The Ironman Triathlon was created in 1978, by John and Judy Collins. The couple both competed in triathlons and decided to create one of their own. The first Ironman traversed the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The bike portion of the race covered 112 miles of the 115 that went around the entire island. Today the Ironman race is the most prestigious races in the world due the extreme distance that a participant must cover.

The Half Ironman started in 2006 and has now become the fastest growing triathlon in the world. It is 70.3 miles of grueling pain and perseverance, a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. The Half Ironman occurs yearly all across the globe in different locations that have the necessary environment for a swim, bike, and run of this magnitude. Boise has the great honor of hosting a Half Ironman every year in the month of June. The Half Ironman has been held in Boise since 2008 and every year over a thousand people from all over the world travel here to race. In last year’s 2011 race 1221 people participated.

Every year Boise prepares for the race by shutting down downtown Boise. The race usually lasts all day, but the after celebration goes late into the night. The registration fee required to compete is $250 dollars. That fee doesn’t even compare to the amount spent for many of the participants who have to travel thousands of miles to get to Boise. The Half Ironman is a great event because it brings so much commerce into Idaho, not just Boise. The tourism generated through the event makes it very valuable to Boise. To gain extra information about competing in the race or just want to peruse what it has to offer, visit http://www.ironman.com

References:

Ironman 70.3 Boise. Ironman, Accessed 11/26/2011. <http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/boise70.3/?show=raceresults&year=2009&format=txt#axzz1f6CwMZ2c>