The annual IRONMAN World Championship special will chronicle triathlon’s pinnacle event, which for the first time in the iconic event’s 45-year history, was hosted in two separate locations when the men raced in Nice, France on Sept. 10 and the women raced in Kona, Hawai`i on Oct. 14.
Thousands of athletes from around the world crossed their finish lines in Nice and Kona, ushering in a new era of the IRONMAN World Championship. The 90-minute documentary special, which delves into the vibrant history and evolution of this iconic endurance event, will continue to showcase the profiles of amazing athletes that have made this annual documentary such a traditionally inspirational watch for triathletes and sports fans around the world.
Your featured athletes include top professionals Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), Sam Laidlow (FRA), Cam Wurf (AUS), and Els Visser (NLD).
Also, inspiring stories from age group competitors Nadine Hunt (AUS) looks to become the first Indigenous Australian woman to compete at and finish the IRONMAN World Championship; “Top Chef Canada winner,” Dale Mackey (CAN) looks to finish the prestigious IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France. Cyril Del Pistoia (FRA) was diagnosed with a severe case of acute leukemia in 2012 and was given a very low chance of survival; Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Sara Whittingham (USA) who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 47, races to raise awareness and inspire others battling the disease and to show what is possible for people with Parkinson’s.
90-min pure inspiration. 8 gripping stories. 1 cinematic experience not to be missed 💯
#IMWC2023 #IRONMANtri #AnythingIsPossible #Triathlon #inspiration
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For the first time ever the world championship will take place in Europe as n co-host the vinfast Iron Man World Championship today marks the culmination of the vinfast Iron Man World Championship season the best female professional triathletes compete for the ultimate Honor [Applause] It’s a world championship and that’s really something that motivates me to dig uh extremely deep so I’m certain that a lot of people want to put me in my place you know I go in and it’s just a try and rip everyone else El his legs
Off it’s going to get really hard out there my training is about preparing myself to be mentally strong enough to say yes to those hard moments I’m suffering like hell but I always say to myself okay the others suffer more all eyes are on this race and it
Either brings out the v in athletes or people just will crumble and fall apart I want to show people that it’s it’s it’s hard um because yeah otherwise everybody would do it I guess After more than 40 Years of staging the Iron Man World Championship on a single day in Hawaii with both professional and age group men and women all racing together Iron Man broke with tradition and made a really game-changing decision they announced that they would split the men’s and women’s races into two
Separate days of racing for the 2023 Iron Man World Championship so the news that Iron Man was going to be splitting the world championship between nce and Kona this year came with a pretty big bang around the world the big news this week Iron Man have at last announced
We’re going to split the event that men’s race being held in nce France half of last year’s competitors will compete in Kona it’s going to be in nice in September I don’t think the idea of splitting it is a good one let’s just start with what everyone is talking
About the most moving away from Kona for the men uh it’s been quite a week for you and everybody IR man headquarters hasn’t it it’s been it’s been uh it’s been quite a couple of months ever since Conan the beginning of October but uh but yes last week was uh eventful one of
The things that we learned in the 70.3 World Championship is how important it is to have two days of racing to have a day for women and a day for men and that it enhanced the racing experience for the athletes it allowed us to put a spotlight on women’s racing in
Particular in a way that we’ve never been able to do and we had that opportunity in 2022 in Kona we had two days of racing which was fantastic in Kona last year in 2022 um a women’s day and a men’s day and then that was just that was just too many
People for for such a small island and so the island said you know we just can’t handle this which I I understand like it’s it’s a very small island and so they were left kind of with a choice you know do we do we sort of go
Backwards and take away kind of this progress that we’ve made to have more and more people doing this this amazing thing and kind of try to decrease the number of people and go backwards into one day or do we find a unique solution so this year that’s women and men in N
FR and next year we switch it’s the perfect place to relax a magnificent location on the French Riviera but these days it’s also the home of something considerably less relaxing the N Triathlon n has an amazing history in longdistance Triathlon starting in 1982 the N International traon along with the
Iron Man World Championship was among the most important races in the world any world championship has to be a very physically challenging demanding course like in Kona the course is demanding because of the heat the humidity the wind just the the starkness of of riding through Lava and on the marathon you’re
Running out there on lava by yourself there’s no support you it’s you and the island this is a very different kind of challenge n is right on the beautiful Mediterranean but something that most people don’t see about the mediter Anan no matter what direction you’re swimming it feels like you’re going against the
