Ironmania: The 1984 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championship and the Making of an Iconic Event

by David Evans

(Atmosphere Press, paperback, 2026)

Available March 10, 2026

By 1983, the Hawaii Ironman was seven races old. ABC Sports and Sports Illustrated had discovered it. So had Budweiser-and soon, Timex would too. Despite growing corporate backing, Ironman was still seen more as amusing entertainment than serious competition.

That changed in 1984. For the first time, the field size topped 1,000, queries surpassed 10,000, and the race entry fee hit three digits: $100. As the day unfolded, one triathlete bested 50 minutes in the water, two went under five hours on the bike, and another finished with a sub-3-hour marathon and a sub-9-hour overall time-each setting records.

After the 1984 Hawaii Ironman, space-age technology began radically transforming bikes, top triathletes pushed for prize money, and never again would all previous winners compete together. Just like that, at the tick of the finish line's clock, one era ended-and another began.

David Evans, a math teacher and athletic coach by trade, has loved endurance sports his whole life. At first a runner, David soon found cycling, then swimming, and then cross country skiing—all as the sport of triathlon began burrowing into our imaginations. Winner of the very first triathlon he ever entered, in 1981, it was predictably love at first race. 50+ triathlons and 45 years later, David is still competing in triathlons and other tests of endurance.  He and his wife Jennifer, both educators, have two older sons and live in Ballard with their dog Zeus.