Meet Me Halfway
Today's fitness section of the local newspaper talks about the growing popularity of half-Ironmans and half marathons.
Similar reasons are given for the growth in half marathons, which experienced the largest jump of any road-race distance.
In 2004, the World Triathlon Corporation, which essentially owns the Ironman name, licensed six half-Ironman races. By this year that figure had mushroomed to 18. Next year the figure will climb to 22.
There are a number of reasons tri junkies are longing to swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 and run 13.1.
It's a significant accomplishment, yet not so daunting and time consuming as an Ironman;
More people are joining the sport at the grass roots level, as evidenced by USA Triathlon's increased membership – approximately 80,000 this year, compared to 40,299 in 2004;
With a growth in Ironman-distance events, plus novices taking up the sport, the veterans and the newbies are compressing at both ends, creating a demand in the middle.
Similar reasons are given for the growth in half marathons, which experienced the largest jump of any road-race distance.
The numbers: In 2004 there were 496,000 finishers at U.S. half-marathons. The figure jumped to 536,000 in 2005.
Reasons for the increase are similar to why the half-Ironman is thriving: It doesn't require nearly the commitment of a marathon, yet it's difficult enough to be a meaningful achievement.
