On Oahu, Hawaii, in 1978, Gordon Haller competed in an inaugural race created by Navy Commander John and Judy Collins, which combined the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles; originally a two-day event) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). Of the 15 competitors, 12 finished what today we call the Ironman, and Gordon Haller was the first champion. Nearly 30 years later, Haller came on The Competitors Radio Show with Bob Babbitt and Paul Huddle (www.competitorradio.com) to talk about that first race and the progress of the sport.
Photo: Tim Carlson and Peter Read Miller

Bob Babbitt: How did you hear about this crazy thing called Ironman?

Gordon Haller: I heard about it at the 1977 Honolulu Marathon. I had just come back from running the Marine Corps Marathon, where I had run my PR (2:27:35). I was always this close to making the Olympic trials with, but every time I’d get faster they’d move the qualifying time faster. I ran a little ways with some friends and ended up dropping out of the race because I had a bad Achilles tendon problem and my sciatica was acting up. I was standing on the sidelines waiting for a friend of mine to finish. I ran the last couple miles with him, because he was going a lot slower by then, and he happened to mention the Ironman. I thought, ‘hey, that’s something I could do, because I did workouts of that magnitude all the time.’

Paul Huddle: You did workouts of that magnitude all the time? What were you doing for work?

GH: At the time of the first Ironman, I was driving a taxi and doing a couple of other part-time things, basically bumming around.

BB: So you weren’t intimidated by the distances?

GH: Not really. I had real bad tendonitis so I didn’t even run the last six weeks before the first Ironman. But I was riding 300-400 miles a week and swimming once a week — just for the fun of it — and working out at Nautilus. That was it.

PH: Who looked to be competitive with you?

GH: Well, John Dunbar basically. I knew him personally. He had run a 2:39 marathon. I knew he was the second-fastest marathoner in the field. I figured I was probably the fastest biker and the fastest runner, but he was the fastest swimmer.

PH: I can’t even imagine Ironman without aid stations. How did you manage to get through the race?

GH: I had a friend who totally organized everything for me. I had two follow vehicles. His then-fiancé was baking cookies for me, and she was the official photographer of my “team.” I had people pacing me at the end… We had different rules back then. I had one guy running on one side of me carrying a bottle of water and one guy running on the other side of me carrying some de-fizzed Coke, which I really don’t like. I’d rather have had the fizz in it at that point. I was just so energized once I passed John Dunbar that I ran the last 5.2 miles in 31 minutes.

BB: Have you heard the story that Dunbar ran out of water and had to drink beer?

GH: I  think he may have just been hallucinating already and didn’t know if it was beer or not. I can’t imagine someone giving him beer on purpose.

PH: Do you remember passing him?

GH: Actually, I caught him several times during the run. I was 20 minutes behind him after the swim and 12 minutes behind him after the bike. It took me to the 15-mile mark of the run when I first saw him. I caught him four or five times at miles 18, 20 and 21. Usually, what I’d do is I’d catch up to him, and then I’d have to stop for one reason or another. I’d have to go to the bathroom or I’d get a cramp and I’d have to have the guy massage it out of me. Then I’d catch back up with Dunbar. I figured if I kept catching him, I must be faster than he is. Once I finally passed him at mile 21, I saw how bad he looked. I felt really good at that point — both psychologically and physically — which surprised me. I just ran to the end.

BB: How much did you know about nutrition?

GH: I knew quite a bit about it because I had been keeping track of virtually everything I ate  or drank for several years up to that point. Actually, I have a degree in physics, but I spent a lot of time studying exercise physiology and taking extra P.E. classes. In fact, everyone at school thought I was a P.E. major because I was down at the gym so much.

PH: Did you think Ironman was going to become the sport it is today?

GH: I thought it should’ve been a sport, and it was perfect for me. I went into the second Ironman with the idea that I would be even better than I was the first time. Unfortunately, I came down with a sinus infection a couple weeks before.

BB: Are you amazed at where the sport has come in 30 years?

GH: Yes, I am. Part of it is because I wasn’t paying attention for a couple years. The number of people who are aware of the Ironman now is certainly different. The people who knew about it the first couple of years were basically the corps of runners in Hawaii.

PH: How weird was it going back and racing in 1998?

GH: I’m not sure I would call it weird. It was really pretty exciting and quite an honor to be one of the people who had won it. [The race organizers] had a tent for signing autographs, and I’m next to Luc Van Lierde. Then I’m riding on the float with Scott Tinley, the Puntous twins, Scott Molina and Tom Warren. I’m like, ‘Wow. This is fantastic.’ Then we get a picture at the end, and I’m with Karen Smyers and Heather Fuhr. I’m like, ‘Whoa! These are the guys you read about. And I’m one of them.’ It’s just an amazing experience. I wouldn’t say it was weird, but it’s certainly something I didn’t expect to have happen way back in the beginning.

To hear the entire interview visit www.competitorradio.com.