Well before kona and the WTC, the ironman race was three disciplines in the surf - swim, board and ski. Aside from the race being basically entirely in or on the water and in the surf (which could be a significant challenge in itself) and the distance being shorter, one significant difference to today’s ironman is that the order was chosen just before the race. So it could be swim, board, ski or board, swim, ski etc. You didn’t know until the day.
Today’s ironman is an elongated triathlon and the order is set in stone. People train specifically to be able to run off the bike. An error in pacing, hydration or nutrition can mean walking the mara - but completing it (usually).
Can you imagine the challenge if the order was chosen out of a hat on the morning of the race! Now that would be a real ironman.
I wonder how much difference a change in order would potentially have for the top pro’s? Certainly having the swim last would see many more AG DNF’s.
Certainly having the swim last would see many more AG DNF’s fatalities
Fixed that for ya…
Haha! This is true. Try for yourself: go for a long, draining run or ride and then do a real swim workout. I know a few people who have or have nearly passed out (in the water) while doing this.
I would probably be challenged to keep a steady increase in HR going, if I had to go through all three modalities in a different order than swim, bike and then run.
Well before kona and the WTC, the ironman race was three disciplines in the surf - swim, board and ski. Aside from the race being basically entirely in or on the water and in the surf (which could be a significant challenge in itself) and the distance being shorter, one significant difference to today’s ironman is that the order was chosen just before the race. So it could be swim, board, ski or board, swim, ski etc. You didn’t know until the day.
Today’s ironman is an elongated triathlon and the order is set in stone. People train specifically to be able to run off the bike. An error in pacing, hydration or nutrition can mean walking the mara - but completing it (usually).
Can you imagine the challenge if the order was chosen out of a hat on the morning of the race! Now that would be a real ironman.
I wonder how much difference a change in order would potentially have for the top pro’s? Certainly having the swim last would see many more AG DNF’s.
If the swim were last, you’d need to either have it in a big pool, or in a sheltered, shallow water lagoon where tired swimmers could grab a raft/wall to rest. Doing the swim in a pool would actually be do-able since people would be really spread out from run and bike, but keeping up with the laps would be a challenge. But certainly doing the swim last, or even as the middle leg, would completely change the complexion of the race!!! I’ve thought about this, and made comments about this, many times both on ST and in “regular life”. This potential change in the order of events would really force people to swim more:)
Well before kona and the WTC, the ironman race was three disciplines in the surf - swim, board and ski. Aside from the race being basically entirely in or on the water and in the surf (which could be a significant challenge in itself) and the distance being shorter, one significant difference to today’s ironman is that the order was chosen just before the race. So it could be swim, board, ski or board, swim, ski etc. You didn’t know until the day.
Today’s ironman is an elongated triathlon and the order is set in stone. People train specifically to be able to run off the bike. An error in pacing, hydration or nutrition can mean walking the mara - but completing it (usually).
Can you imagine the challenge if the order was chosen out of a hat on the morning of the race! Now that would be a real ironman.
I wonder how much difference a change in order would potentially have for the top pro’s? Certainly having the swim last would see many more AG DNF’s.
If the swim were last, you’d need to either have it in a big pool, or in a sheltered, shallow water lagoon where tired swimmers could grab a raft/wall to rest. Doing the swim in a pool would actually be do-able since people would be really spread out from run and bike, but keeping up with the laps would be a challenge. But certainly doing the swim last, or even as the middle leg, would completely change the complexion of the race!!! I’ve thought about this, and made comments about this, many times both on ST and in “regular life”. This potential change in the order of events would really force people to swim more:)
Or run and bike more so as to reduce fatigue going into the swim. Not sure what effect this would actually have.
I’ve always thought the order was off. It should go Bike, Run, Swim. This makes sense since biking is what I do to warm up before doing actual exercise, running is the exercise, and swimming is what I do after I’ve exercised to relax and cool down.
Well to be entirely factual, the first Ironman was not in Australia, but it was a swim, run, board, run, dory, run, and done here in the US. I don’t exactly when, heard stories of the late 30’s though. We did not however do the hat draw until you guys made it a staple. I think we have been doing the draw for the past 20 years or so.
And to the rest of you, triathlon began as a mixed up order of events, the swim usually going last. First few years most the races i did had either the bike or run first, and the swim always last. Nobody drowned either. Lots of cramps, lots of hanging onto water toys, lots of close calls, but everyone eventually made it to the finish line or to shore somewhere and walked it off. And this was way before wetsuits too. They certainly would have been a help, but imagine what todays wetsuit would look like if that order stuck. It would be a two piece with velcro on both sides, like the strippers use in the Chippendale shows( so i’m told).
So i guess i can actually say i was an ironman champion before Tom Warren and Dave Scott… (-;
Certainly having the swim last would see many more AG DNF’s fatalities
Fixed that for ya…
I know, right? The number of people that die every year at SOS on the first swim is mind boggling. Never mind the second or third swim.
Anti-hyperbole dig aside, I will grant that there is plenty of cramping in that event even among the well prepared, and it wouldn’t be the best venue for someone who can barely swim and/or relies on a wetsuit.