What Just Happened?

It doesn’t seem humanly possible. Swim 2.4 miles in open water. Bike 112 miles--farther than the distance from Manhattan to Philadelphia. And then, assuming you have any energy left, run a full length marathon, 26.2 miles. All back to back to back, in less than 17 hours. That is the Ironman triathlon—widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world. (And not to be confused with “Iron Man” Tony Stark of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.) Today, I speak with three men who have all completed full length Ironman races and are training for more. I ask them to do a bit of soul searching--while I do a bit of my own--as they talk about what drives their ambition to compete in this crazy race. They discuss what it takes to finish an Ironman and whether or not it’s fair to describe Ironman training as “selfish.” (Lots of shout outs to significant others in this episode!) We talk about training schedules, logistics, nutrition, and the mental challenges of completing a race. And in a twist,