Who are the best?

Hey everyone

It's a simple one this week, name and rank the top 10 male Ironmen athletes of all time. Let your forums know about this one, it's a big one!

Kia Kaha

Bevan and John

Comments

[Davyb]

Good day Bev & Johnbo'

Not heard the podcast yet and the 1st to post! At least I'm 1st at something this year...

Back to business - only World Champs matter in my eyes, so -

=1. Dave Scott - makes sense
=1. Mark Allen - makes sense
3. Luc Van Lierde - very fast twice
3. Peter Reid - 3 wins but not so quick
4. Norman Stadler - 2 wins and very fast
5. Tim De Boom - 2 wins and not as fast
6. Faris Al Sultan - 1 win pretty fast
7. Greg Welch - Not as fast as Faris
8=. Thomas Helriegel - Another consistent performer
8=. Molina - Still good at 75
10. Craig Alexander ? future multiple champ ?

The future is bright guys...

I see one or two sprint finishes in the next few years on the Big Island.

The standard is getting better every year.

Later

Davyb

[Vince]

Crap, whilst I was procrastinating I got pipped on the line!
I'm guessing we'll agree on a lot of these, but hopefully I can add some thought provoking entries later down the list..

1: Mark Allen
2: Natascha Badmann
3: Dave Scott
4: Paula Newby-Fraser

I've gone for the Kona multiple winners at the top, but with the more recent above their earlier counterparts, purely as the competition has become more intense & therefore an even tougher comp.
5: Macca - has been 'the man' (apologies to Dave Scott) for years & a sub 8hr ironman or 2 under his belt

6: Luc van Lierde - double Kona winner & course record holder, has to in there!

7: Simon Lessing - controversial to put somebody in with only a few finishes, but it's all about opinion isn't it? Personally I'm in awe of Lessing as an athlete & believe injury has robbed us all of some epic races from this fella, course record in his debut at Lake Placid too.

8: Heather Fuhr - This was research not knowledge, but 12 wins is awesome, never quite the big one though.

9= John Newsom / Bevan James Eyles - Bringing the sport to the masses & a pair of great guys (can I have some Grammo socks please John?)

10: Chrissie Wellington - Watch this space, legend in the making "The Enforcer"!!

[Ross]

1. Scott (his times in the 80's were awesome).
2. Allen (The Grip, The Zen Master)
3. Pigg / Molina / Tinley (The Big 4)
4. Leder (first under 8 hours).
5. Hellriegel / Pauli Kiuru (nice guys).
6. Ray Browning (Ironman Series winner)
7. Macca / Cam brown (for execution).
8. Peter Reid / Luc van Lierde (multiple Hawaiis)
9. Lessing (a mulitiple winner at the old Nice).
10. Jan van der Marel / Mac Martin (look them up).
11. Herve Faure (multiple Embrun wins).

[robbie]

I would love to debate this topic for hours over a thousand beers... but.. on the criteria of best "Ironman triathletes of all time".. In short..

1) Scott – he was eating figs before Gels existed! Gotta love that. He blazed the trail and continued to set the bar higher and higher - like Cook, Columbus and Hillary - he was the true Ironman pioneer, with boundless talent and passion.

2) Allen - goes without saying.. although I could say so much more... my personal idol - but second place.

3) Reid – greatness… excellent at peaking at the right time.

4) Tinley - an absolute freak - prolific racer and triathlon stalwart - winning everywhere back in the day

5) Welchy - awesome triathlete - won everything. Could have done more without tragic heart condition - hit him at age 30... heading towards endurance peak - brings a tear to my aussie eye

6) Molina - like Tinley - a freak - raced everything, won everything.

7) McCormack - one Hawaii so far - but how many AusIM, Roth and Wildflower - the real deal like him or not.

8) Van Leirde - fastest ever IM, fastest ever in Kona – Queries about him, allegations only - and when records disappear (as they do) we wont remember him being as great as those above..

9) Hellreigal - won all over the world - Hawaii, NZ, Canada, Lanzarotte, Lake Placid. Consistent performer and hardman.

