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Triathlon · Level 9: Master · Sub-level 9.2

The IRONMAN World Championship: Legends and Records

10 tests · 100 facts · updated 12 October 2026 · markdown

The champions and records of Kona and beyond: Paula Newby-Fraser, the men and women of the 1990s and 2000s, champions from 2007 to 2019, Daniela Ryf and the modern women, the moves and split races of the 2020s, iron-distance records, the Kona course, the 70.3 World Championship and the stories beyond the podium.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1Paula Newby-Fraser, Queen of KonaTake a test

  1. Newby-Fraser won eight Kona titles between 1986 and 1996, the most by any athlete.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  2. Her eight wins earned her the title "Queen of Kona".

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  3. Born in Zimbabwe and raised in South Africa, she later lived and trained in the USA.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  4. Her first world title came in 1986.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  5. Her 1988 time placed her 11th overall in the whole field.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  6. Her 8:55:28 stood as the women's course record until 2009.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  7. Leading late on, she collapsed within sight of the finish; Karen Smyers passed her to win.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  8. American Karen Smyers took the title in 1995.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  9. She returned to win in 1996 after the 1995 collapse.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  10. Wellington finished in 8:54:02 in 2009.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

Test 2The Men of the 1990s and Early 2000sTake a test

  1. Greg Welch won in 1994, ending the run of American men's winners.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  2. Belgium's Luc Van Lierde won in 1996 with a course record of 8:04:08.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  3. His 8:04:08 broke Mark Allen's record and stood for over a decade.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  4. Hellriegel won in 1997, starting a long line of German success.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  5. Peter Reid won three titles, the most by a Canadian man.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  6. American Tim DeBoom won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  7. No American man has won the men's title since DeBoom in 2002.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  8. Van Lierde won again in 1999.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  9. Stadler, known for his bike power, won twice.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  10. Germany's Faris Al-Sultan won the men's race in Kona in 2005.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

Test 3The Women of the 1990s and 2000sTake a test

  1. Badmann won six titles between 1998 and 2005.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  2. The Swiss athlete was the first European woman to take the title.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  3. Badmann is Swiss.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  4. Lori Bowden won two world titles.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  5. Australia's Michellie Jones, Sydney 2000 silver medallist, won Kona in 2006.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  6. Wellington won Kona in her debut Ironman season, largely unknown beforehand.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  7. Wellington won in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  8. Despite road rash and injuries from a training crash, she won her fourth title.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  9. She won all 13 of her iron-distance races before retiring.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  10. Carfrae, known for her run, won three titles.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

Test 4Men's Champions from 2007 to 2019Take a test

  1. Chris "Macca" McCormack won two titles.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  2. Australia's Craig Alexander won three titles.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  3. Alexander finished in 8:03:56, the fastest time Kona had seen until then.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  4. Australian Pete Jacobs won in 2012.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  5. Frederik Van Lierde won in 2013, no relation to Luc.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  6. Germany's Sebastian Kienle won in 2014.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  7. Frodeno won three Kona titles.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  8. Frodeno won Olympic gold in 2008 and Kona in 2015.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  9. Germany's Patrick Lange won back-to-back titles.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  10. Frodeno set a course record of 7:51:13 in 2019.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

Test 5Daniela Ryf and the Modern Women's EraTake a test

  1. Ryf won four consecutive titles in Kona.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  2. Stung by a jellyfish before the start, she still won in a course record 8:26:18.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  3. Her 8:26:18 set a new women's course record.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  4. Ryf is Swiss, following Natascha Badmann.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  5. Anne Haug won in 2019.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  6. Charles-Barclay won in 2023 after several second places.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  7. American Chelsea Sodaro won in 2022 in her first Kona race.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  8. The women raced in Nice in 2024 while the men raced in Kona.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  9. Germany's Laura Philipp won in Nice in 2024.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  10. A former open-water swimmer, she typically exited the water well ahead of the field.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

