles of its original course, could start at the finish of the ocean swim and end at Aloha Tower, the traditional start of the Honolulu Marathon. As a result the cycling course was reduced to 112 miles (180 km), now the standard bike distance of an IRONMAN triathlon.

"Whoever finishes first we'll call him the 'Iron Man' ", Collins said.

First Race

15 men participated in the initial event held on 18 February 1978 on Oahu Island. Twelve completed the race, led by the first 'Iron Man', Gordon Haller. His winning time: 11 hours, 46 minutes and 40 seconds. John Collins finished in just over 17 hours.

1978 IRONMAN Hawaii Results