Current this such a worldclass course is clearly the bike ride it’s 180 km 112 mies of very challenging absolutely gorgeous terrain but very demanding you have to be able to climb you have to be able to handle your bike on very critical descents not only that but you have to
Do all of that fast but then Pace it so that you can run a marathon take the Kiwi out of it good it’s my favorite place just got my new bike for race day at the beginning I was a little skeptical I’ll be honest but having arrived here and having seen the course
Having felt the vibe looking at the history I have to admit that it’s it’s pretty spectacular it’s pretty cool I think it’s good to mix up the types of courses cuz as we know Kona is very specific different athletes will do better on this course yeah I’m really
Excited to to be part of this uh yeah new opportunity of uh racing in in France and N in Europe I mean look at the place it’s uh freaking awesome Yeah I mean we’re here in Paradise but what we actually do is we get ready for hell you know it’s not women’s sport is in a new era and we’ve seen it with the Women’s World Cup this year we’ve seen it with the Twitter from f for a couple
Years and like giving women their own platform is the future our racing is just as Dynamic it’s just as gritty we’ve got just as much personality and characters and things to bring to the sport that maybe got taken away when you’re racing alongside the men it’s celebrating the community of women who
Do Triathlon and I think on race day it’s going to be like the biggest party there has been so much hype and excitement and I think the fact that the field is so deep you can’t argue with it like there’s so many amazing women on this start line and I’m just really
Excited that we can have our own day and show that women are pretty bad ass at this sport as well you’ve got a bunch of folks gathered together after a running race uh they’re at a bar in Honolulu and the conversation comes up as to who’s the
Fittest athlete is it a swimmer a biker or a runner somewhere along the line Commander John Collins says why don’t we put together the W Kiki ruffwater swim the around aaho bike race and the Honolulu Marathon whoever can do all of that stuff will be an Iron Man that’s right
Whoever callws across the L first you’ll call in the Iron Man 78 was all guys those 15 starters 12 finishers all men 1979 this woman named ly L mer who had a swimming background I think she was a national time trial champion in cycling she was the only woman and she’s one of
The first people out of the water she ended up Fifth but she was second at one point during the race which showed from the very beginning that women weren’t just going to be participating they were going to be kicking ass and taking names syan quto you will set a new women’s world
Record women have been a critical component to the growth of our sport Julie Moss obviously crawling across the line in 1982 Paula newbie Fraser winning this race eight times best in the world Paula Fraser you have to sign up you know months in advance you don’t just
Show up to a beach uh I mean thousands of people you know it’s their dream Iron Man and tron’s cool because you know the age groupers are out there racing the same course the same day as the professionals you would never see a fan hop in and you know scrimmage with the NBA
Players the whole 2.4 M swim 112 mile bike 26 mile run you have to finish in 17 hours it was always a big deal deal to just qualify for Kona and it was a mark of of respect from all of your fellow triathletes just like their age group counterparts the professionals have to
Qualify for the World Championship to do so they need a top result usually a Podium finish at one of the Iron Man qualifying races around the world now it’s this worldwide phenomenon I mean you have um races across almost every continent in total more than 5,000 athletes have earned a qualifying spot
For the vinfast Iron Man World Championship Hing both niece and Kona they represent the 3% of racers that actually make it to this prestigious World Championship when you see someone at the start of an Iron Man you are looking at someone who has been through months if not years of training you’ll have people training anywhere from I mean really the bare minimum 20 hours to you know as much as 40 hours
A week while still going to work you know taking care of their kids uh being with their family uh it’s it’s a huge commitment even before you you set foot in that water on race day looking ahead to knes the Pro men’s field about 50 guys it’s super exciting how you I’m doing
Great let’s have a great race today right than with a collection of absolute Rockstar athletes lining up we have an Olympic gold medalist past world champions racing on this niece course it’s going to be nothing short of Epic the main focus is um it’s the Last Dance for Yan frino this is a man who is Olympic gold medalist 70.3 world champion Iron Man world champion and in arguably the most competitive era so far of Tron at each one of those distances we ask you to
Move transition the community of the TR in Germany they all hope for the fourth star of yan forino of course we have Patrick Langer who maybe can run 10 minutes faster than all the other guys um but all the other guys know that Sam low was for many people a big
Surprise in Kona last year thank you [Applause] in that really put him very much on the stage around the world but now he’s living the challenge of that it’s one thing to uh finish on the podium it’s a whole another thing to do it again welcome to the 2023 Vin fast IM
World Championship standing by right now Australia cam worth is going to definitely shake it up today cam wor is another guy who I think brings a lot of excitement to the sport because he’s kind of a freak it’s it’s a really good course I
Mean you anyone who can be on a pro tour team and not just some domestique at the back but a guy who’s like really pulling his weight and helping out his Pro Tour team and then goes and like dabbles in the top of the world of pro Iron Man
