Ironman Triathlon Mental Toughness: Any Type of Athlete Can Learn About Mental Toughness from This Post
What comes to mind when you read or hear Ironman? Maybe it is the super hero, totally possible! However, in this case the reference is to the triathlon distance, 140.6. While Ironman does not own that distance, it is one of the most notable companies that offers the 140.6 distance. In everyday language, many athletes reference the 140.6 distance as an Ironman, and potentially for good reason. Let’s look at the history and a few basics of the distance before we look at the mental skills that one may want to consider in relationship training and completing this distance.
History of Ironman (Ironman, n.d.)
Judy and John Collins, the OGs of Ironman, completed the Mission Bay Triathlon in San Diego in September 1974, the event that now is considered the start of modern triathlon in the United States. Then in 1977 the seed was planted during their work in organizing a sprint run-swim competition in Honolulu. So, in hopes of creating something for endurance athletes, they decided to use a local bicycling club route in their event. It was at this time that John, now famously said, after they each agreed to do the event that whoever finishes first will be called the “Iron Man.”
Their event was announced at the Waikiki Swim Club banquet in October of 1977 set to happen the next year to laughter from the swimmers. However, on February 18, 1978 their event happened in Hawaii, the Iron Man Triathlon! In 1980 the event was filmed, which helped bring recognition to the Ironman Triathlon. Then two years later Julie Moss, the college student who collapsed yards away from the finish line, made headlines when she crawled to the finish line. In 1997 the official recognition of the Physically Challenged Athlete happened, which highlighted the finish of Australian John MacLean as the first athlete to power a hand cycle bike and wheelchair in the World Championships.
Ironman Distance
The Ironman distance consists of 3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle, and a 42.2 km marathon run. In miles, the distances are as follows: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle, and 26.2 mile marathon run. The training process is grueling. The amount of time to train varies based on if someone is a professional or just trying to finish, but regardless the time and effort dedicated to training is high.To learn more about the specifics I have an article from Triathlon magazine linked in the learn more section if you want the exact numbers. It is super interesting. The race itself can last anywhere from 7 to 17 hours, which opens up the door to numerous other considerations such as the impacts on the body, nutrition, and having some pretty good mental toughness to help someone make it through. According to Grand’Maison (2004), there may be a minimal level of mental toughness (MT) that is needed just to complete the event and a higher level is essential to race in endurance events with such a long distance.
Mental Toughness
If MT is a must, then we need to understand what MT is and how someone can begin to build MT. The definition of MT that this post will utilize is the following:
“MT can be defined as a state-like psychological resource that is purposeful, flexible, and efficient in nature for the enactment and maintenance of goal-directed pursuits.”
(Gucciardi, 2017, p. 18)
So there are some key things to point out in the above definition. MT is a resource that has purpose so there is a reason behind it. MT is flexible and therefore can adapt. MT is efficient so that it does not waste energy. And finally, is connected to goal-directed pursuits, therefore there must be a goal. All of these are skills that sport and performance professionals seek to help an athlete build. However, the question remaining is what helps guide building MT? There are a couple of models that have been identified related to MT. This post will discuss two of them.
The first is the 4 C’s model (Strycharczyk et al., 2020). This model says that Control, Commitment, Challenge and Confidence are the important components of MT. Control is the extent to which an individual feels that they have control over their life and circumstances. Commitment concerns goal orientation and the ability to set goals and continue to work toward them. Challenge addresses an individual’s ability to push their limits and embrace risk and change. Confidence speaks to self-belief in an individual’s abilities.
The second model is Goal-Expectancy-Self-Control (GES) model that encapsulates the key components of MT into: (a) stressors, (b) goals, (c) self-efficacy, and (d) self-control. The stress component addresses the environmental demands. Goals address the target that an individual is striving to achieve; self-efficacy is the individual’s belief about their ability to complete an action or series of actions in order to achieve their goal; and, self-control is the limited energy source that allows individuals to effectively regulate their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral efforts on their journey to reach their goal.
These models can be thought of as a road map that one can follow to help build MT by bringing MT down into different components or elements that can be addressed and reinforced either with the help of sport and performance professionals or by the athletes themselves!
These are the basics of MT. Ironman triathletes do need to build their MT, but they are not the only ones. MT serves all athletes in their chosen sport and it could also be argued that it even helps in daily life.
Triathletes finishing the swim and heading into a transition area.
take action today moment:
Now that you have an idea of what MT is, how can you incorporate MT into your journey, athletic or life? Consider picking your favorite model and thinking about what elements you can focus on to help build your MT.
Learn More About Ironman Triathlon:
How Many Training Hours Does It (Really) Take to Conquer Ironman?
References
Bédard Thom, C., Guay, F., & Trottier, C. (2021). Mental toughness in sport: The goal-expectancy-self-control (GES) model. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 33(6), 627-643. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2020.1808736
Grand’Maison, K. (2004). What mental skills Ironman triathletes need and want. Journal of Excellence, 10(1), 86-94.
Gucciardi, D. F. (2017). Mental toughness: Progress and prospects. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16, 17-23. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.654836
Ironman. (n.d.). The IRONMAN story. https://www.ironman.com/history
Strycharczyk, D., Clough, P., Wall, T., & Perry, J. (2020). Mental toughness. Good Health and Well-Being, 471-483.