10) Cam Brown - and not just for you ironmantalk boys - he has been one of the most consistent performers around - 2nds and 3rds in Kona against the best and plenty of good wins in NZ... he could have had a few Hawaii wins if things were different and could be higher on this list..

Unlucky not to make it.. Pigg, DeBoom, Zack, Leder, Glah, Kiuri, Stadler....

[Vince]

And now I apologise for being a dumbarse - I didn't see the word male in the question - Doh!
Clearly I'm training too hard& not sleeping enough, don't think too badly of me :-)

[Ross]

Although I included more than 10 I shouldn't have forgotten Kenny Glah. Why no Stadler ? Bad attitude. For me, Welch and Faris are on the outskirts of my list above. Debated Zack but decided against it.

[Vince]

There you go Ross, there's 4 spare spots on my list now I've realised my error!!

[Ross]

I should have reflected a bit more before firing off my list. I guess my top 10 has become 20 in proper Ironmantalk tradition. I'd like to further add:

Deboom (Tim)

Axel Koenders (tickled the 8 hour barrier in the late 80's).

I'll also propose a Kiwi Top 5:

1. Brown.
2. Rick Wells.
3. Graeme Pearson & Matt Brick.
4. Steve Farrell.
5. Doe & Rhodsey.

That's enough !

[Uli from Dublin]

Faris Al Sultan – First IM at 19 yrs old on Lanzagrotte (Roth did not let him start, too young). Hardcore guy, old school.

Mark Allen – needs no grass to fly

Christian Bustos – was once rolled over by an SUV. Fastest runner in IM history with a 2:19h PR at Frankfurt Marathon 1986

Wolfgang Dittrich – the first real swim-biker. No fear.

Thomas Hellriegel – f*ck the drafters, 1.500hrs of training per year, trained himself into the deepest cave imaginable

Pauli Kiuru – the first great Scandinavian of many to follow

Macca – biggest talker in IM history

Scott Molina – forget your brain, (mis-)use your body daily

Peter Reid – As we have seen in “What it takes” he is a whining wimp - but a tough one when it comes to racing

Dave Scott – the pioneer

[Uli from Dublin]

^^^^
sorry forgot to say, alphabetical order - are all true IM champions

[Thomas Peoples]

First things first - in all the above lists, there seems to be someone missing? The one common figure that unites us all as we stand there at 0600 waiting to complete a gruelling 226km journey to the finish line.

Honestly, I wrote my list before looking at anybody's comments, so that I wasn't influenced in any way. Here they are:

1. Commander John Collins - without whom, we may not even be debating this
2. Gordon Haller - the worlds 1st Ironman
3. Chris McCormack - the 'list' is now complete, hopefully the first of many for him. Awesome athlete after years of ITU/short course stuff. Living his dream and loving every minute of it. Top bloke.
4. Mark Allen - only just pips the below for his 5 consecutive victories
5. Dave Scott - below Mark, not only for the above, but his nickname isn't as cool! He's also up here for beating the previous years winning time by 1hr 50mins. Imagine that happening now - China next year perhaps?
6. Luc Van Lierde - Current holder of Hawaii (8:04) and all time (7:50) records, can it be broken in Roth this year?
7. Stephen Bayliss - finally breaking through the top 5 to a win at IMSA earlier this year making it the 1-1 with his fiancee, awesome.
8. Cameron Brown - for TOTALLY OWNING IMNZ at 35 years old. To have won 7(?) out of the 25 races is nothing short of...incredible!
9. Bob Babbit - for getting by on Maccy Dees and Coke, yet still finishing in a sub-11 time on a 35lb bike with no aero things, this was abotu 15-20 years ago now!
10. The Ligends that are Bevan and Jon - for providing so much to the sport of Ironman. Great interviews, great insight and awesomely amusing. What more could you want for a long run other than IM Talk back to back? (Okay, I'll admit I sandwich some comeptitor radio interviews in there, too)

[robbie]

I was limiting my assessment to the "athletic" criteria - although if it was about those Top 10 Ironmen who embody the "Ironman spirit".. then I would include the following;

1) Dick Hoyt
2) Rick Hoyt
3) John Wragg
4) John McLean
5) John Collins
6) John Blaze
7) Scott Rigsby
8) Bill Bell
9) Greg Welch (again)
10) John Hill - my coach - last weeks AG of the week
And thats just the guys! Otherwise in go - Madona Buder and Missy and Natascha!
But that is an aside - sorry..

I have to say - I reckon Welch has to be in a Top 10 list of Ironman athletes - the guy was awesome.. but I may be blindly patriotic?

Also.. Lessing - as dominant as he has been over ITU and Half IM distances - he has 1 IM win as far as I know? Lake Placid.. otherwise.. with all due respect - he is just a great triathlete, not a great Ironman. No question he could have been - and may still be inthe future.. but right now he doesnt have the record.

[Greg, Hudson Ohio USA]

Top Ironmen:
1. Mark Allen: 6x, Battle w/Dave.
2. Dave Scott: 6x, mustache and all.
3. Scott Tinley: 2x, 1st w/Aerobars.
4. Greg Welch: Win, 7 top 10's, Ambassador.
5. Peter Reid: 3x.
6. Norman Stadler: 2x & Bike record.
7. Chris McCormack: Win & force behind great 07-hype.
8. Scott Molina: Win & friend of IMT.
9. Rick & Dick Hoyt: Guts - Perseverance - Effort.
10. John Howard: Without whom. The race, the distance, the word = Ironman.

[Fegan]

Mark Allan - "ligend", all distances, dominated Nice, fails 6 times and still wins 6 Hawaii - GOD!

Peter Reid - Maybe not 6 Kona wins but complete domination everywhere else.

Dave Scott - 6 times winner of Hawaii, first person to show the way and God-like come back for a PB!

Scott Tinley - domonating the dojo

Greg Welch - Duathlon, Standard distance and Kona, get in!

Luc Van Lierde - 7:50 - enough said! OK maybe another guy quick over all distances, racing at the time when the big men were out too.

Macca - He wrote a list and has ticked them all off one by one. Great stuff

Scott Molina - Awesome, drinks beer and after burying himself, still killing the young guys at Epic camp and races.

Jurgen Zack - he's rather fast too

Cam Brown - Think he'll never get Kona but another that's done the business everywhere.

[Pirate Trickster]

So I've taken a slightly poetic licence with my list, but here you go :-

1. Gordon Haller (first ever Ironman winner)
2. Dick Hoyt (no explanation required)
3. Ken Glah (50+ IM's)
4. Mark Allen (legendary battles with Dave Scott plus 5 consecutive Hawaii wins)
5. Dave Scott (legendary battles with Mark Allen )
6. Luc Van Lierde (World Record Holder)
7. Spencer Smith (for making the switch to stick with a non-drafting format)
8. Stuart Staples (age grouper whose book, Not Normal Behaviour, got me thinking - maybe one day I could do this)
9. The Pirates (for making me realise that one day, I WILL do this)
10. John Collins (the 'inventor')

[Charlie and Partner]

Our Top Ten(in no particular order):

Dave Scott
Scott Molina
Mark Allen
Scott Tinley
Greg Welch (Molina, Welch,Allen all world champs at every distance)
Luc Van Lierde (fast!)
Chris Mc Cormack
Ken Glah (met him at IMNZ and he is great guy!Plus has done loads of ironmans still going strong)
John Collins....(wouldnt be having this debate without him!)
Pauli Kiuru (Charlies partners no 10)
Marc. (cant remember his surname but Belgian paraplegic who has competed in Kona a few times,Charlie's no 10)

['Jorgan']

Hi guys,

Here's my two pennies worth!

This list isn't just about wins, but their overall contribution to raising Ironman consciousness around the world back in the day! The guys who made me and thousands of others want to be a triathlete.

