Ironman Triathlon World ChampionshipThe swim start - About 1500 competitors start en masse. Almost all entrants earn a spot in the race by qualifying at one of several designated triathlons of international distance or longer. Depending on the number of entrants in each age group, only the top 1 to 3 finishers in each group can qualify for the Ironman race. About 150 persons qualify through a lottery process.
Riding down Alii Drive toward the finish of the 112-mile bike leg trying to beat the cutoff time so that I could go on to the run. The first-place finisher, Luc von Lierde, had finished the entire event about 2 hours earlier.