Get your TiVo ready! This year's inspirational and exciting broadcast of the world's greatest endurance event, the Ironman World Championship triathlon race in Kona airs on NBC on Saturday, December 13, from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. ET. (Ironman Broadcast Trailer on YouTube)
For the 18th consecutive year, NBC will showcase the ultimate showdown of raw athletic competition and human perseverance -- the Ford Ironman World Championship -- on Saturday, December 13, from 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. ET. The 90-minute special, a network television staple since the 1980s, has won a total of 14 Emmy Awards during the race's illustrious history. Emmy-Award winning narrator, Al Trautwig, will provide the voiceover for this year's broadcast.
The event celebrated its 30th anniversary on October 11, 2008 when more than 1,700 of the world’s fittest athletes from all walks of life braved the harsh elements of Hawaii including one of the highest record temperatures to date, while attempting to earn the title of “Ironman” in Kailua-Kona. Athletes ranging from 18 to 79 years of age competed in the world-famous 140.6-mile odyssey: a 2.4-mile Pacific Ocean swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon in a classic battle against the sweltering heat – and themselves.
The broadcast features the intense back-and-forth competition among the world’s top professionals, which showcases the winners – Australia’s Craig Alexander and returning champion, Chrissie Wellington from Great Britain. NBC also highlights the day-long exploits of several unique age group athletes who defined the meaning of courage throughout the broadcast including:
• Ricky James, former amateur motocross racer who suffered an accident while racing in 2005 and is now a paraplegic, completed the World Championship for the first time. Leading up to this year’s race, James was trained by David Bailey, winner of the Hand Cycle division at the 2000 Ironman World Championship.
• Jeff Conine, a 17-year major league baseball star as first baseman/outfielder. He was a valuable member of both Florida Marlins’ World Series Championships teams. He played with them during two separate stints, 1993-1997 and 2003-2005. Conine has been an avid fan of Ironman for years, tuning in each year to the annual NBC broadcast.
• David Goggins, a member of the NavySEALS, as well as an endurance athlete, who has completed several ultramarathons. He races to raises money in honor of 11 military personnel who were killed in Afghanistan in 2005 – Goggins attended training school with four of them. He vowed to raise funds for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which pays the college tuition for children of special-operations personnel killed in the line of duty. He has raised nearly $300,000 for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
• Keith Davids, is a decorated U.S. NavySEAL and commanding officer of SEAL Team ONE. He views the Ford Ironman World Championship not only as a feat of mental and physical strength, but also as an amazing event to promote SEAL recruiting. Commander Davids' personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Bronze Star with combat "V", the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Commendation Medal with combat "V" and various other personal and campaign medals including the Combat Action Ribbon, and the prestigious Presidential Unit Citation.
• Sean Swarner, a 34-year-old two-time terminal cancer survivor and the first cancer survivor to summit Mt. Everest participated in his first Ford Ironman World Championship. When Sean watched the World Championship on the annual NBC broadcast from his hospital bed, he vowed to make it his next conquest. Since climbing Everest, Sean has climbed the highest mountain on each continent, also known as the seven summits, and has more climbing ambitions planned for 2009.
• Harriet Anderson, is the oldest female participant in this year’s Ford Ironman World Championship. The 72-year-old veteran has been competing in the World Championship race since 1989, and is a returning Kona champion in the Women’s 70-74 age group. She finished this year’s race in 16 hours and 17 minutes – just 43 minutes shy of the official race cut-off.
“The NBC broadcast was the inspiration for me to get involved in Ironman. Seeing so many different athletes from all walks of life competing together is like no other event in the world,” said Conine. “Having the opportunity this year to compete in the Ford Ironman World Championship and race alongside some of the best athletes in the sport, has been a dream come true.”
Related Posts:
• Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington Claim Ford Ironman World Championship
• Post Ironman World Championship Coverage & Pictures
• 2008 Ironman World Championship Coverage via TRIjuice
• 30 Years of the Ironman World Championship Book Due Out Soon
