The Ironman phenomenon was truly an American icon as much as Baseball was for the regular Joe. Why did it take so long to catch on internationally …  or did it? In 1978 the first Ironman was run in Hawaii around the Island of Oahu, creating a world buzz in sports and arguably the hardest one-day endurance event in the world.

The first Ironman in Australia was set in Forster-Tuncurry, a village joined by a breath-taking view from a crappy old bridge in this Oyster growing region. At this point, Ironman was dominated by Americans. That particular year, 1985, Mark Allen and Scott Tinley, and a low ranked American Grant Boswell showed up. Erin Baker turned up too; only because what she had witnessed in New Zealand the month prior spurred her on to enter. At this point she was starting to really dominate the shorter distance.

You could already send the trophy to the engravers, without even holding the event, the Americans would kick ass, or would they? Yep, sort of …

On the eve of the inaugural race, the wind blew and the temperature dropped, a frosty Saturday afternoon beer on the porch in Forster–Tuncurry turned into a hot choccy or coffee, whilst the sun set into the deep blue Pacific. Back in these years no one really knew how to prepare or what to eat the night before a race. Most of the competitors didn’t know what a wetsuit was! A wetsuit, ah, that’s what wimps use to surf with. Tough it out you bludger, have a go you mug, typical Australian toughness thrown in with some non-wise, very critical, blurbs.

Race morning, the water temperature had dropped from 21 degrees to 13 degrees Celsius … in other words, bloody freezing! There were only a handful of smart Australian surfers that had brought their wetties just in case this happened, and, like a seasoned fisherman who can read the ocean, or see a wind shift, or just know when the fish would bite, they turned up with them. As they snuggly weaved their ways into the warmth of the wetsuit, race favorites Mark Allen and a Greg Norman look-a-like Scott Tinley froze their little “Frankfurts” off on the shores of Pacific Palms recreation club. (Hey Scott, is that all you?) LOL, ha ha ha, Tinley, I got you back!

The race started and immediately the field was thinning and boat safety was busier than expected. A large number of athletes had pulled the pin. It was much too cold. Suddenly Mark Allen was brought to shore, then moments later after trying a wetsuit from the boat captain, Scott Tinley was brought in. All of a sudden the American hopefuls had become casualties, and it seemed as though we could see the first foreign men’s Ironman winner.

However it was Grant Boswell that really took it to them. He had a great day, winning the race. It was also a great day for Erin Baker, as she won the race and in a very respectable time too.

These two races, New Zealand and Australia, have always been two of my favorites because they have history and have seen the weather whip up some hideous conditions. These two races are responsible, through my eyes, of how truly international Ironman has become.

The early eighties were also the years that catapulted Ironman onto the television screen too. It was that memorable race in ‘82 when Julie Moss pooed her pants and limped home to nearly take the race. A student attending Cal Poly, she had seen the race on TV and decided she wanted to enter. Eventually she was passed at the line by Kathleen McCartney and crawled in for second place. Television captured a moment that reality TV shows dream of creating.

During this time the sport was still dominated by Americans. It wasn’t unlike playing golf on the PGA tour, which is the hardest golf tour to play on. Why? Americans are so bloody good!

The first ever non-American to win in Kona was? Sylvianne Puntous of Canada. She won in 1983 and again in ’84, but in ‘85 she was out-biked by powerful American Joanne Ernst. The American dominance in the women’s race would not last, as a super star in the making was not far away. Born in Zimbabwe and raised in South Africa, Paula Newby-Fraser turned up in Kona with nothing other than a wish. Her wish was to finish the Ironman, take home a memory, and share it with her fellow triathletes. At this point athletes from South Africa were banned from competing in Olympic and Commonwealth Games for apartheid reasons.

Paula Newby-Fraser would go on to win an unprecedented eight Ironman World Championships, making her the Queen of Kona. That’s a large title, but she deserves it. She is larger than triathlon life and still, to this day, gives back to the sport in a way that would make you proud if you only knew what she does … lets keep it thereJ.

With Newby-Fraser ripping the sport to pieces, no American girl would even come close for years. It was only Canadians and Kiwis that challenged the might of The Queen of Kona until 1995.

In 1990 Karen Smyers became the World Champion at the Olympic distance and had no interest in Ironman, other than be lured there to watch her sister Donna. I knew the moment she watched it she’d be bitten by the bug and have to do it. That happened. In 1995 Newby-Fraser was almost at the finish line, but Smyers was pressing. It was almost like watching in slow motion, Smyers had the fishing rod out and Newby-Fraser was being reeled in. On Hualalai road, with 600 meters (660yards for you imperial people) to go, Paula was slowed to a halt. She was out of gas, her mental game over, done! How could this possibly happen to a hero, a champion of her stature? It just did, and America could celebrate again as Smyers, a new and very worthy champion captured the title. Smyers did go on and win the Olympic Distance World title the next month, too.  But the Ironman title would then go back to Paula the following year. It was then passed on to her training buddy, Heather Fuhr, another Canadian. Switzerland’s Natascha Badmann, in her own dynasty now, has captured six titles, while another Canadian, Lori Bowden, has claimed two.

We really have to thank WTC for their “outside the barrier” approach that has helped create so many international stars. They did it all with great risk, creating an international list of events that we can all compete in. As much as I would love to say that New Zealand and Australia started it all, it took the world no more than a decade to follow and now we sport champions from all over the globe.

Oh yeah, who was the first ever non-American male to win? Well sit back, relax, get a can of your favorite, coffee, tea, or grog, and let me tell you.

It wasn’t really until 1984 when a man turned up in Kona, and he was wearing clogs. No crap. Rob Barel, a super hero from short course Europe, had a very complete resume. He was fourth overall in that race, but then disappeared for six years from Kona. Why? He said it was too hard.

In ‘85, a European went one better, Carl Kupferschmid was third. I remember seeing his bike set up on TV. He rode a funny bike like, yes, Joe Bonness and Bjorn Andersson, hunched over in an almost back breaking position. Man, the guy was seven feet tall, too.

‘86 produced a really nice German, Klaus Barth, who finished fourth, but it was Dave Scott who still dominated the Ironman, and he repeated in ‘87. By this time Tinley had won a couple, then Scott Molina won in ’88. In ‘89 another dynasty started with Mark Allen.

By now the Euro’s were showing their faces regularly, and Greg Stewart, an Aussie, was third in ’87. Mark captured his first of six in 1989, and that first was probably the most memorable. The Ironwar was fantastic, a race to wire. It had everything, including an age grouper in third. (Ed. note: Gee, Greg, I wonder who that was?) A little Aussie plasterer come golfer/ trainer/ rep/ consultant/ father/ husband was creeping through the top ten, followed by a very scientific and serious Pauli Kiuru.

Pauli was fifth in ‘89 then third in ’90, the year Barel came back. It was now becoming a race to see who would be the first non-American, and where would that first foreign men’s champion be from? Would it be a Euro, or someone from down under? Possibly a Japanese competitor, or a South American, or even a Canuck (plenty of time for you Peter, just settle down).

In 1991 a non-American took second in the form of a “flat-out-like-a-lizard-drinking” Aussie, Greg Welch, aka me. I took it to Mark and came in second, winning enough mulah (currency for you slang challenged friends) for a big drink.

1992 was time for pocket rocket Chilean Christian Bustos, who pushed Mark to a very good time with Kiuri coming in third, but his momentum building.

1993 was the perfect year, there was no wind, but it was hot and Pauli Kiuru pushed the run hard! At mile 13 he had over three minutes on Mark Allen. Was he poised to be the first? Yes, absolutely, but the “grip of death” himself (Mark Allen for you newcomers to the sport) reached into his bag of tricks, aka Felix, and came home like a steam train beating the Flying Fin by seven minutes.

Finally, (yes, you had to read this crap to get here!) 1994 was the year! I myself single handedly took on the world and conquered!

It was that easy!

I am only joking. On a tough day with wind on the bike and scorching hot conditions, Dave and I duked it out on the bike, but I pulled away on the run holding him off by four minutes. It was a thrill, but it also changed the race forever, giving all of us mere non-American mortals a chance to open our imagination and realize that the sport was truly international.

Since that day, only two Americans have won the race: Tim De Boom and Mark Allen. Only five others have taken the men’s title: Peter Reid (Canada) has won three times, Luc Van Lierde (Belgium) twice, While Germans Thomas Hellreigal, Normann Stadler and Faris Al Sultan all have won once.

While it took many years to happen, the sport of Ironman is now truly an international sport. It can be seen around the world, providing some very sought after highlight moments. You can check out all these exciting Ironman events at www.ironmanlive.com.