Triathlon and still does super well that’s another guy who’s very dangerous on race day I know what I’m in for looking forward to racing it on Sunday that’s for sure Denmark’s Magnus DLI is a name on everyone’s lips he’s still relatively new but he’s putting down absolutely
Mindblowing bik splits and is mixing it up with the best guys in the sport and talk about exciting new Talent we’ve got American Matthew maror morning good to see you this guy who happens to also be a full-time medical student is just doing incredible things considering how new he is into the sport
Just two years into doing Triathlon also racing under the American flag is another Podium contender in Rudy Vonberg who actually grew up in these and knows the course better than anyone else I think we’re drawing on a bit of a blank canvas here we have the local
Favorites who know and breathe this kind of course but they’ve also never been up against the world class field on this kind of course and I do think that’s going to provide all kinds of excitement you know an amazing opportunity to share which will be my personally last journey with people along the
Course of our swim and we’ll see that our PCC and on the women’s side we keep hearing that this year’s field could be the best to ever line up in Kona and with 40 plus years of legendary performances here that’s that’s saying a lot about 50 of
The best female CH athletes in the world will be taking on this brutal course and the equally brutal competition you got Chelsea sadaro who’s won here You’ve Got Annie hog who’s won here Danel you got Daniela re who’s won four times here and five times overall you’ve got all these known Commodities
At this distance and then you toss a tailor nib into the mix who’s never run a marathon who’s never done an Iron Man but she’s got raw speed I hope you enjoy the race oh nervous thank you for being here you look at Lucy Charles Barkley who was finished second here four times
And you kind of think you know how determined is she to finally take this win Laura Phillip she knows that she will win here one year she has a good combination of her bike and run skills and I think she never proved how fast she can run if
She’s forced to maybe forc to by anah hawk I think when you have an athlete who has gone through hell when you have a the cat Matthews who 10 days before this race last year got hit by a car and was in an neck bra and seriously could have been
Paralyzed finishing in second position she just got second at 70.3 worlds which I think gave her so much confidence we’re in for a groundbreaking day in so many different ways a woman’s only event but also a groundbreaking day just in terms of the field that we have here and the
Depth of this field and just the way this race is going to shape out I think is going to be really exciting Whoa who whoa so if I drive this thing 150,000 Mi battery is covered a million miles yep Whoa up the cuz I’m coming up to you soend down your wings and let them bring me to you you know I’m standing at the station ready to Go you know and we know the thing about challenging yourself is you’re always looking for what’s next We are ready for3 Andise the final minutes of anticipation before the race start can feel excruciatingly long it’s just the culmination of so much so much much preparation and anticipation so much expectation and hopes the mental side makes up a lot of whether you succeed or fail there is just so much selft talk going
On yes it’s a stress but it’s a good stress also because it’s the time to show how it’s possible to do it’s been a childhood dream of mine and uh I’m ready to to give whatever my body has to offer on a day you can almost get a little bit
Emotional sometimes thinking about what what you’re going to do and knowing what you are in for as they get ready to per for youa iron friends iron families are Iron Man athletes please get ready to cheer on your top 10 professional athletes you’re just trying to stay as calm as
Possible like your heartbeat can really be in your mouth with nerves with excitement I’m choosing to be in that moment and trying to sort of hone back into that present moment the now the fact that everyone’s watching and everyone’s at the highest level it just lifts me personally should I allow myself to
Actually enjoy the moment and be proud of myself that I’m here to stay Within Myself to believe that I can do it I have a ton of nerves before the race starts but when I jump in the water it brings me an immense sense of Peace our athletes now making
Their way to the swim start let’s give them you are now in the hands of the starter please move back we are racing the 2023 bfast Aron World Championship our professional men are racing can you make Some With the historic Iron Man World Championship race day finally here you can just feel the weight of the Moment There are more than 2,000 athletes starting each of these races and each has their own unique reason for being here but what they all have in common isn’t just a life-defining and hard-earned opportunity to raise the world championship they’re all here to test their limits of body and mind among the world’s
Best they know the experience is going to teach them something new about themselves and they’re going to have some new self- knowledge they just don’t get any other way except for overcoming the countless hurdles the day will Present And for many of them like 49-year-old Sarah Whittingham a doctor from Aurora Ohio this race is also a way to take control of their story to say this is what I can do today no one but me gets to decide what I can or cannot do I’ll be the judge of
That it’s the ultimate mic drop I noticed I had a Tremor in my left arm you guys ready side and I knew that that was not normal that started the pathway of leading to my diagnosis for somebody like me who’s Super Active all the time the thought of
Not being able to do that anymore was was heartbreaking we all have a window that we don’t know how long it’s going to be but I feel with Parkinson’s it’s really made me think about all the things that I do want to accomplish in my life you
Know I’m not only racing myself but I’m racing racing this disease I’m Sarah Whittingham I’m 49 years old I’m an anesthesiologist at uh Cleveland Clinic Mary Mount hospital I I’m incredibly proud to have served uh 20 years in the Air Force and have been graduated from the Air Force
Academy I’ve done things that I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would do from jumping out of airplanes flying gliders flying in the backseat of f-16s I decided to go serve as a flight surgeon uh for a couple years first it was something that always kind of
Appealed to me being a primary care doctor for the pilots and and getting to fly and some of the fast jets with them so I did my first first Iron Man my fourth year in medical school went to New Zealand and did Iron Man New Zealand doing endurance races has taught me a
Lot in in in the way that a race and training for a race mirrors life in general and that the the mental toughness and and and being prepared to deal with you know things when when they hurt and and to move forward um has has helped me um deal with things in life
That that may not be so easy We were sitting in the living room and I I was watching her arm shake this was just a few years ago and I I looked at her and said how long’s that been going on she said oh just a couple of days or a week it’s probably just electrolytes
And I said Sarah that’s never a good sign towards you before s Sarah became a patient of mine she was a colleague and a friend she approached me in the hospital about a Tremor that she was having in her left arm we were able to figure out eventually that what she had was
Parkinson’s Parkinson’s disease is an illness in which the brain fails to regulate movement properly I was pretty devastated when I was first diagnosed with Parkinson I was thinking that I was going to need to no longer be able to do the job that I loved and I was
Heartbroken it really you know kept me up at night and you know wondered what my life would be like and what what you know if I was going to have to have somebody taken care of me in um in just a couple of years I wondered what the future was going to be
Like but we’re we’re committed we support each other I I didn’t know if uh three years from now 5 years from now 10 years from now I was going to have to stop working and be a caregiver I didn’t know if I was going to be pushing her in
A wheelchair and um I still don’t so um we don’t know what the future holds all we can do is try and control the now well when we first found out that she had Parkinson’s it was a little scary cuz we didn’t know what it was was
So we would go online and research all that we could about it working out is like kind of a way to like help it she’s been going to workout programs every week and she’s been running a lot and that’s been really helping so I was super fortunate to come across
This uh cycling trial um that Dr J Alberts uh put together at Cleveland Clinic yeah early results of that study are very promising in terms of showing that exercise actually does slow the progression of the disease and that’s a big deal because today there haven’t been any medications or surgical
Procedures that have been shown to be effective in slowing progression down I realized that the more I rode the bike the better I felt and so I continued to ride it more and more and more and over the course of the study I was you know riding got up to riding the
Bike for an hour at a time and I had the thought you know if I can ride the bike for an hour hour I can probably ride the bike for 3 hours that kind of got me into the mindset that maybe I could finish a half Iron Man we both ended up
Qualifying for the Iron Man 70.3 World Championship in St George we decided that we needed to do more she needed to do more and then she started looking at the goal of doing a full Iron Man again something she hadn’t done in four or five years
Four I realized too that the people who were sharing their stories with me that was helping me more than anything else and so you know going to in motion and meeting other people my age who had been already living with Parkinson’s for 10 years and we’re still there exercising
And that kind of got rid of that image in my mind that oh I’m going to be using a walker in a couple years we are a complete Wellness Center for people with Parkinson’s disease our Wellness Community is about physical wellness nothing going on it’s about intensive training for
Specifics that you need for Parkinson we know that exercise is as powerful as a dose of medication for people with Parkinson we see it every day we see people come in here and change before our eyes people with Parkinson have the power to change their script period one two
Three great job you guys appreciate your hard work Today I get I I think about making that right turn on to Le he drive towards the Finish Line you know when I was first diagnosed I didn’t think that you know I would even be able to run a 5k again just being able to be out there
And push myself I still love it I feel the biggest goal that I could think of to to accomplish when I just you know was is the Finish Line at konut and I am so lucky to have this opportunity to do that and hopefully share it with everybody else with
Parkinson’s and realize that we’re all in this together and we can we can you know make a difference in each other’s Lives
3 Comments
Turned it off after constant adverts. I know Vinfast and Hoko sponsor Ironman.
As soon as either Mark Allen or Dave Scott showed up, I switched off
Beautiful edition and truly inspiring to anyone who loves sports ❤️