on IRONMAN’s front-facing content it refers to its race as the IRONMAN World Championship. we and others have made a lot of reference throughout the years to that race with Hawaiian in front of it. either we all dreamed that IRONMAN once called its race that, or it was once called that, officially, by the race owner. assuming IRONMAN named its race beginning with Hawaiian, does anybody know when it began calling it that? and/or when it ceased calling it that?
https://www.facebook.com/lewis.mccorvey/videos/1535331543144451?idorvanity=1162840027
Here is a little clip from that first race, and about halfway through you can see what they called the race back then. I also saw it called the International Triathlon, and of course the Nautilus Triathlon, but not the Hawaiian Ironman world champs back then…
Check out my front pack, filled with 6 glass peanut butter jars of ERG, chain breaker, spokes, wrenches, and other assorted tools. And first year they said you had to wear a helmet, so I brought my lifeguard dory helmet with chin strap. And of course the map of the island and course on top of my aero front bag, just in case we got lost. It was like an adventure race for us back then!!
on IRONMAN’s front-facing content it refers to its race as the IRONMAN World Championship. we and others have made a lot of reference throughout the years to that race with Hawaiian in front of it. either we all dreamed that IRONMAN once called its race that, or it was once called that, officially, by the race owner. assuming IRONMAN named its race beginning with Hawaiian, does anybody know when it began calling it that? and/or when it ceased calling it that?
Are we going into Mandela Effect territory?
I don’t remember ever hearing or reading about it as “The Hawaiian Championship”, but as Ironman World Championship Hawaii (or Kona Hawaii). But I’m relatively new to the sport (2015).
I’ll say it again Monty if you ever write a book I’ll be the first one to buy it
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on IRONMAN’s front-facing content it refers to its race as the IRONMAN World Championship. we and others have made a lot of reference throughout the years to that race with Hawaiian in front of it. either we all dreamed that IRONMAN once called its race that, or it was once called that, officially, by the race owner. assuming IRONMAN named its race beginning with Hawaiian, does anybody know when it began calling it that? and/or when it ceased calling it that?
Are we going into Mandela Effect territory?
I don’t remember ever hearing or reading about it as “The Hawaiian Championship”, but as Ironman World Championship Hawaii (or Kona Hawaii). But I’m relatively new to the sport (2015).
the folks at IRONMAN say that in their collective memory, going back 10 years, the term with “Hawaiian” in front of it, was not used. so i’m wondering if it was ever used and i’m pretty sure it was. but i don’t know with certainty, even tho there are references all over the internet. in kona’s beginning, in 1981, it was known on the island as Nautilus International Triathlon. it was also known as IRONMAN World Triathlon. back then, there was no World Championship in the title. at some point that was added and i kind of think that back then, perhaps during the 80s, it became Hawaiian IRONMAN World Championship. but i don’t know, hence my asking.
https://www.facebook.com/lewis.mccorvey/videos/1535331543144451?idorvanity=1162840027
Here is a little clip from that first race, and about halfway through you can see what they called the race back then. I also saw it called the International Triathlon, and of course the Nautilus Triathlon, but not the Hawaiian Ironman world champs back then…
Check out my front pack, filled with 6 glass peanut butter jars of ERG, chain breaker, spokes, wrenches, and other assorted tools. And first year they said you had to wear a helmet, so I brought my lifeguard dory helmet with chin strap. And of course the map of the island and course on top of my aero front bag, just in case we got lost. It was like an adventure race for us back then!!
If you have that full broadcast I would be willing to do bad things to get my hands on it. Any chance it’s up on YouTube or anywhere else? I LOVE watching old races while I’m on the trainer, and that front pack is incredible, lol.
On “Hawaiian Ironman” I’m definitely newer to the sport, been at it only a little over a decade now, but I’ve honestly never heard that in an official capacity. So that narrows it down to pre 2012 if my memory is holding up okay. A quick journal dig found this 1993 article using that terminology but I don’t think that’s officially from Ironman though. But I’m guessing they’d use the accepted vernacular of the day.
This site has the official results from every year and I looked at a dozen or so throughout the history and didn’t see that description on any of the results.
I feel like the “Hawaiian” reference was used a lot by the old ABC broadcast teams. Maybe I’m dreaming that up, but it feels right to me that some random guy in a sports coat would be reporting “here at the Hawaiian Ironman World Championships” or some variation of…
A quick journal dig found this 1993 article using that terminology but I don’t think that’s officially from Ironman though. But I’m guessing they’d use the accepted vernacular of the day.
