Everything You Need to Know About the Half Iron Man

If you are into extreme sports that truly test human endurance and stamina; you should probably watch out for the Half Ironman. Nope! The Half Ironman isn't an obscure alternative to the Ironman; it is in fact widely followed among a series of varying triathlon races organized by the reputed WTC or World Triathlon Corporation.

There are multiple reasons to follow this series of triathlon races, and one is guaranteed that this grand race is no less thrilling than the Olympic Triathlon or the more widely known Ironman Triathlon.

A Race against Time

The defining factor that sets triathlons apart from other races is the fact that these races have competitors racing against time, more than racing against each other. The same can be said for the Half Ironman that has a stipulated cut-off time of 8 hours and 30 minutes. It is not unusual for many of the world’s most elite athletes to complete these races in under 4 hours and the Half Iron Man is a series of races, conducted over the course of a year.

Much like the Ironman or the Olympic Triathlon; these series of races meet the definition of a triathlon; meaning that competitors have to cover a stipulated course, over a stipulated period of time, by means of running, swimming and biking.

Ironman 70.3

The Half Ironman is also widely known as the Ironman 70.3; as these series of races cover a distance of 70.3 miles in total, which is exactly half of the distance covered by athletes in the better-known Ironman Triathlon series. The race is divided into 3 courses, which are as follows...

·         A 1.2-mile Swimming Course

·         A 56-mile Biking Course

·         And a 13.1-mile Running Course

Furthermore, each course in this triathlon series is conversely half the distance in each corresponding segment in the Ironman Triathlon Series.

A True Test of Athletic Grit and Endurance

Like the Olympic Triathlon or the Ironman Triathlon; the Ironman 70.3 is a true test of athletic grit and determination. This series takes place over the course of a year, as mentioned before and culminates in the World Championship Series, wherein the best among the Ironman 70.3 triathletes compete against each other and race against time. Furthermore, Ironman 70.3 championships are also organized to pick out the best of the best triathletes in the European, Latin-American and Asia-Pacific regions.

Ironman 70.3 Records

Many triathletes have been known to set astounding records in the Ironman 70.3 series. Some of these Ironman 70.3 records are as detailed below.

·         Kristian Blummenfelt, a Norwegian triathlete, completed the December 8^th 2018 Manama Bahrain Ironman 70.3 race in 3 hours, 29 minutes and 4 seconds.

·         Daniela Ryf, a Swiss triathlete, completed the August 5^th 2018 Gdynia, Poland Ironman 70.3 race in 3 hours, 55 minutes and 59 seconds.

·         Coincidentally, Daniela Ryf is also the Ironman 70.3 World Champion in 2019.

For more information on the upcoming Half Ironman Triathlon races for the 2020 World Championships; one can head to www.racethread.com.