It is a compelling sight: An athlete, exhausted and exhilarated, collapses across the finish line to achieve the triathlon world’s pinnacle of success: completing the Ironman. For him or her, the moment can be bittersweet—for victory in this sport does not come without personal sacrifice. There is often no real chance for the monetary prize, no promise of fame; but the reward is more profound.

The Training Regiment

The road to the Ironman is weathered with intense physical pain, muscle injuries, and long hours of training. Preparing for the race becomes a full-time commitment, often requiring one to breathe, eat, and sleep the sport every day. It is the most extreme of the triathlon distances, combining three disciplines into one to create a grueling 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run.

Talk to many serious triathletes about their training regiment, and they will give you a schedule broken down into daily four-hour workouts, spanning six months to a year. Athletes training at their peak might devote the day to working out in one or two of the disciplines: a 100-mile bike ride, or perhaps a 15-mile run and 5,000-yard swim.

Internal Motivation

Ask what motivates them, and you will learn that they are inspired from within, that there is no challenge too great, no substitute for personal satisfaction.

Ron Baxter, a thirty-one-year-old newlywed and father, is a triathlete with such vision. Having grown up as a competitive swimmer and recreational surfer, he knew that one day he would explore his athletic abilities and confront other sports, other challenges. And, in October 2001, with 5K runs, two marathons, and a long-course triathlon behind him, he completed the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kailua-Kona Hawaii. A long-time athlete, his words echo the sentiment of many competitors.

“We don’t do it for the money,” he said. “Sure, there can be $70,000 waiting for the winner, but that’s not the real focus for the majority of triathletes. It’s about doing something you always thought was impossible, about discovering your limits and then setting goals to surpass them.”

His inspiration began in Feb. 1982 when on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports“ he saw a freckle-faced, red-haired woman named Julie Moss overcome defeat in the Hawaii Ironman. With the finish line in sight, an exhausted Moss suddenly collapsed. Riveted to the screen, Ron watched her crawl on hands and knees to complete the race.

“I’ll never forget that moment,” said Ron. “She was a professional triathlete who had lost complete control of everything, including her bodily functions, and still found the strength to cross the finish line. I was only twelve-years-old, and yet her stubborn determination, her unwillingness to give up no matter the circumstance, inspired me.”

Increasing Popularity

Ron was not alone. The extensive media coverage of Moss’ harrowing finish threw the relatively unnoticed sport into the worldwide spotlight. As thousands of people began to compete in triathlons, many attempted the Ironman, forcing race officials in 1983 to limit the number of applicants. Now, just entering the Hawaii Ironman has become a formidable task. The approximately 1500 starting spots are given to those who have placed in the high rankings at one of the qualifying events. The rest of the applicants depend on the lottery system, which has its own entry requirements and selects only 200 people—150 in the United States and 50 internationally.

Ron was one of the lucky ones. When his name was drawn in April from a lottery pool of nearly 4000, he knew his life would change. Other goals, like starting a family, were put on hold in favor of twenty-hour training weeks. Until October of that same year, every meal, every workout, was carefully designed to enable him to finish the Ironman. Like many before him, training would become a lifestyle.

Today, this type of lifestyle is gaining popularity. The first informal triathlon took place in 1974, when members of the San Diego Track Club combined three sports—swimming, biking, and running—for the sole purpose of training more effectively for marathons and 10K races. Four years later, on the beaches of Waikiki, 15 men began what would become one of the most challenging sports: The Hawaii Ironman.

The spirit of the event attracted attention and, in April 1982, the USA Triathlon group emerged to formalize the sport. After appearing in the 1994 Goodwill Games and the 1995 Pan American Games, triathlon qualified as a medal sport for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The expansive media coverage heralded the sport, attracting athletes from different disciplines, and at all levels.

Diversity of Athletes

Attend a triathlon race, and you will find a great diversity among its competitors. Most come with a strong background in one or two of the three disciplines and work hard to become proficient in the others. The races offer a variety of distances—Sprint, International, Long-Course, and Ironman. Some involve ocean swims (like the well-known Escape to Alcatraz triathlon); others require lake swims. Similarly, they can consist of road racing or mountain biking. Each type of race is specific to different endurance levels and physical skills. For example, the triathlon neophyte might opt for the Sprint distance, often consisting of a 600-yard swim, 12-mile bike ride, and 5k run.

“The beauty of the multi-sport is that it attracts a wide range of people—young, old, single, married, employed,” said Ron. “Married couples, even families, can complete a race together.”

Darrow Linder, a veteran triathlete, agrees. “The biggest misconception is that triathlons are only for the sports fanatic or elite athlete. But, I have known people with average athletic abilities complete the distances—even the Ironman—because they had extraordinary drive and ambition.”

The stories of determination are inspiring. Like those of the physically-handicapped people who, supported by the Challenged Athletes Foundation, compete in triathlons with prosthetic devices, hand-powered cycles, and wheelchairs. Or, like the story of Dick and Rick Hoyt who, as a father-and-son team, raced in over one hundred triathlons, including four Ironman distances. The odds were against them: Dick is sixty years old, and his son is a mute quadriplegic. For over twenty years, Dick has pushed and pulled his son over hundreds of finish lines.

The Lows of the Sport

But, for every high in the sport, there is often a low. Training for the Ironman has its disadvantages. The duration and intensity of both the physical and mental preparation can compromise full-time jobs and family commitments. Weekends become extended hours for training. The mind obsesses over workout schedules, diet, fitness, sleep, strength training, and having the right equipment. And soon, the sport can become an addiction.

As a communications engineer and new father of a three-month-old boy, Ron knows that training for the Ironman can monopolize one’s time and thoughts, and eventually get in the way of other commitments.

“The hardest part of preparing for a race is shifting around responsibilities and priorities,” he said. “In fact, I have heard about how triathlons, particularly the Ironman, can ruin a lot of relationships with loved ones.”

The physical aspects of training for the sport can also plague the triathlete. Recent evidence suggests that prolonged, strenuous exercise—often associated with overtraining—can lead to frequent muscle injury as well as loss of endurance, chronic fatigue, high exercise heart rate, recurring illness, and nutritional deficiency.

The Highs of the Sport

However, the possible detriments do not seem to slow these athletes down. They continue to sacrifice energy, time, and money to excel at the sport. And, the only fitting question then becomes, why? Why do they compete? Why does the triathlon compel them to push themselves?

The feeling of being in excellent physical shape is a factor, of course. Exercise combined with proper nutrition improves general health and stamina. However, both Ron and Darrow would tell you that the physical aspects are only a part of why they compete. It is the culture of the sport that attracts them.

Social Factors

The triathlon world offers a social place for athletes to share in each other’s passion for the multi-sport. They train together, encourage one another. Stand next to triathletes moments before they begin the race, and you will sometimes hear them sharing information about the latest equipment or the results from a previous competition. Some of them are co-workers and friends; others are family members. The race will be their first or their one-hundredth.

In the large crowd of wetsuits, toes touching the ocean, these people blend with professional athletes and Olympic hopefuls. This is one aspect of triathlon that is so rare—being able to stand next to and talk to some of the best athletes in the world. The mood is spirited, yet light-hearted. The competition is fierce, but friendly.

Throughout the race, you might notice athletes, although exhausted or in last place, occasionally grin with satisfaction and pride. At the finish line, they embrace and congratulate each other on a job well done—for the sport has built friendships.

This is especially true for Ron, who moved from San Diego to Orange County and wanted to meet people locally.

“The social aspects of the sport are definitely important,” said Ron. “Because each person brings his own strengths and weaknesses, you don’t get caught in that crazy competitive atmosphere where people hurt each other just to get ahead. Everybody is actually really nice. We support each other.”

Darrow agrees. “I like the feeling of comradeship. Even though we are athletically different from each other, we share that same drive, the same passion.”

In fact, it was this passion for the sport that brought Ron and Darrow together. The two men worked in the same office building for years yet had never spoken to each other. It was only when a fellow co-worker told Ron that Darrow competed in triathlons, that the two met. Now, they ride bikes together during office lunch breaks.

“We cycle about 15 miles or so a couple days a week,” said Darrow. “Training with other people who are serious about reaching their goals inspires me to push myself.”

The Ultimate Reward

Although the men have recently taken time off from triathlons to bond with their new sons, they have by no means abandoned the sport. Both plan to compete in races within the next year.

“There’s something about multi-sport races, like the Ironman, that inspire me and other triathletes,” said Ron. “Maybe we are all just a little nutty—a lot of people seem to think so. And, maybe we just love the sport. But, I know that at the end of the day I have pushed myself to achieve my dreams. I have proven that I can do something I had always thought was impossible. And for me, that’s the best reward.”