lystn

On Saturday, the new Ironman 2019 will be crowned in the small town of Kona in Hawaii. The Ironman Hawaii is the oldest and also the toughest triathlon competition in the world, and Kona is the considered to be mecca for triathletes. The athletes who line up at the start must master three long-distance disciplines in succession: swimming for 3.86 kilometers, then riding a bicycle for 180.2 kilometers, and finally running a marathon — that’s 42.195 kilometers — in tropical heat and humidity, against competitors who are the absolute triathlon elite. It’s a battle of attrition. In this competition, the athlete’s iron will is pitted against the limits of the human body’s endurance.