Ultraman (endurance challenge)

The Ultraman World Championship is a three-day, 320 mile (515-km) annual endurance race held on the Big Island of Hawaii. The race is divided into three stages: The first is a 6.2-mile(10-km) ocean swim from Kailua Bay to Keauhou Bay, followed by a 90-mile (145-km) cross-country bike ride, with vertical climbs that total 6,000 feet. Stage two is a 171.4-mile (276-km) bike ride from Volcanoes National Park to Kohala Village Inn, with total vertical climbs of 4,000 feet. Stage three is a 52.4-mile(84-km) double-marathon, which starts at Hawi and finishes on the beach at the Old Airport State Park. Each stage must be completed within 12 hours or less. The swim portion of stage one must be completed in 5.5 hours or less. Participants who do not reach the finish lines within the time limits are disqualified.

This event attracts athletes who seek to explore the extreme in physical and mental abilities. The race is limited to 35 athletes on an invitation-only basis and attracts participants from around the world, including Brazil, Canada, Italy, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Racers must have reached their 20th birthday prior to the start of stage one. Each racer must be accompanied by an individual support team of at least two people over the entire course. Many support team members are volunteers from the Big Island community.

History

The first event to ever have the name "triathlon" was held during the 1904 Olympic Games. That event consisted of a long jump, a shot put, and a 100-yard dash. Seventeen years later, in 1921 in Marseilles, France, an event called "Course Des Trois" "Sports" (The Race of Three Sports) was held. The race consisted of biking, running and swimming. However, the event that helped to popularize the triathlon wasn’t until 1974. Members of the 1974 San Diego Track Club organized a training exercise for runners held at Mission Bay and was intended only as a break in the normal grind of training for marathons. John Collins, a U.S. Naval officer who participated in the first triathlon at Mission Bay, was very influential in the modern-day triathlon. During the awards ceremony of the Oahu Perimeter Relay Run in January 1977, John Collins came up with the concept of the Ironman Triathlon event to settle a debate over who was in better physical condition--runners or swimmers. Cquote2|Whoever finishes first, we’ll call the Ironman.
John Collins|(1977)

The first Ironman was held on February 18, 1978 in Hawaii, fifteen men started and 12 men finished. After an article in Sports Illustrated in 1979, entries increased in 1980 to 108. In 1982, the United States Triathlon Association and the American Triathlon Association were born and merged together later that year to form the national governing body called the United States Triathlon Association. And in 1983, the first Ultraman World Championship was held.

The Ultraman Challenge has been held annually since 1983 over Thanksgiving weekend as an extreme offshoot of the Ironman. The Ultraman is a sanctioned triathlon by the Triathlon Federation/USA and takes the components of the Ironman to the limits. The popularity of races such as the Ironman and Ultraman helped to establish the triathlon as and Olympic sport. The Olympic Committee included the triathlon as an event during the 2000 Summer games in Sydney, Australia, in the form of swimming, biking and running.

Comparison

Ultraman has been mostly unchanged since its beginning and was designed to not just be long but to be “an athletic odyssey of rediscovery, showcasing one of the most breathtaking places on earth.” according to race organizers(Curtis Tyler, 1983). The Ultraman has taken the original components of the Ironman and expanded the format to establish itself as an ultra event. The Ironman course is a total distance of 140.6 miles inclusive of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run. The Ultraman has added an additional 180 miles to the race total and spread the event to a three-day format. It is not just the distance, however, that sets Ultraman apart from other triathlons, but also the traditionally Hawaiian values of aloha (love), ohana (family) and kokua (help) that Ultraman founder, Curtis Tyler hoped to spread.

It is estimated that 50% of the field of athletes that compete in the Ultraman will have participated in at least one previous Ultraman. And the reason so many athletes come back year after year is the sense that just completing the race makes one a winner. Many sports have become as much about profit margins as the spirit of competition, and the triathlon is not an exception to that rule. Although triathlons in general have not reached the level of commercialization and corporatization as many main stream sports, it still uses these techniques to increase revenue.

The commercialization of the Ironman is an excellent example of how many of these races have changed over the years. The Ironman has linked with TIMEX, Gatorade, Power Bar, and Fig Newtons, associating these products with the attributes of the athletes competing. Along with linking Ironman to various products, Ironman has also developed its own line of performance gear, IRONMAN Active Wear. Although the profits from these techniques ensures that the Ironman race will be around for years to come, it has also strayed away from the original reason athletes choose to participate in the sport. By maintaining its original form and keeping the race small Ultraman has maintained its character. With the family atmosphere, camaraderie of athletes Ultraman has been able to maintain its Hawaiian roots. The format of Ultraman has made this race more conducive to the triumph of the athletic spirit rather than that of the capitalist drive. The following are the words of one athlete before and after competing in Ultraman.

Cquote2|So much of triathlon seems to be like modern fast foods - prepackaged, plastic and predictable. The excitement seems to have faded, the feeling of being part of the fringe element and stretching yourself mentally and physically has disappeared. This is my experience.

This event was the hardest thing I have ever done but it was also the best triathlon experience I have had.
Andrew Stanfield|(2002)

Athletes

Although it was in the United States that the modern day triathlon was born it is not a uniquely American sport (just the same as people run in America even though it started elsewhere). The triathlon experience draws athletes from around the world to participate and the Ultraman is a great example of this variety. Along with cultural diversity triathlons draw racers of a wide age range unlike many team sports triathlons are enjoyed by athletes well into adulthood. The following are the 2007 Ultraman race participants.

Training

The first key to competing and finishing a triathlon is the preparation. Traditionally athletes train for one specialty and part of the challenge triathletes face is becoming proficient in three. Many triathletes have chosen the sport because of the total balance it gives the body by working all the muscles groups. Before entering any triathlon getting a fitness routine is a must and finding a training routine through training camps, online or personalized coaching along with a training partner is great way to start a program.

Qualifying events

As of 2007, there are two existing Ultraman Triathlons:
* [http://ultramanlive.com/ Ultraman Hawaii] , held on the big island of Hawaii held annually each Thanksgiving weekend at the end of November; Started in 1983.
* [http://www.ultramancanada.com/ Ultraman Canada] , held in the Penticton area of British Columbia; Started in 1993.

ee also

* Triathlon
* Ironman Triathlon
* Enduroman
* Adventure Racing
* [http://www.srichinmoyraces.org/au/events/3day_ultra_triathlon/ Sri Chinmoy 3-Day Ultra-Triathlon]

References

* [http://www.ultramanworlds.com/ Ultraman World Championships]
* [http://www.adventurecorps.com/when/ultraman/1989ultraman2.html El Tour De Tucson Magazine article]
* [http://www.ultramancanada.com/ Ultraman Canada]
* [http://www.usatriathlon.org/ USA Triathlon]
* [http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/Jonas_Colting_and_the_Soul_of_Ultraman_Hawaii_141.html/ Slowtwitch.com]