Test 6The 2020s: Cancellations, Moves and Split RacesTake a test

  1. The 2020 race was cancelled, the first year without a championship since 1978.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  2. The postponed 2021 edition moved to St George in May 2022.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  3. Olympic champion Blummenfelt won on his first attempt at the title.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  4. Ryf took her fifth IRONMAN world title in St George.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  5. With a larger field, the 2022 championship was split over two days.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  6. Norway's Gustav Iden won in 2022.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  7. Iden set a course record of 7:40:24.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  8. For 2023 the championship was split by sex, with the men moved to the French Riviera.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  9. France's Sam Laidlow became the youngest men's champion.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  10. Lange won in 2024, adding to his 2017 and 2018 titles.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

Test 7Times and Records over the DistanceTake a test

  1. Lange finished in 7:52:39 in 2018.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  2. His 7:52:39 was the first sub-eight-hour time at Kona.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  3. Lange ran 2:39:45, finally beating Allen's 2:40:04 from 1989.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  4. Frodeno's 7:35:39 in Roth was a world best at the time.

    Source: Challenge Roth, results archive (challenge-roth.com) · recall

  5. Wellington's 8:18:13 was a long-standing women's best for the distance.

    Source: Challenge Roth, results archive (challenge-roth.com) · recall

  6. Blummenfelt's 7:21:12 in Cozumel was an IRONMAN-branded best at the time.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  7. Different courses, currents and profiles make times hard to compare, so "world best" is used.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  8. Kona's conditions, including non-wetsuit swimming, heat and winds, slow times.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  9. Water temperatures above the wetsuit limit mean non-wetsuit swimming.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  10. From 8:03 in 2011 to 7:40 in 2022, times fell with better equipment, nutrition and competition.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

Test 8The Kona Course and Its LandmarksTake a test

  1. The swim starts and finishes at Kailua Pier in the bay.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  2. The Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway runs through the lava fields.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  3. Riders climb to Hawi and turn back towards Kona.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  4. The run dips into the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, famous for heat.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  5. Athletes finish along Ali'i Drive in Kailua-Kona.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  6. Gusts on the climb to Hawi can push riders sideways.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  7. The Palani climb comes in the closing miles of the run.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  8. Athletes must finish by midnight to be official finishers.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  9. Athletes parade through Kailua-Kona by nation in race week.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  10. Its heat and lack of spectators mean leads are often won or lost there.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

Test 9The IRONMAN 70.3 World ChampionshipTake a test

  1. The 70.3 world championship began in Clearwater in 2006.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  2. Since the 2010s the race has moved around the world annually.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  3. Port Elizabeth (Nelson Mandela Bay) hosted in 2018.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  4. Ryf won the 70.3 title in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  5. Five-time ITU world champion Javier Gomez won two 70.3 titles.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  6. Frodeno won the 70.3 title twice.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  7. Norway's Gustav Iden won in Nice in 2019.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  8. Taupo hosted in December 2024; Lahti hosted in 2023.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  9. Lahti hosted the 2023 edition.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  10. The half distance rewards speed from short-course racing while adding endurance.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

Test 10Stories Beyond the PodiumTake a test

  1. Japan's Hiromu Inada finished in 2018 at 85.

    Source: IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com) · recall

  2. A Catholic nun who finished Ironman races into her eighties.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  3. She finished at 82, the oldest woman to complete an Ironman at the time.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  4. Dick Hoyt towed, pushed and carried his son Rick, who had cerebral palsy, through races including Kona in 1989.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  5. Dick and Rick Hoyt finished the Ironman World Championship in 1989.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  6. Diagnosed with ALS, Blais finished Kona in 2005 by rolling over the line, now a tribute gesture.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  7. Athletes roll over the line in Blais's memory to support ALS research.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  8. The brand is built on the idea that finishing is achievable for determined amateurs.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  9. The finish-line call became the brand's signature.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

  10. Mike Reilly called finishers at Kona for decades.

    Source: IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com) · recall

Sources

Official histories and results of IRONMAN, World Triathlon and the IOC, with established histories of the sport

  • IRONMAN World Championship results archive (ironman.com)61
  • IRONMAN, History of the IRONMAN World Championship (ironman.com)37
  • Challenge Roth, results archive (challenge-roth.com)2