Tampa Bay, Fla., Dec. 10, 2008 – Celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year, the Ford Ironman World Championship will be showcased on NBC this Saturday, Dec. 13, from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. ET. The 90-minute special, highlighting the ultimate test of endurance, determination and courage, 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 broadcast is shot on location each year in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii as more than 1,700 of the world’s fittest athletes from all walks of life brave the harsh elements, while attempting to earn the title of “Ironman.” 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, including this year's winners – Australia’s Craig Alexander and returning champion, Chrissie Wellington from Great Britain. NBC also highlights the day-long exploits of several inspirational age group athletes such as:
· Ricky James, former amateur motocross racer who suffered an accident while racing in 2005 and is now a paraplegic. 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 has seen a successful 17-year major league baseball career, 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. Jeff 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 has raised nearly $300,000 for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which pays the college tuition for children of special-operations personnel killed in the line of duty.
· 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. 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, the oldest female participant in the 2008 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.
The broadcast of the Ford Ironman World Championship has taken viewers on a journey into several of the most memorable, heart-warming human interest stories in race history including:
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- Julie Moss’ famous crawl across the Ali’i Drive finish line in 1982 – an image that is still etched in the minds of millions today.
- Dick Hoyt has proven a father’s love for his son is immeasurable. Dick, a retired lieutenant colonel with the Air National Guard, swam, rode and ran with his son Rick, a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, the entire 140.6-miles to the finish line at the 1999 Ironman World Championship.
- Sarah Reinertsen, a below-the-knee amputee, found redemption at the 2005 Ford Ironman World Championship. After failing to make the bike cut-off the previous year, the California native crossed the finish line in 15:05:12 to a thunderous ovation.
To learn more about Ironman, visit the official Web site, Ironman.com.
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