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To anybody who has completed an Ironman (or half Ironman, for that matter), I salute you.

Let these distances sink in for a moment: a 3,86-kilometre swim, a 180,25-kilometre bicycle ride, and a 42,2-kilometre marathon stuck on the end.

It really is a superhuman feat, and one that pushes the body to its very limits.

Nobody knows that better than Julie Moss, whose 1982 Ironman Triathlon finish is the stuff of legend.

The fourth ever Ironman Triathlon took place in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and it was still an event without massive international interest, despite being televised in the US.

Moss decided to take part after watching the 1981 event, which took place along the same route, saying she found the location “idyllic”.

She was also writing a thesis on the physiological effects of the event, so what better way to find out than tackling the beast herself?

Quite incredibly, she was the leading female competitor at the end of the second leg, reports the Telegraph:

In her haste, when swapping her cycling gear for running kit, she broke the clasp of her bra and had to persuade a volunteer to hand hers over. She set off with a 20-minute lead over Kathleen McCartney and seemingly maintained good progress for almost 26 miles.

Had she paid more attention to nutrition, it is likely neither she nor the event would have so quickly earned their fame. The Snickers bar she had stashed for the cycling had melted by the time she needed it and she managed to take on board only fruit.

With around 400 metres to go until the finish line, Moss’ legs ceased to function, and viewers were treated to one of the most dramatic, gut-wrenching finishes ever seen on television.

After falling to the ground on three separate occasions, Moss leopard-crawled over the line:

Yes, she did lose to McCartney, but she cemented her place in Ironman history:

When ABC broadcast the race, it overlaid the commentary and footage with the plaintive flute of Tim Weisberg’s maudlin Dion Blue as her distress played out in real time slow motion, in a cinematic montage that looks like the death of Sgt Elias in Platoon.

The drama helped to turn the Ironman Triathlon from a niche pursuit into a global phenomenon and applications to take part soared in 1983.

Moss was feted, turned pro and appeared on prime-time shows including Battle of the Superstars before retiring in 1993.

In 2018, Moss relived the final moments of that race, and the battle that was going on in her mind:

To wrap things up nicely, when Moss returned to compete in various veteran categories after a long absence, McCartney, who pipped her to victory all those years ago, was her training partner.

Oh, by the way, you’ve heard of the Enduroman, right? Absolute insanity.

[source:telegraph]