It started with a simple question - who was the fittest of them all? Was it the guy who swam the 3.8 Km Waikiki Rough Water Swim? Was it the one did the 180 Km “Around Oahu” bike ride? Or was it the one who did the 42.2K Km Honolulu Marathon? It was Commander John Collins who said, “Swim 3.8K’s, ride 180K’s, run the marathon and brag for the rest of your life.”
And so it was, In February 1978, 15 athletes stood on the sandy beaches of Waikiki and started what would be come the most coveted, most grueling and most rewarding sporting events of all time – the Hawaii Ironman.Since that day the Hawaii Ironman has become part of sporting folklore as athletes from across the globe attempt to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona each year.
But this year, we’re going to put a “retro spin” on all of that! From September 5-7, 2009 we’ll be retracing the steps of the original Hawaii Ironman, held on Oahu in 1978. By completing the Honolulu Marathon Course, the Around Oahu Bike Ride and the Waikiki Roughwater swim, we're going to pay homage to a legendary sporting event.
While it is indeed a gruelling event, rather than a race, we're putting a social spin on it, where we will support and complete each leg of the course over three days as a group with the primary objectives being to have fun and raise lots of money for the John Maclean Foundation, which raises funds for young wheelchair users across Australia.