Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen & the Greatest Race Ever Run, by Matt Fitzgerald
In 1989, Ironman Triathlon experienced another of its periodic epic legendary events which have crystallized the brand. The two greatest long distance triathletes of the 20th century, Dave Scott and Mark Allen, raced next to each other for over 8 hours, with the race decided by an Allen surge with less than two miles to go on the marathon. Matt Fitzgerald uses this battle to deliver a dual biography, as well as provide some background science.
From 1980 through 1987, Dave Scott was unbeatable on Hawaii in the Ironman, winning six times while bringing his times down from 9 hours, 24 minutes to 8:28 (the first race had been won in 11:46 in 1978.) There was no road map, no training plan, no precedent for what he did. Along with two other Scotts (Tinley and Molina), he basically invented Ironman as an athletic competition. Since his personality and athletic background revolved around pushing himself as hard as he could for as long as he could, every day, that’s what evolved as the sport’s template for success and training.
Then along came Mark Allen, who started winning every triathlon in sight, at every distance. Except Ironman. From 1982 though 88, he suffered through a series of failures to finish, collapses after leading, and disappointing finishes. He was a gifted athlete, but was could not unlock the door to winning on the Big Island.
By 1989, Scott, though on a seeming downward slope at age 35, came to the island in the best shape of his life. He was convinced he could shave 15-20 minutes off his overall time. His basic strategy for the race, like his training, was just to go full throttle the whole way, and dare anyone to stay with him.
Allen had been plowing through various training strategies, which enabled him to win at shorter distances, and even some longer races. But the unique combination of environmental challenges on Hawaii – wind, heat, humidity – and the peculiar length of the race itself had laid bare a fundamental fear of success which had dogged him his whole life.
Fitzgerald takes us through the race during the course of the book, stopping along the way to introduce us first to Scott, then Allen. We learn about their thoughts, their quirks, and what others had to say about these two founding fathers of our sport. In addition, Fitzgerald calls on 3 scientists and a shaman to educate us about triathlon as a pain community, the links between muscle physiology and the mind’s efforts to control it, and finally the ultimate mystery of how letting go of the mind is the final path to victory for Allen.
Of the three threads in the book – biography, scientific journalism, and a race report – Fitzgerald does best at digging into the science and relating it to training and racing. This is to be expected, as his career has been as a journalist and author of multiple books on triathlon and run training, as well as how the brain (not the mind) controls and limits physical performance.
The race itself has been documented from all angles, and is not a surprise given its place in triathlon history. But Fitzgerald takes advantage of his close relationship with Bob Babbitt, a tri-junkie and publisher who watched the whole race up close and coined the moniker “Iron War” as the day unfolded. The allows some new insights as to the moment-to-moment unfolding of pacing and strategy, which Fitzgerald links to other racers and their pre and post race comments. So we get a sneak peek inside the minds of a number of competitors as the day goes on, and learn that Ironman racing is not just about going as hard as you can until you collapse.
Fitzgerald seems to lack a bit of a human touch in the biographical sections. This may arise because he did not have direct access to Scott or Allen about the specific of the race and this book. But both men have written a lot, and are public figures who’ve had a lot of ink in the triathlon press over the past 32 years. Fitzgerald draws on these sources, and interviews he’s had not only with both men in the past, but also some of their close associates over the years. However, this is his first foray into extended biography, or into a book this complex, and he tends to simplify things a bit, and can’t seem to draw an in-depth overall picture of either man, letting us do the work to build our own inner picture of who each is.
Even so, this is probably a must read for any serious triathlete, or even for a runner or cyclist, who is seeking insight into how the best have achieved their greatest successes. And for those who relish a gripping human athletic drama, as seen on TV in the Olympics, they won’t be disappointed either.