Originally Posted by
hhnngg1
No, if you finish any triathlon with the distance of the Kona race, you can call yourself an Ironman.
Technically, "Ironman" is a trademarked name by World Triathlon Corporation , which is different than the International Triathlon Union (ITU). WTC is a commercial group primarily out to make money, whereas ITU is more of a competitive triathlon organization focused on world-class Olympic-distance racing. (Much, much shorter than an Ironman, but typically on elite athletes or budding elites participate in their big races.)
Kona, however, is the world championship for the long Ironman race, and you can either qualify for it by winning a slot in another IM race prior to it, or trying to get a lottery spot (of which there are very few.) Ramsey is a celeb, and there are a few special reserved spots for celebs who can bring particular media attention to the race, so he doesn't have to qualify.
Qualifying for Kona today typically means you're amongst the top 5 amateur triathletes who race iron-distance in your state, maybe top 20 in a large state like CA. It's hard - these guys typically beat a handful of professional triathletes in races (pro triathletes have to meet certain time standards, so it's not as easy as calling yourself pro.)
I think it's not as simple as finishing the distance. Ironman is simply a brand, owned by the WTC, which is a private, for-profit corporation.
I compete in Ironman 70.3 and qualified for the 70.3 World Championship. Still does not make me an Ironman.
I have completed Challenge (a competing, German based triathlon "brand"). Challenge calls their races as follows: Challenge Taiwan (226km or 140.6miles) and Challenge Taiwan Half. Alternately, you see them sometimes use Challenge Taiwan 226 (Of course swap Taiwan for whichever venue you are competing at!)
But still, when I finish the 140.6 distance, I don't consider it an Ironman unless it's an Ironman event. Just me. The distance is the same, and aside from the significant differences in difficulty due to course layout and conditions, the challenge is the same. In many ways, I prefer the "vibe" of Challenge events to Ironman...but in Asia...the competitive guys in either event are pretty much the same...hard-core ex-pat guys, amazing Japanese athletes who have been into Tri for a long time, and a few super strong local guys. In Taiwan, long distance triathlon has only been around about 5 years...so other than the 30 and under age groups, fast triathletes are few and far between. When you look at the guys 25 and under though, you can see how the sport grows by having amazing events...some of those guys can really go hard, whereas I see many 35+ Taiwanese "triathletes" struggle to run, ride a folding bike, and breaststroke for the swim! Still have my respect for finishing, but not quite what I imagined when I started racing here.