Photo: BMW
The living legend, Alex Zanardi mastered his first ever triathlon on Saturday in Hawaii. The BMW Brand Ambassador and works driver not only managed to finish, but he did so close to the top 10 percent of all contestants.
Considering the fact that the 47-year old Italian completed the three stages of the competition that covered the overall distance of 226.255 kilometers (140 miles) using solely the power of his hands, that is more than an impressive feat. Alex also crossed the finish line after 9:47:14 hours, being ranked 272nd out of 2,187 athletes from around the world.
This was the champion’s first such endeavor, a triathlon basically being another item to cross off his to-do list after winning two gold medals at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. However, because Zanardi can’t make use of his legs anymore (that he lost in a terrible crash in 2001) he had to cover the entire distance using only his arms.
He had to swim 3.86 km (2.4 miles) in the open ocean (using a special vest that would help him float), cycle using his hand bike for 180.2 km (112 miles). Finally, the athlete covered a full marathon of 42.195 km (26.2 miles) using an Olympic wheelchair.
“It is fantastic, and I will treasure this day in my heart for the rest of my life. I am very proud of my result. Can you believe that my first ever triathlon was Kona? It is like if you say ‘Okay I like cars, I think I am going to do a race, and I was thinking of the Monza Formula One GP.’ It will not work that way, but I am here, I just completed the most famous triathlon – and pretty well, I should also say,” the BMW Brand Ambassador explained after crossing the finish line in Kona.
“The last 300 meters were worth everything, they were worth being here for. I don’t know if everybody got cheered the same way, but when I passed down that narrow lane I have never experienced anything like that. It was amazing. I was always close to crying. I am not an emotional guy for these types of things, but this was very special,” he said referring to the cheers and applause he received when entering the finishing straight.
Congratulations aren’t enough for this wonderful man and his performance. Sure, according to his own words, it wasn’t easy and he even goes as far as to describe the whole thing as ‘a never ending story’ but in the end, the fact that he got close to the top 10 percent of the contenders and that he did so only with the strength of his arms, with no legs, speaks plenty of his dedication and ambition.
This was the champion’s first such endeavor, a triathlon basically being another item to cross off his to-do list after winning two gold medals at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. However, because Zanardi can’t make use of his legs anymore (that he lost in a terrible crash in 2001) he had to cover the entire distance using only his arms.
He had to swim 3.86 km (2.4 miles) in the open ocean (using a special vest that would help him float), cycle using his hand bike for 180.2 km (112 miles). Finally, the athlete covered a full marathon of 42.195 km (26.2 miles) using an Olympic wheelchair.
The Italian champion crossed the finish line 19th in his age group
The result he posted might seem unimpressive at first but putting things in perspective may want to make you reconsider. Furthermore, in his age group (men between 45 and 49-years-old) he finished 19th out of 247.“It is fantastic, and I will treasure this day in my heart for the rest of my life. I am very proud of my result. Can you believe that my first ever triathlon was Kona? It is like if you say ‘Okay I like cars, I think I am going to do a race, and I was thinking of the Monza Formula One GP.’ It will not work that way, but I am here, I just completed the most famous triathlon – and pretty well, I should also say,” the BMW Brand Ambassador explained after crossing the finish line in Kona.
“The last 300 meters were worth everything, they were worth being here for. I don’t know if everybody got cheered the same way, but when I passed down that narrow lane I have never experienced anything like that. It was amazing. I was always close to crying. I am not an emotional guy for these types of things, but this was very special,” he said referring to the cheers and applause he received when entering the finishing straight.
Congratulations aren’t enough for this wonderful man and his performance. Sure, according to his own words, it wasn’t easy and he even goes as far as to describe the whole thing as ‘a never ending story’ but in the end, the fact that he got close to the top 10 percent of the contenders and that he did so only with the strength of his arms, with no legs, speaks plenty of his dedication and ambition.
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