World Triathlon Corporation Announces Race Calendar

World Triathlon Corporation Announces Race Calendar

World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), owners and organizers of the Ford Ironman World Championship, announces race dates through 2010 for the world's most challenging endurance event.

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The event held annually in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run.  Each year, more than 50,000 athletes attempt to qualify for one of the 1,800 coveted slots to the event.

The Ironman Triathlon was born on the Hawaiian island of Oahu in 1978 when Navy Commander, John Collins and wife Judy ensued a debate among fellow athletes.  The group pondered over whether swimmers, cyclists or runners were more fit and during that debate, an idea to determine the answer to that question was born.  The Collins' proposed combining three existing races to be completed in succession: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), The Around-Oahu Bike Race (112 miles, originally a two-day event and 114 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles).  "Whoever finishes first, we'll call the Ironman," said Collins. Fifteen men participated in the first event on February 18 with 12 completing the race.  Gordon Haller was the first Ironman to cross the finish line with a time of 11:46:58. 

The Ford Ironman World Championship will be held on the second Saturday in October and race dates through 2010 are as follows:

2006                 October 21 Important Information

2007                 October 13

2008                 October 11

2009                 October 10

2010                 October 9

This year's Ford Ironman World Championship will air on NBC on Saturday, November 12 at 4:30 p.m. EST.