IM70.3 St Croix was iconic, but it is gone. However, they are going to re-establish it as an indie ... not sure if it will have the same atmosphere, but unlikely to attract much competition. http://www.stcroixtourism.com/st_croix_triathlon.htm

St Anthony's is in my backyard. It might be iconic for professionals but there isn't much to it for age groupers besides a 2 day logistical hassle. And they had to institute a sprint along with the Oly just to get numbers back to a shadow of what they were. I would not consider it iconic in any sense of the word.

Not quite. I did it in 2016 which was the 20th. So 22 years coming up this July. Not iconic, but a wonderful experience -- glad I went!

SOS

Thanks for highlighting the point I am making. There is no definition.

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He who understands the WHY, will understand the HOW.

Kona for sure, IMLP, maybe Alcatraz. These are historic and deserve their dues. I try and think of a tri bucket list and it would match pretty close to a "monument to tri"

Kona
Roth
IMLP
IMFL
Escape from Alcatraz
Alp d'Heuz

Other than that I don't see triathlon as a "Monument" making sport. This is a sport that's already a little outside the box taking on 3 disciplines at 4 standard distances all of which are so unique they're hardly even the same sport. Add to that the fact that USAT was founded in 1982 and ITU in 1989 the sport is still somewhat of a baby by comparison to cycling which was already chocked full of legends by then. We of course have our own legends but not with the same mythos and time passed as say Eddie Merx, or Babe Ruth.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

Yet in my thirty-five years of following cycling everyone has know what the Monuments are and they haven't changed.

No one who follows cycling would say that Milan-San Remo is a monument because it is hard. It is a sprinters race. It is long, however. All of them are noted for their length. And cycling forums are not without some (silly) chatter about whether MSM or even LBL deserve to be monuments (LBL because lately it has been ending with a peloton coming to the last km). But there is no serious dispute in cycling about what the monuments are.

The five monuments stand out as having the longest history of prestige and high level competition of any one-day races. All have been contested since at least 1913 (excepting a few years for world wars). They are hard, but no other races have the age, level of competition, and prestige to be serious contenders for the title Monument.

The cycling Monuments are as well defined as the Grand Slam events in tennis and golf.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

IMFL is probably the least spectacular of all IMs, IMHO.

I wondered about that too and wondered if it was a typo. It's more of an everyman's long course triathlon - a starter IM, but not remotely iconic.

I know cycling vs triathlon is not even close to apples to apples but this is a fun game, I'll play.

Kona
Roth
Norseman
Alcatraz
Island house

Yes I said that last one. Triathlon just doesn't have the history of cycling so I'm basically ignoring that factor as its largely irrelevant here. Island house is a spectacle that consistently draws the world's very best and is unique and well known. So in that sense its similar to cyclings monuments.

Plus, no rider has ever won all 5 cycling monuments, have they? Takes a very different set of skills to win roubaix than it does lombardia. So same with my selections. There's varying terrain, distances, climates. I'd be happy to sub in wildflower if someone had a gun to my head. That would be the strade bianche equivalent - the unofficial 6th monument.

Mercx won all five monuments.

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Haha of course he did. Thank you for correcting me.

I’ve actually not done IMFL yet. But because of the age of the race, getting away from the Massachusetts winter, and fast flats I’ve always considered it a bucket lister of mine and iconic. But to each their own.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

I've done it twice and went to High School at Panama City. It can be a destination race for anyone who wants to hit the beach in the shoulder season (and you should do it for that reason), but it doesn't stack up to many others as an icon or monument. It also isn't very competitive in the pro division since it's only 3 weeks after Kona. And if you go by age of the race, it is way, way behind IM New Zealand. Both IMLP and IMFL hit 20 yrs this year - an accomplishment to be sure, but races like IM Lanzarote are more likely to be counted as a tri 'monument' because they are both older and vastly more difficult. And if we throw out age and just want epicness, then IM Wales is quickly going to move up the list.

I have great memories at IMFL but it's about as far from iconic as an event can get.

I will say that a one-lap bike course is awesome (albeit lonely).

I have to agree. Embrunman is a cult race also for Spanish triathletes. So hard!

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Sr. Salitre

And also Roger De Vlaeminck and Rik Van Looy. All Belgians even though only 2 of the monuments are here :)

And with no other definition to guide them - sure sounds like a common consensus is required to make these races monuments to me.

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He who understands the WHY, will understand the HOW.

What I liked about embrunman was it was like stepping into someones culture. Going through small villages and people shouting allez. Not being able to get into transition without your passport.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot