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Home > Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event
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Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event
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By Kara Douglass Thom (Editor)
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 (18 Reviews)
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List Price: $14.00
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Our Price: $11.20 Eligible for FREE shipping. Details
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You Save: $2.80 (20%)
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Availability:
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Usually ships in 24 hours
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Publisher:
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Breakaway Books
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Date:
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October 1, 2002 |
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Binding:
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Paperback
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Pages:
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288
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| Product Description: |
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A collection of personal stories about the experience of competing in one's first Ironman triathlon. This is the ultimate test of endurance: a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run, all raced end-to-end in one grueling day—and these stories tell it straight: what to expect, how to prepare, what was rewarding, what was miserable. These stories come from men and women of all ages and abilities. Some are stories from the champions, and some from those who did not finish. Together they testify to all the joy and agony of the race; and they provide priceless personal advice on nutrition, equipment, clothing, mental preparation, emotional fatigue, terrain, and weather. An unforgettable ode to an extraordinary endurance sport—a book for anyone who wants to become an ironman.
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Customers' Reviews:
Add Your Own Review |
 A must read!, July 23, 2010
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This book is absolutely inspiring. As a tri newbie, these short individual stories keep me going through my hours of training. All the inspiring stories of regular people pulling off the ironman are tear-jerking at times. Grab it!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
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 Hard to make it through, February 11, 2010
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I love Ironman. I have done two. I think the stories of how most people get there are amazing. That is not captured in this book. Even as someone who loves the sport, I had to force my way through the book.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
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Great Read!, January 3, 2007
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This book is a great read for someone training for their first IM. The stories give you an idea of what to expect when the big day comes. They also are very inspiring.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
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 Wasn't what I thought, November 6, 2006
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This book is great to read about different stories of various people who become Ironman. Just a collection of short stories. It was interesting.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
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very inspiring stories, but it can get repetitive, September 23, 2005
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"Becoming an Ironman" is a collection of personal stories of the first experience of many athletes attempting their first Ironman Triathlon. An Ironman Triathlon is a race consisting of a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride followed by a marathon (26.2 miles). Some runners may consider the marathon to be the ultimate endurance event and with good reason, the marathon is not to be taken lightly, but Ironman only lets you run a marathon after one has traveled 114.4 miles. Since "Ironman" is actually a trademark of the World Triathlon Corporation, the "Ironman" name can only be used for a race sponsored by the WTC. But any triathlon of 140.6 miles can be considered an "Iron" distance race and the finishers are no less an Ironman as those finishing a sponsored race. 140.6 miles is a long, long way to go, and typically there is a 17 hour time limit. In "Becoming an Ironman" many athletes will tell of their experience in their own words.
The stories contained in this book are broken into a variety of sections. There are stories from those who are middle of the pack athletes and who struggled with the Ironman but still found strength to complete it. There is a section featuring athletes who learned in their first attempt that they were quite good at this distance and turned in excellent times which put them among the leaders. Conversely the stories of those who finished Ironman with only a minute or an hour to spare are no less compelling. Then there are the Did Not Finish (DNF) stories of those who for one reason or another had to drop out of the race or just could not make it to the finish line in time (the one who finished some six minutes after 17 hours was tough to take).
Every one of these stories provides inspiration to push through my pain in a race and furthers my desire to one day attempt and complete an Ironman despite the pain I know it will cause. But these same stories collected in "Becoming an Ironman" suffers from the fact that while reading a handful of these stories is easy and inspiring, reading every story back to back becomes repetitive. Yes, everyone struggled and gutted it out and provides a reason to be inspired, but it is essentially the same story every time with minor variations. The different sections helps as the stories are grouped into similar kinds of experiences, but it is still a lot of take at one time.
My recommendation is that this is an excellent book about the Ironman experience from the perspective of the average (if "average" can describe anyone attempting Ironman) athlete, but the reader should only read a few stories a day. Each story is only a few pages long and this way there will be less of a sense of burnout by the time the end is reached. Inspiring stuff, here.
-Joe Sherry
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
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