16/06/2026
Hiromu Inada's first Ironman attempt at 76 ended in disappointment when the clock beat him. Many might have considered this a suitable point to stop. However, Inada, who took up swimming after retiring from a television career and turned to triathlon in his later years despite losing his wife, chose to push forward. He approached a group of professional athletes and Olympians, becoming the oldest participant by a significant margin. The outcome was one of the most remarkable feats in endurance sports: at 85, Inada finished the Ironman World Championship in Kona, completing the 140.6-mile triathlon in just under 17 hours, a record for the oldest competitor. Now 92, Inada remains committed to competing in triathlons. His rationale is straightforward: the Ironman rewards seniors precisely because it demands a quality that doesn't decline with age—refusing to quit.
