On his sixth try, Chris McCormack finally achieved the only triathlon victory that had eluded him.
McCormack, an Australian who had won nearly every other triathlon, came from behind to win the Ironman Triathlon World Championship with a strong marathon on Saturday. His winning time for the 226km swim-bike-run endurance test was 8 hours, 15 minutes and 34 seconds.
"Winning here became my project and my life," said McCormack, a 34-year-old from Sydney who placed second last year. "I finally got the monkey off my back."
"I have dreamed of this day for 20 years," he said, adding that he was "so humbled" to join the ranks of the previous winners.
Ironman triathlons are held throughout the world but the Hawaii race is considered the most prestigious. Many say it is also the most challenging.
The first Ironman was held in Honolulu in 1978, when Navy officers decided to plunge into the ocean for the Waikiki rough water swim, bike the around-Oahu bicycle race, and run the Honolulu marathon course -- all in one day.
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