How many Ironmen are there?

Forum guidelines BT super discount
General Discussion Triathlon Talk » How many Ironmen are there? Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply
2008-05-31 6:11 PM

User image

Veteran
405
100100100100
Memphis, TN
Subject: How many Ironmen are there?
Does anyone know if there is a count on how many Ironman finishers their have been since the first race? I know it wouldn't include the non-IM branded events. Just curious.

2008-06-01 4:54 AM
in reply to: #1435614

User image

Expert
1168
10001002525
Lansdale, PA.
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?
Try searching past posts. This was discussed a number of months ago, It's a rather detailed calculation.
If you find out post it, I googled it and found nothing.
2008-06-03 8:12 AM
in reply to: #1436102

User image

Veteran
405
100100100100
Memphis, TN
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?
No luck finding the post.
2008-06-03 9:36 AM
in reply to: #1435614

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.
2008-06-03 10:10 AM
in reply to: #1441132

Champion
10157
500050001002525
Alabama
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?

http://www.doitsports.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000WDQ

 

According to this forum, 500,000 marathons completed per year.  I think IM is less than 1/10 of that.....so maybe 50,000 IMers per year.

Another ball-park is this:

Estimate there are 75 formal Ironman races per year in the US.  Then estimate 2,000 participants and 85% finish rate.  Comes to 127,000 finishers per year.  Hmmm, that sees a little high.

Ever estimate the number of Piano tuners in Chicago? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem

Suprisingly accurate.

So I stand by my estimate of between 50k and 127k finisher per year.

~Mike

2008-06-03 10:46 AM
in reply to: #1441249

Master
1967
10005001001001001002525
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?
Rogillio - 2008-06-03 10:10 AM

http://www.doitsports.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000WDQ

 

According to this forum, 500,000 marathons completed per year.  I think IM is less than 1/10 of that.....so maybe 50,000 IMers per year.

Another ball-park is this:

Estimate there are 75 formal Ironman races per year in the US.  Then estimate 2,000 participants and 85% finish rate.  Comes to 127,000 finishers per year.  Hmmm, that sees a little high.

Ever estimate the number of Piano tuners in Chicago? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem

Suprisingly accurate.

So I stand by my estimate of between 50k and 127k finisher per year.

~Mike



75 per year? That seems really really high.

2008-06-03 10:50 AM
in reply to: #1441249

over a barrier
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?
Rogillio - 2008-06-03 10:10 AM

http://www.doitsports.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000WDQ

 

According to this forum, 500,000 marathons completed per year.  I think IM is less than 1/10 of that.....so maybe 50,000 IMers per year.

Another ball-park is this:

Estimate there are 75 formal Ironman races per year in the US.  Then estimate 2,000 participants and 85% finish rate.  Comes to 127,000 finishers per year.  Hmmm, that sees a little high.

Ever estimate the number of Piano tuners in Chicago? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_problem

Suprisingly accurate.

So I stand by my estimate of between 50k and 127k finisher per year.

~Mike



Only the IM branded races hold 2000 of us, most are in the 500 and under ballpark.
2008-06-03 11:21 AM
in reply to: #1435614

Cycling Guru
15134
50005000500010025
Fulton, MD
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?
And then factor in that less than 1/2 of those that enter are first timers ..... the rest are the idiots who can't seem to get enough abuse and come back for more ....
2008-06-03 5:23 PM
in reply to: #1441557

Champion
5615
5000500100
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?

Daremo - 2008-06-03 12:21 PM And then factor in that less than 1/2 of those that enter are first timers ..... the rest are the idiots who can't seem to get enough abuse and come back for more ....

Or the surprisingly more idiotic that do it more than once per year.  (Aaron.  I'm looking in your di-rec-tion...) 

2008-06-03 6:38 PM
in reply to: #1435614

Champion
10157
500050001002525
Alabama
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?