Excellent find! I’m looking forward to reading 20+ pages about the ritual aspects of the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon this weekend. Here’s a sentence from the conclusion: “It takes place in a sacred place, at a sacred time of the year, and provides a unique opportunity for ordinary individuals from all walks of life to have an extra-ordinary, epiphanic experience that can be shared with others like onself.”
I have some 1990 swag that says “Triathlon World Championship - Kona Hawaii” Doesn’t even say Ironman.
on IRONMAN’s front-facing content it refers to its race as the IRONMAN World Championship. we and others have made a lot of reference throughout the years to that race with Hawaiian in front of it. either we all dreamed that IRONMAN once called its race that, or it was once called that, officially, by the race owner. assuming IRONMAN named its race beginning with Hawaiian, does anybody know when it began calling it that? and/or when it ceased calling it that?
When Thomas Magnum did it in 1981, it was the Iron Man Classic
on IRONMAN’s front-facing content it refers to its race as the IRONMAN World Championship. we and others have made a lot of reference throughout the years to that race with Hawaiian in front of it. either we all dreamed that IRONMAN once called its race that, or it was once called that, officially, by the race owner. assuming IRONMAN named its race beginning with Hawaiian, does anybody know when it began calling it that? and/or when it ceased calling it that?
When Thomas Magnum did it in 1981, it was the Iron Man Classic
righteo! but when i did the bandit version of that race in 1981, it wasn’t called that 
I have no race results on print, but before there was Ironman Canada, Ironman Japan, Ironman Germany, Ironman New Zealand and Ironman Australia, there was just the Hawaii Ironman.
At some point, like most sports American, the world “World Championship” got tied in (much like the NBA championship, or MLB or NFL). I think it was around the time that the other 5 Ironmans around the world got added, but even then it was not “right at that point”. There were all these individual Ironmans by country and one Hawaii
I believe in 1992 was when they created the world series of events tying all these events into a unified series with Hawaii at the World Championship. You can talk to Ken Glah, Tinley, Ray Browning and a few others as a distinctly recall these guys flying around the world competing for points before Kona. If there was a year that “World championship” was definitively added to Hawaiian Ironman, it would be the first year of the world series. I think your ex may have also participated in that world series (or a number of events in it…I think she won IMC 1992)
I have no race results on print, but before there was Ironman Canada, Ironman Japan, Ironman Germany, Ironman New Zealand and Ironman Australia, there was just the Hawaii Ironman.
At some point, like most sports American, the world “World Championship” got tied in (much like the NBA championship, or MLB or NFL). I think it was around the time that the other 5 Ironmans around the world got added, but even then it was not “right at that point”. There were all these individual Ironmans by country and one Hawaii
I believe in 1992 was when they created the world series of events tying all these events into a unified series with Hawaii at the World Championship. You can talk to Ken Glah, Tinley, Ray Browning and a few others as a distinctly recall these guys flying around the world competing for points before Kona. If there was a year that “World championship” was definitively added to Hawaiian Ironman, it would be the first year of the world series. I think your ex may have also participated in that world series (or a number of events in it…I think she won IMC 1992)
According to the official results it appears it was first called the “World Championship” in 1982.
I swear I heard Welchy call it the “Hawaii Ironman World Championship” on the broadcast at least 20 times this year. And it’s always been him calling it that.
I have no race results on print, but before there was Ironman Canada, Ironman Japan, Ironman Germany, Ironman New Zealand and Ironman Australia, there was just the Hawaii Ironman.
At some point, like most sports American, the world “World Championship” got tied in (much like the NBA championship, or MLB or NFL). I think it was around the time that the other 5 Ironmans around the world got added, but even then it was not “right at that point”. There were all these individual Ironmans by country and one Hawaii
I believe in 1992 was when they created the world series of events tying all these events into a unified series with Hawaii at the World Championship. You can talk to Ken Glah, Tinley, Ray Browning and a few others as a distinctly recall these guys flying around the world competing for points before Kona. If there was a year that “World championship” was definitively added to Hawaiian Ironman, it would be the first year of the world series. I think your ex may have also participated in that world series (or a number of events in it…I think she won IMC 1992)
i’m familiar with the series. it began i think in 1991 and erin baker won it. i remember it because my ex won it in 1992, as you correctly remember. i think it was the IRONMAN Series World Championship but i don’t remember.
From the broadcast of the 1991 race…
well that’s pretty good evidence.
While in Kona I took a picture of all the old race posters on the wall of a downtown store. Looking at it now, none of them say Hawaiian Ironman.
Some race posters from 1981-present