Why 24 HOT?

The Hawaiian IronMan started in 1978 with only 15 people (incidentally, it was won by a guy from Colorado, Gordon Haller.) When word got out about what they were doing, most thought they were crazy. In 1981 when Julie Moss was captured by ABC Sports crawling across the finish line, EVERYONE thought IronMan Triathletes were crazy. Millions of people have now competed in IronMan races and NO one thinks they’re crazy.

So what next? There’s the UltraMan. Even by today’s standards, this is pretty out there. Expedition adventure racing like the Eco-Challenge and Primal Quest, another type of race on the fringe. But what captures the challenge of these races, the spirit of competition, the variety of sports, the fun of a festival, the camaraderie of working in a team and appeals to weekend warriors and professional athletes alike? 24 hours running and mountain bike races are close. Team triathlons are close. Adventure racing has some of the elements. No single event has captured it all.

Until now. 24 Hours of Triathlon (24 HOT) does it all. OK, it doesn’t do the laundry, or pick up the kids from school, but once you have your shirts neatly folded and a baby sitter lined up, you can launch into 24 HOT and have an experience you never dreamed of. This is an epiphanal race. Everyone can finish and no one leaves without a wonderful, lingering taste in their mouth. It’s something to savor and an event that grows with age. Retrospective enjoyment if you will.

Truth be told, I come from a background of extreme ultra endurance multi-sport racing, which is fun in it’s own way, but dang expensive and ridiculously time consuming. For most mortals the idea of completing a single expedition adventure race is a BIG deal. In fact people spend small fortunes getting to a race, and then most don’t complete the course. It’s such a shame. This is why HOT and I will share how it all started next time.