ironman

See also: iron man

English

Competitors beginning the swimming phase of the Ironman World Championship triathlon in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, 2005

Alternative forms

• iron man

Etymology

From iron +‎ man. First applied to Joe McGinnity, a baseball player who pitched 48 complete games in one season and worked in an iron foundry during the offseason.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

ironman (plural ironmen or ironmans)

1. An extremely tough and strong athlete, especially one who competes in extreme athletic competitions or in a large number of games consecutively.
2. (Australia) A form of surf lifesaving competition which combines swimming, board paddling, ski paddling and running.
   • 2011, Katrina Marie Russell, Youth Sport in Australia, page 153:

     The catalyst for this rift was the ironman, a multi-discipline sport combining swimming, running, surf-skis and paddle-boards.
     Introduced to Australia in 1965 by touring American lifeguards, the ironman is a test of stamina, strength, and diverse skill.

3. An extreme form of triathlon, expecially one organised by the World Triathlon Corporation that comprises a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a marathon run.
   • 2007 July 21, Aimee Berg, “Far-From-Basic Training for a 135-Mile Footrace”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     “Every sense of your body is taken over by the climate,” said the New York City native Christopher Bergland, who set a record at triple ironmans (7.2-mile swim, 336-mile bike, 78.6-mile run) but failed to finish one of his three Badwater races.

4. (by extension) The winner of such a lifesaving event or triathlon.

Usage notes

The plural ironmen pertains to the athlete; ironmans pertains to the event.

Coordinate terms

• ironwoman

Translations

triathlon

• German: Ironman (de) m

See also

• Iron Man (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Ironman (surf lifesaving) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia