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Ultraman or Ultra 515 is a three-day, 515 km (320 mile) multisport race modelled on the one held annually on the Big Island of Hawaii which is now called the Ultraman World Championship. "Ultraman" is a branding for events affiliated with the Hawaii original; "Ultra 515" is used by unaffiliated events. Each race is divided into three stages over three days: The first is a 6.2-mile (10-km) ocean swim from Kailua Bay to Keauhou Bay, followed by a 90-mile (145-km) cross-country bike ride, with vertical climbs that total 6,000 feet. Stage two is a 171.4-mile (276-km) bike ride from Volcanoes National Park to Kohala Village Inn in Hawi, with total vertical climbs of 4,000 feet. Stage three is a 52.4-mile(84-km) double-marathon, which starts at Hawi and finishes on the beach at the Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area. Each stage must be completed within 12 hours or less. The swim portion of stage one must be completed in 5.5 hours or less. Participants who do not reach the finish lines within the time limits are disqualified.
Contents
This event attracts athletes who seek to explore the extreme in physical and mental abilities. The race is limited to 40 athletes on an invitation-only basis and attracts participants from around the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia and the United States. Racers must have reached their 20th birthday prior to the start of stage one. Each racer must be accompanied by an individual support team of at least two people over the entire course. Many support team members are volunteers from the Big Island community.
History
The first Ultraman Triathlon was held in 1983 and organized by Curtis Tyler, Alex Smith, and Conrad Will. Among the group Curtis Tyler served as original race director with the goal of having more than just a competition but an event which focused on the guiding principles of Hawaiian culture.... "aloha" (love), "ohana" (family), and "kokua" (help). In 1992 Tyler turned over Ultraman to Jane Bockus on the condition that there never be prize money. Jane Bockus often referred to as "Ultra Mom", has kept the event the same with the exception of a course change in the years 2001 & 2002 with a start and finish in Kailua-Kona instead of the around the Big Island format. Popularity of the previous format won over and things have changed little since.
In 1993 a second Ultraman was organized in Canada (Penticton, British Columbia) which once served as a qualifier event to gain entrance to Ultraman World Championships. Today that race is held under the Ultra 515 brand and is no longer a qualifier. A third event, Ultraman United Kingdom began in 2011 and was held in Wales for three years. Ultraman launched in early 2014 in the Central Florida region. There will likely be another event added in 2015 in Australia. Ultra 515 events are held in Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico, Marble Falls, Texas, Zacatecas Mexico and Mallorca, Spain and though the distances are the same, they are not currently qualifiers for Ultraman World Championships.
We came together as strangers, competed as friends, we part as brothers and sisters.
Ultraman Events
As of November 2013, there are three existing Ultraman Triathlons: