Ultraman is a three-day, 515 km (320 mile)

multisport race A multisport competition is a family of athletic competitions in which athletes race in a continuous series of stages or "legs", and rapidly switch from one athletic discipline to another in order to achieve the best overall time. Most multispor ...

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. 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 Keauhou Bay is a historic area in the Kona District of the Big Island of Hawaii. The name comes from ''ke au hou'' which means "the new era" in the Hawaiian Language. Kamehameha III's Birthplace A small enclosure is maintained by the Daughter ...

, 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 Volcanoes National Park is a national park in northwestern Rwanda. It covers of rainforest and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, namely Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. It borders Virunga N ...

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 Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area (known locally as Old A) is a park built on the site of an old landing strip just north of Kailua, Hawaii County, Hawaii. History During World War II, a small landing strip was cleared near the end of Kuakini ...

. 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. Competitors who do not reach the finish lines within the time limits are disqualified, but encouraged to continue racing each day as participants. 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 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 is a Hawaiian term meaning " family" (in an extended sense of the term, including blood-related, adoptive or intentional). The term is cognate with Māori , meaning "nest". The root word refers to the root or corm of the , or taro plant (t ...

" (family), and "

kokua is a Japanese musical group formed in 2006 especially to sing "Progress", the title song to the NHK program , known overseas as "The Professionals". Members The group comprises Shikao Suga (vocals, composition, lyrics), Satoshi Takebe (product ...

" (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 Momma", 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 Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it share ...

instead of the around the Big Island format. In 2017, Ultra Momma handed over the reins to her Assistant RD, and Sheryl Cobb took over as Race Director, with her husband David as Assistant RD. In 2018, David Cobb was added as Co-Race Director along with Sheryl. Popularity of the previous course remained for many years, and things changed little until the 2018 Kilauea eruption. During the eruption, lava covered part of the race course in the area of "Red Road", a favorite section of the Day 2 course. The 2018 course was altered to account for this course blockage: Day 1 became an out-and-back course, ending back at T1 in Keauhou Bay; Day 2 became a challenging ride from Kona up and over the "Saddle" before meeting up with the old course, ending at Kapaa Park near Hawi; Day 3 remained unchanged, running from Hawi back to Kona. For 2019, the Day 1 course will return to the old Kona to Volcano course. Day 2 will need to alter slightly to account for the lava on Red Road, but will start in Volcano and end in Hawi as usual, and Day 3 will remain the same. In 1993, a second Ultraman was organized in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

(

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

) which served as a qualifier event to gain entrance to Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii until 2014. A third event, Ultraman

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

began in 2011 and was held in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

for three years. Ultraman Florida launched in the Orlando region in 2014. Ultraman Australia launched in 2015 and was held in Noosa for three years. Ultraman Canada returned as a qualifier in July 2019, and Ultraman Arizona is set to launch in March 2022.

Results

Ultraman Swimmer with the required escort

Ultraman Events

As of June 2020, there are four existing Ultraman Triathlons. Ultraman Florida, Ultraman Canada and Ultraman Arizona all serve as qualifiers for Ultraman World Championships
Ultraman World Championships
held on the big island of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

weekend at the end of November; Started in 1983.
Ultraman Florida
held in the central region of the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

; Started in 2014. *Ultraman Canada, held in Penticton, British Columbia, started in July 201
(course records)
*Ultraman Arizona, held in Phoenix; starts in March 2022 (original date of March 2020 postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

Gallery

File:UltramanJB SwimPier 99 2011.jpg, Swim escorts prior to Stage One 6.2 mile swim at Kaiakeakua Beach File:Ultraman stage3 brazilian 2011 ©rick.kent.jpg, The Stage Three 52.4 miles is mostly run on the Queen Kaahumanu "Queen K" Highway which must be completed in under 12 hours File:2010.ultraman swimmer.paddler ©.rick.kent.jpg, Swimmer with required escort File:Alexandre.Ribeiro red.road UMWC 2011.jpg, Frontrunners of Stage Two 171 mile bike followed by a media vehicle along the Red Road File:UltramanJB Stage3 33 run.circle.jpg, Participants gather in a circle with support crews and staff in an outer circle before 52.4 mile run File:2011Ultraman jane.sheryl.ruth.dave.jpg, Ruth Wildman, Ultra Momma Jane Bockus, Race Directors Sheryl Cobb and Dave Cobb File:Ultraman run.finish old.airport Rick©Kent.jpg, Final stretch of 52.4 mile run at the old airport. Participants frequently complete the journey with family, friends, and support crew File:Great Finish at Ultraman World Championship 2011 Andrés Traslosheros.jpg, The energy of finishing an Ultraman File:Ultraman flowers run.finish 2011 Rick©Kent.jpg, Finishers are awarded a lei from Jane Bockus File:Ultraman finish family 2011 Rick©Kent.jpg, Some participants use family members for support crew adding to the ohana

References

External links