Hiromu Inada, aged 87, has won a Guinness World Record for being the oldest person to complete the Ironman World Championship. Hiromu was 85-years and 328 days old when he ran the 2018 Ironman in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on 13 October 2018.
The Ironman course consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 run. Hiromu, originally from Japan, completed the race in 16 hours, 53 minutes and 49 seconds.
Speaking to Japan Times after the race, Hiromu said, "It’s an extremely tough race for an old man like me. But there’s a part of me that wants to challenge myself and see how long I can keep competing. And if there are people rooting for me, then I think it’s my obligation to meet their expectations."
Hiromu, who is a retired TV reporter, has taken part in his age group race at the annual World Championships for the past eight years. He has completed the race three times, setting a record for the oldest finisher in 2016, before rewriting it in 2018.
In a further statement to the Japan Triathlon Union last week, Hiromu said, "I think I was only able to finish the race because of the support from all over the world. I don’t think about the limit of 'how old'." His coach, Kiyomi Niwata, said "I hope [he] will continue to play an active role in the next category (90 years and over)."