OK, the OP asked for the number of finishers since the firrt IM.  Here is my estimate:

75 is probably too high for the number of races.  With the exception of CA and maybe TX, assume not more than one IM per state.  Let's say 35 of the 50 states host an IM event.

Let's say 1/2 of those are M-dot and hold 2000 = 35,000 and 1/2 hold only 500 so another 9,000. 
 
Total 44,000.
 
Now lets say 1978 till 2008 = 30 years.
   
Let's say IM events grew linearly from 1 participant in 1978 to 44,000 in 2008.
  
OK, need Excel now....
19781
19791334
19802668
19814001
19825334
19836668
19848001
19859334
198610668
198712001
198813334
198914668
199016001
199117334
199218668
199320001
199421334
199522668
199624001
199725334
199826668
199928001
200029334
200130668
200232001
200333334
200434668
200536001
200637334
200738668
200840001
Total:620031
% Finishers85%
527026
Repeat Offenders = 30%70%
Grand Total:368,918


Edited by Rogillio 2008-06-03 6:42 PM
2008-06-03 7:27 PM
in reply to: #1442958

Master
2014
2000
Ohio
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?
Rogillio - 2008-06-03 7:38 PM

OK, the OP asked for the number of finishers since the firrt IM.  Here is my estimate:

75 is probably too high for the number of races.  With the exception of CA and maybe TX, assume not more than one IM per state.  Let's say 35 of the 50 states host an IM event.

Let's say 1/2 of those are M-dot and hold 2000 = 35,000 and 1/2 hold only 500 so another 9,000. 
 
Total 44,000.
 
Now lets say 1978 till 2008 = 30 years.
   
Let's say IM events grew linearly from 1 participant in 1978 to 44,000 in 2008.
  
OK, need Excel now....
19781
19791334
19802668
19814001
19825334
19836668
19848001
19859334
198610668
198712001
198813334
198914668
199016001
199117334
199218668
199320001
199421334
199522668
199624001
199725334
199826668
199928001
200029334
200130668
200232001
200333334
200434668
200536001
200637334
200738668
200840001
Total:620031
% Finishers85%
527026
Repeat Offenders = 30%70%
Grand Total:368,918

This makes my head hurt.

2008-06-03 7:49 PM
in reply to: #1435614

Champion
19812
50005000500020002000500100100100
MA
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?

MDot races in US

AZ
Lake Placid
CDA
WI
KY
FL
Kona

Am I missing any? 

IM Canada 

 No where near half the States having MDot races.

7 in NA w/o including Kona since most folks qualify to get there. So 7 races x 2500 of which about 50% are first timers. So 1200x7= 8400 new Ironman per year in north American M Dot races. 

I think in US there are about 5-7 other IM distance races that are not M Dot races...


 

2008-06-03 8:21 PM
in reply to: #1443133

Champion
10157
500050001002525
Alabama
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?
KathyG - 2008-06-03 7:49 PM

MDot races in US

AZ
Lake Placid
CDA
WI
KY
FL
Kona

Am I missing any? 

IM Canada 

 No where near half the States having MDot races.

7 in NA w/o including Kona since most folks qualify to get there. So 7 races x 2500 of which about 50% are first timers. So 1200x7= 8400 new Ironman per year in north American M Dot races. 

I think in US there are about 5-7 other IM distance races that are not M Dot races...


 

 

OK, so this will reduce my starting number by about 75%.

 

So this would yield a new estimated grand total of 369,000 x .25

Well, let's just call it an even 100,000.

Considering that is spread over 30 years, that is not many!

~Mike

2008-06-03 10:08 PM
in reply to: #1442836

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.
2008-06-03 10:17 PM
in reply to: #1443459

Champion
8540
50002000100050025
the colony texas
Subject: RE: How many Ironmen are there?

just one ,, the original ..

 

 

New Thread
General Discussion Triathlon Talk » How many Ironmen are there? Rss Feed