IRONMAN

Over the weekend I went up to Quebec by Mt. Tremblant for a friend's birthday. We stayed in a chalet up in the mountains and visited the Swiss-esque style village near by for the day. On route I couldn't help but notice the insane amount of people biking, running and even swimming in a vigorous manner at every turn. When reaching the outskirts of the village it all started to make sense. Turns out that Mt. Tremblant is holding the next Ironman event and all these people I had encountered on the way were preparing for this massive triathlon. 

                                      

The Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike trek, and a 26.2 mile run all having to be completed before the 17 hour limit. That is insane! The amount of training that must go into preparing for such an event is without a doubt borderline freak of nature-ish. I had asked a man as he was climbing out of the lake about his training and he said that himself and many other participants have been training for many years. You can't just show up and expect to do well.. It becomes a lifestyle.. Aerobic based training every day.

It's highly unsafe to attempt a trek like the ironman and so in order to participate, they must pass several medical tests and prove themselves ready for something so straining. I've always wanted to participate in similar events such as tough mudder, but nothing as grueling as ironman. I find it hard enough to run 90 minutes during my soccer games, imagine traveling a distance that lasts more than 10 hours. My hats off to these tough individuals.

Now what I wanna know is if any of you have ever participated in a similar event and what kind if training was necessary for you to perform? One day maybe ill consider it, but for now I'm fine just admiring these beasts from a safe distance.

Here's a video with a quick look at the IRONMAN...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDoEQTBwODM&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLxTcXRgYJnfQYjBZh_lXl4OBflxKn0G6H

References:

Dolbear, L. (2013). Key Workouts for The Ironman Newbie. Retrieved June 22, 2013, from IRONMAN: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/06/key-workouts-for-the-ironman-newbie.aspx#axzz2X5jcqqB7