1. Mark Allen (6 Kona wins against strong challengers)
2. Dave Scott (6 Kona wins and the original Iron Icon)
3. Scott Tinley (influential pioneer who had an even bigger 'tache than Dave Scott)
4. Greg Welch (he gave IM character and humanity & won Kona to-boot!)
5. Pauli Kiuru (top European for years & fastest man never to win Kona, oh & the HRM!)
6. Wolfgang Dittrich (Fearless, introduced Europeans to IM...especially the Germans!)
7. Luc Van Lierde (the fastest, 2 kona wins)
8. Chris McCormack (multiple sub 8s, and a legend in the making???)
9. Lothar Leder (1st Sub 8, longevity & consistency)
10. Olaf Sabatschus (superb longevity & still winning despite cancer)

There are plenty of multiple Kona winners missing, but for me, they didn't have the impact, influence or consistency of these guys in making Ironman and triathlon something to aspire to.....but, hell, what do I know ;-)

See you at Roth !

[tony]

Top 10 guys:
1. Dave Scott (ground breaker to bring IM to a new level)
2. Mark Allen (ultra talent and perseverance )
3. Thomas Hellriegel (unlucky not to win Hawaii, change the way the race is raced, and may very good times)
4. Luc Van Lierde (talent to burn, still the fastest in Hawaii...)
5. Ray Browning (for his time he was awesome!! very underrated in a very competitive time for IM racing)
6. Jurgen Zack (Has posted some fast times - and been up there in the big races)
7. Scott Tinley (raced a lot in the early days when I think the field quality was much deeper)
8. Pauli Kiuru (Very consistent - perhaps slightly ahead of Cam Brown, but did not have the killer instinct to throw the HR monitor away and risk it all a few times)
9. Peter Reid (good results and a hard ass. Willing to take a risk to win big or die trying...)
10. Macca (Probably just seeing the start of a new generation - about time someone fronted up and ran well in Hawaii...)

As an aside - John I am ready for a re-match for the sprint tri crown when you are... I will make sure I have my quiet running shoes on this time...

[bender]

I'm with you on the Stuart Staples - One for the (not) normal guy. He got me started.
Him and Julie Moss, but that is for next week.

[Jerry from CT, USA]

Question for male, Ironman, answers would be a little different if it included all distances. Clearly, a world championship is a must.
1)Allen
1)Scott
3)Reid
4)Van Lierde
5)Deboom
6)Stadler
7)Macca
8)Tinley
9)Hellriegel
10)Molina

[Brad]

Any sub-9 hour age grouper who manages to come back for 10 years with the full blessing of their family.

are there even 10?

[DTs]

Morning guys!

Mully? What happened? Not only did you lose the best ever ending but you appear to have lost yourself at the beginning as well!

DTs

[Daniel (Germany)]

1. Dave Scott - *The Man* still going strong
2. Mark Allen - Shaman or not, he was fast
3. Peter Reid - the last real idol to me. thanks for being at the lab
4. Simon Lessing - Chris Who?
5. Marc Herremans - Balls of steel
6. Scott Molina - Born at the wrong time and still won the big one
7. Mike Pigg - Even now, everybody's afraid of his cycling
8. Lothar Leder - Ruled Europe for a decade
9. Normann Stadler - You got to like his style of racing
10. Macca - Complete rack of trophys, looked like a girl when he won Hawaii

Girls? Don't know too much there
1. Newby Fraser - Queen of Kona
2. Badmann - Princess of Kona
3. Michellie Jones - Female Macca
4. Karin Thürig - rides like a man
5. Fernanda Keller - look at her!
6. Chrissie Wellington - We're talking talent here
7. Lori Bowden
8. Desiree Ficker - just for the looks, too

[Rossi]

1 Dave Scott - Without Question - the pioneer
2 Mark Allen - 6 wins
3 Gordon Haller - for showing everyon it could be done
4 Peter Reid - 3 wins at World Champs
5 Scott Tinley - longevity alone gets him here
6 McCormack - won Aust , Roth and hawaii
7 Staddler - 2 WCs
8 Al Sultan - won in speedos ! enough said
9 Heilreigel - showed them how to ride a bike
10 Molina - because he has to eb in any list !

[Glen Newbold]

1. Dave Scott
2. Mark Allen
3. Macca
4. Newby Fraser
5. Wellington
6. Staddler
7. Reid
8. Brendon Pongia
9. Brendon Pongia
10. Brendon Pongia