THE MOTIVATION
leg·a·cy
/ˈleɡəsē/
1. Something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. “The legacy of the ancient philosophers.” “The war left a legacy of pain and suffering.”
The idea behind leaving a legacy is the need or the desire to be remembered for what you have contributed to the world. In some cases, that contribution can be so special that the universe is unalterably changed.
On October 14, 1989 at the Ironman® Triathlon World Championship the universe of sport was changed forever when Dave Scott and Mark Allen ran “The Greatest Race Ever Run” pushing each other to the breaking point, and then pushing harder for more than eight hours, never separated by more than a few feet. Both athletes raced wondering how much longer they could go on at that level of suffering?
The challenge to leaving a lasting legacy in sports is that the story has to originate with the truth, and the truth about the 1989 race has never been told in its entirety. The stories that have been published, or handed down as anecdotes from sound bites taken from interviews with Mark Allen and Dave Scott that only reveal parts of the picture, but none have captured their full personal stories until now.
As Dave, Mark and I have all ventured into our sixties, I’ve said on those rare occasions when we are all together that someone needs to get the entire story from them.
That “someone” ended up being me. Dave and Mark, separately and collectively agreed to write down in their own words the complete story in ten parts to be published one story a week. It will live on this website for those who have done the IRONMAN Triathlon World Championship, for those who aspire to the IRONMAN Triathlon World Championship, and for those who have never considered doing an IRONMAN anywhere. My hope is that these stories, accurately told by the only two people who can tell them, are remembered and passed down as the contribution of two athletes who together did something so special that the universe was unalterably changed.
The Race That Almost Never Happened
Two Paths Continents Apart: A Winter Prepping For Their Historic Clash
Foreshadowing Of Kona: Gold Coast of Australia May 1989
The Long And Short Of It – A Tale Of Two Distances
Early August: A Shift In The Wind
IRONMAN 1989: The Race That Almost Never Happened Part Two
World Record Training That No One Saw
The Numbers And The People Who Set Them
Two Men One Race: The Untold Stories of Race Week 1989
IRONMAN 1989
Epilogue
DAVE SCOTT/ COACHING
I’ve been a coach for over 40 years. I’ve helped pros win world championships, but most of my time is spent with dedicated age groupers like you who are committed to improving your results.
Triathlon is a complex sport of swimming, biking and running. To truly reach your potential, you must combine these disciplines with vital strength & flexibility training and solid nutritional science… along with strategic training periodization and proven race tactics.
I’ll cut through the confusion, make you more efficient and help you optimize your performance. My slogan is simple: “Proven Results. Guaranteed”. Commit to one of my training programs and I’ll make you faster…I guaranteed it.
Mark Allen/ COACHING
After 30 years in endurance sports, and having won every major title in triathlon during that time, I can say that there are two things I know to be certain. The first is that you can’t do it alone, and life is a lot more complicated today than when it finally occcurred to me that I needed a coach in 1988. The second is something I think is far more important than what you put in your training log, or what your placing was at the end of the day. It’s the experience of completing a challenge, of finishing what your started no matter how many times you had to start over. That’s what you’ll remember long after the ink is faded off a t-shirt.
Scott Zagarino/ COMMUNICATIONS
I have been involved in triathlon in one capacity or another for more than 35 years. In that time I created the Gatorade title sponsorship for the owners of the Ironman® which was valued at $8.5 million. I created the Pioneer Electronics Triathlon Team which was tied to the Triathletes For Kids program. I founded and produced the Ironman®/Anaheim Memorial Hospital Duathlon.
Along the way I learned a little something about using social media as a tool for good having won the Shorty Award for Best Nonprofit Content and I have been nominated and been a finalist for every major social media award during the past ten years.
Now we serve a host of triathlon based clients, and I’m proud to have created the 1989 stories program with Dave and Mark.