Marc Herremans (Merksem, 19 December 1973) is a Belgian triathlete and motivational speaker. [1]
Marc Herremans (Merksem, 19 December 1973) is a Belgian triathlete and motivational speaker. [1]
Because of his 4th-place finish in the Ironman of Australia, he secured a place for the 2001 Ironman World Championship held in Hawaii. On 6 October 2001, he finished in 6th place in the Ironman of Hawaii, widely regarded as the toughest triathlon competition in the world. Marc had only been training for triathlons since 1998, and he was considered by his trainers to have an enormous potential. He was expected to compete for one of the top three positions the following year.
Unfortunately, on 28 January 2002, every dream of winning the Ironman was crushed when Marc, during bike training in Lanzarote, fell at a dangerous bend, landed on rocks and broke his back. Marc was immediately brought to a hospital, yet the doctors quickly diagnosed that Marc had suffered total paralysis from his stomach to his feet, and would be forced to live in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Remarkably, only three months after the accident, Marc refused to be discouraged and began training for the Ironman Championship as a wheelchair athlete. In 2002, he was elected by the Belgian press as sports personality of the year. He earned the nickname "Mad Max" due to his determination and unwillingness to give up.
Marc participated in the Ironman of Hawaii in 2002, only 10 months after his accident. He participated again every following year. In 2006, he finally succeeded in his goal: he was the first wheelchair athlete to arrive at the finish of the Ironman of Hawaii (ironically, he didn't receive any prize money, because wheelchair athletes do not receive prizes).
In 2003, he started a foundation called "To Walk Again" that supports other disabled people, with such efforts as creating a sports centre for disabled people, and investing in bone marrow research. Marc was especially inspired when he met disabled celebrity Christopher Reeve. [1]
In October 2007, Herremans became the first person to complete the Crocodile Trophy with a hand bike. The Crocodile Trophy is one of the world's hardest mountain bike races, traversing part of Northern Australia.
Marc Herremans has written a book and helped in the making of a film about his life. The book, the film and Marc's foundation are all titled To Walk Again. The film, directed by Stijn Coninx with a soundtrack provided by Ozark Henry, follows Marc in both his effort to win the Ironman and to help disabled people with their lives, by encouraging them through his To Walk Again Foundation.
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the disciplines included. The word is of Greek origin, from τρεῖς or treis (three) and ἆθλος or athlos (competition).
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a 2.4-mile (3.9 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.2 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile (42.2 km) run completed in that order, a total of 140.6 miles (226.3 km). It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.
Christopher John McCormack, also known as Macca, is an Australian triathlete. McCormack is a two-time winner of the Ironman World Championship, winning the titles in 2007 and 2010. He is also the winner of the 1997 International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup Series, the 1997 Triathlon World Championships, the 2012 Long Distance World Championships. and inducted into the AusTriathlon Hall of Fame for 2023.
Luc Van Lierde is a former athlete from Belgium, who has been competing in triathlon since 1990 and who has been a professional triathlon coach since 2009.
James E. MacLaren was a motivational speaker and author, noted for his record-breaking performances in the marathon and Ironman triathlon after having his left leg amputated below the knee.
Rudy Garcia-Tolson is a Paralympic swimmer, runner and triathlete from the USA.
Christine Ann Wellington is an English former professional triathlete and four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion. She held all three world and championship records relating to ironman-distance triathlon races: firstly, the overall world record, secondly, the Ironman World Championship course record, and thirdly, the official world record for all Ironman-branded triathlon races over the full Ironman distance.
Chris Lieto is a professional triathlete and the winner of the 2006 Ironman Japan, 2005 Ironman Canada, and 2002 Ironman Wisconsin triathlons.
The Ironman World Championship is a triathlon held annually in Hawaii, United States since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. It is owned and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. It is the annual culmination of a series of Ironman triathlon qualification races held throughout the world. As of 2023, Ironman World Championships split between Kona and France, with the men's and women's races rotating years.
Jason P. Lester is an endurance athlete, the author of the book Running on Faith, and the 2009 ESPY Award winner for Best Male Athlete with a Disability. He is the first disabled athlete to complete the Ultraman World Championships. He is the Founder of EPIC5 Challenge, EP1CMAN and The NEVER STOP Foundation est. 2007.
Dave Scott is a U.S. triathlete and the first six-time Ironman Triathlon Hawaii Champion. A progenitor of the sport, in 1993, Scott was the first person ever inducted in the Ironman Hall of Fame. He is known by the nickname "The Man" for his intense training regimens and his unrelenting race performances that created a record number of wins.
The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), established in 1997, assists, supports, and provides opportunity to people with physical challenges, so that they can lead active lifestyles and compete in athletic events. It is founded in the belief that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life. The Foundation does this by providing funding for training, competition, rehabilitation, and equipment for the challenged athletes.
The Ironman Germany is a triathlon race, part of the Ironman series. It is owned and organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). In 2005, Frankfurt became the new site of the Ironman European Championship.
Paul Martin is an American amputee athlete, Paralympian, speaker, and author. Paul is considered one of the foremost amputee triathletes in history and holds or has held several records in various events.
Jim Thijs is a Belgian pro triathlete. At the 2010 Xterra Triathlon World Championships, he finished 10th.
Marino Vanhoenacker is a Belgian triathlete. On 3 July 2011, he set a world best time for Ironman full distance triathlon at the Ironman Triathlon at Klagenfurt in Austria, finishing after 7 hours, 45 minutes and 58 seconds, beating Luc Van Lierde's 1997 time of 7h50m27s. His time was subsequently beaten by Lionel Sanders at Ironman Arizona in 2016; the current world best time is held by Tim Don in a time of 7 hours, 40 minutes and 23 seconds at Ironman Brazil in May 2017.
John Alexander Maclean, OAM is an Australian triathlete, rower, and motivational speaker. A promising rugby league player in his youth, he became a paraplegic after being knocked from his bicycle by a truck in 1988. He subsequently became the first paraplegic to finish the Ironman World Championship and the first to swim the English Channel. Later, he was part of the athletics team at both the Olympics and Paralympics in 2000, and won a silver medal in rowing at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. In 2014, he completed the Nepean Triathlon without using a wheelchair, after regaining some use of his legs through Ware K Tremor therapy. He is the founder of the John Maclean Foundation, which assists wheelchair users under the age of 18. As a motivational speaker, his clients have included eBay and Pfizer.
Mary Beth Ellis is a retired American long-distance triathlete. She holds the record for the fastest iron-distance race by an American woman, set at Ironman Austria in 2011 with a time of 8:43:34. She is the 2015 ITU Long Distance Triathlon champion and has taken second place at both the 2008 and 2009 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. She has been named USA Triathlon's Non-Olympic/ITU Female Athlete of the Year for both 2011 and 2012.
Bill Chaffey is an Australian paratriathlete who won his fifth world championship in 2015. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics when paratriathlon made its debut at the Paralympics.
The 2014 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition that was held on October 11, 2014 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The event was won by Sebastian Kienle of Germany and Australia's Mirinda Carfrae. It was the 38th edition of the Ironman World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and awarded a total purse prize of $650,000.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
