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By Sal Ruibal, USA TODAY
The first Hawaii Ironman Triathlon began as a beer-fueled debate among several athletes about who is more fit — swimmers, runners or cyclists.
U.S. Navy Commander John Collins proposed a race to settle the argument. His event would combine three existing races, to be completed in succession: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (112 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). "Whoever finishes first we'll call the 'Ironman,' " Collins said. Fifteen men participated in the initial event Feb. 18, 1978. A dozen athletes completed the race, led by the first Ironman, 27-year-old Gordon Haller. His winning time: 11 hours, 46 minutes, 58 seconds. Saturday, 53-year-old Haller will race the Ironman again and is aiming to better his original time. Haller, a computer consultant who lives in suburban Denver, has kept in top shape over the years, competing in and completing 20 more Ironman-distance races, including 15 in Hawaii. "When I won the first time, there wasn't much going on in my life except sleeping and training," he says. "But now family responsibilities make it much harder." Haller credits changes in technology for some of his ability to keep up with his younger self. In the first Ironman, he rode a borrowed bike for much of the 112-mile cycling leg, but the high-geared bike was tough to pedal over the steep hills in the later miles. He switched to a dowdy Raleigh touring bike, which he had been using to ride to work. The Raleigh took him to second place at the end of the bike leg, and he surged to the win in the final run. This year he'll ride a $4,999 aerodynamic Cannondale bike. Haller is a cinch to be faster in the transition areas between the swim-bike-run segments. In the original Ironman, he stopped after the swim to take a shower at a nearby hotel, then changed into his cycling clothes before returning to the course. Runner-up John Dunbar, a Navy SEAL, had a chance to win but ran out of water on the marathon course and his support crew gave him beer instead. "It was a totally different race back then," Haller says with a laugh. "Totally." |
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