SCHOOL OF SWIMMERS: A cluster of athletes paddle through the waves of the Atlantic Ocean on the 2.4-mile ROKA swim course at the 2019 Vega IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i on Saturday, Oct. 12. (Photo Credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images for IRONMAN)
BLUE LAGOON: Tim O’Donnell (USA) glides along just above the ocean floor at the 2019 Vega IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i on Saturday, Oct. 12. O’Donnell was the fourth athlete out of the water on Saturday, clocking in at 47:38 en route to a second place overall finish on the day. (Photo Credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images for IRONMAN)
JUST BREATHE: Professional triathlete Lauren Brandon (USA) nears the end of the 2.4 mile swiim in Kailua Bay at the 2019 Vega IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i on Saturday, Oct. 12. (Photo Credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images for IRONMAN)
KAILUA-KONA, HI – OCTOBER 12: Challenged triathlete Roderick Sewell at the swim start en route to becoming the first double leg above knee amputee to finish IRONMAN HAWAII during the 2019 Vega IRONMAN World Championships on October 12, 2019 at Kailua-Kona , Hawaii. (Photo by Donald Miralle for IRONMAN)
TEAM LIZA: Inspirational mother-daughter duo Team Liza, Beth (bike) and Liza James (chair) race down the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway at the 2019 Vega IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i on Saturday, Oct. 12. At the age of six, Liza endured a blow to the head that left her with a traumatic brain injury, non-verbal and unable to walk. Liza, now 23 joins her mother traveling the country, swimming, biking, running and even climbing mountains as they compete together as an inspirational mother-daughter duo (Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for IRONMAN)
KAILUA-KONA, HI – OCTOBER 12: Challenged triathlete Roderick Sewell on bike course during the 2019 Vega IRONMAN World Championships on October 12, 2019 at Kailua-Kona , Hawaii. (Photo by Donald Miralle for IRONMAN)
KAILUA KONA, HAWAII – OCTOBER 12: Jan Frodeno of Germany celebrates after winning the Ironman World Championships on October 12, 2019 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images for IRONMAN)
KAILUA KONA, HAWAII – OCTOBER 12: Jan Frodeno of Germany celebrates after winning the Ironman World Championships on October 12, 2019 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for IRONMAN)
MASTER CLASS: Jan Frodeno (DEU) captured his third IRONMAN World Championship title as he took top honors at the 2019 Vega IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i on Saturday, Oct. 12. Frodeno, the 2015 and 2016 world champion, set a new course best with a finishing time of 7:51:13. (Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for IRONMAN)
KAILUA KONA, HAWAII – OCTOBER 12: Anne Haug of Germany celebrates after winning the Ironman World Championships on October 12, 2019 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images for IRONMAN)
SWEET, SWEET VICTORY: Anne Haug (DEU) made it a German sweep as she joined countryman Jan Frodeno as the best in the world at the 2019 Vega IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i on Saturday, Oct. 12. Haug posted a masterful run, taking the lead at mile 16 on the HOKA ONE ONE run course and riding her 2:51:07 run split to victory. (Photo Credits: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images for IRONMAN or Tom Pennington/Getty Images for IRONMAN
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE: Roderick Sewell was born with severe leg deformities that would prevent him from walking. Roderick’s mother made the difficult decision to have both of his legs amputated above the knee before his second birthday. Despite moving from shelter to shelter, a seven-year-old Roderick’s pure determination and strong support from Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) led him to pursue athletic goals, starting with handcycling, and then running track, playing basketball, and swimming. Roderick went from homelessness to accomplishing many “firsts” in his family: from the first to graduate college, to bringing home a Gold and a Bronze medal from the 2014 Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships. On Saturday, Roderick added another first, the first bi-lateral above knee amputee to finish the IRONMAN® World Championship on prosthetic legs. He is also the first American bi-lateral above knee amputee to finish the IRONMAN World Championship. (Photo Credit: Donald Miralle for IRONMAN)
IRONMĀORI: New Zealander Wayne Skipworth breaks into a traditional Haka to celebrate accomplishing his dream of completing the IRONMAN World Championship. Since 2009, Wayne has run IRONMĀORI, an initiative and club set up to improve health and fitness amongst the Maori community. Wayne and IRONMĀORI host events and community health projects including cycle rides, swimming and spin classes that have positively impacted countless lives. Wayne has also completed nine IRONMAN New Zealand triathlons and continue to reconnect the strong bond of Hawai`i and New Zealand culture through the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupō, New Zealand. (Photo Credit: Tony Svensson/IRONMAN)IRONMAN ‘OHANA: Representing a specially bonded extended family, the celebration of `ohana, IRONMAN’s theme for the year, was encapsulated at the very end of the 2019 Vega IRONMAN World Championship IRONMAN as athletes, volunteers, spectators and staff joined hands for the traditional singing of “Hawai`i Aloha” with Aunty Mele Kekai on the iconic finish line floor on Ali`i Drive in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i on Saturday, Oct. 12 .(Photo Credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images for IRONMAN)Follow us Share this article
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