The power of ironman triathlon to shape identity
- danielherron
- Oct 20
- 7 min read
IronMan is fundamentally about identity formation.
2.4 mile swim + 112 mile bike + 26.2 run = finish.
1986. My family had just gotten our first color TV. So, the old black & white Zenith landed in my room. It was a Sunday afternoon, and I was building Legos with ABC’s Wide World of Sports on in the background. Triathletes from around the world were racing in Kona, and I was mystified.
I don’t know what drew me in then, but I know what draws me now:
The integration of tech and human to move faster in each discipline.
The requirement to be an all-around athlete, training to excel in multiple disciplines.
The calling of the individual to push past his or her limits— physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.
The camaraderie of being in a community of fellow sufferers who are all seeking the same goal—persevering to glory.
Maybe that glory is a sub-12 hour finish, or a top age-group finish, or just to finish within the 17-hour cutoff. Each athlete has their own mountain to climb, their own horizon to stretch for.
And, I love every bit of it.
I competed in my first full IM rather late— 2019, at the age of 43. Since then, I’ve trained for 4 more full IMs, completing 3 of them (having to pull out with an injury 2-weeks pre-race in 2023). This past Sunday I finished my 4th IronMan 70.3 in Frankfort, Michigan alongside 2 great friends. Once again, I was reminded of the formational aspect of the IronMan quest, and could truly write an entire book on my reflections with this.
Ironman Triathlon:
Discipline & Ritual
Months of planning, harmonization of training/work/relationships, following structured training in swimming, cycling, running, strength, mobility, nutrition, hydration, recovery, and sleep. This isn’t just about getting after it. This is about creating rituals, a way of life, where there are no other choices but to get after it— day after day.
The difference between habit and ritual is that ritual isn’t just about what you do, it’s about who you are.
Ironman Triathlon:
Suffering & Fortitude
Pain, fatigue, heat, discomfort. Repeat.
Finding your limits physically, emotionally, mentally, and then nudging those boundaries out incrementally with each session and each training cycle until you find how far out those limits can go.
In my race this past Sunday as I was just wanting the swim to be over, I told myself, “If there’s one thing you can do well, Dan, it’s suffering. You can suffer well.” This only comes from spending time in that Pain Valley again and again and again, until you have experience-based confidence that you can indeed bear up.
Ironman Triathlon:
Purpose & Character
At mile 22 of the marathon when your hamstrings cramp, there’s blazing pain with each footfall, and you’re weary of just breathing, you’ve got to know your purpose AND have the conviction of character to keep going because quitting is just too easy.
Quitting and persevering will both bring pain, so you might as well keep going.
Yet, at the depth of suffering the things that are really going to propel you aren’t the poster platitudes (“pain is just weakness leaving the body”, etc.), or the surfacey extrinsic stuff (getting that medal).
In pain, unstoppable forward movement comes only from the stuff down deep: gratitude, hope, courage, faith, redemption, love. This is the solid stuff.
This is the stuff that, after you discover it, you realize forms the deep footings and foundation not just for your sport, but for all of your life.
Ironman Triathlon:
Glory
That’s right, glory. Our desire for, and pursuit of this is a vital aspect of being human. We can be tempted to see this as selfish because we can view this as asserting self over and above everyone else. But, there’s everything right with a pure desire for glory because we were all made to be of the utmost value and have the highest sense of mattering. This doesn’t just elevate the self over others, rather this exalts every human to their rightful place of greatness. We just need some desire, goal, or challenge in our lives to reveal this.
Theologians in my faith tradition have called this drive an “echo” of our original design to be “image bearers” of our creator. We desire to experience a “weightiness” to our lives, a “mattering” (the Hebrew word for glory, “ka-vod”, can also be translated “weight”).
Professor Martin Seligman of UPenn has even modified his “Positive Psychology” paradigm to take this drive into account by shifting the “Meaning” component of his PERMA acronym to that of “Mattering”.
You matter, have weight, and are inherently glorious— you just need to experience something in your life that removes all the other “unweighty” stuff so you can see that possibility of glory more clearly and take steps to become what you were meant to be.
Suffering tears away that light stuff, and leaves behind the heavy, mattering, solid stuff of your life. This core is the place to begin your exploration of glory.
In pain, unstoppable forward movement comes only from the stuff down deep: gratitude, hope, courage, faith, redemption, love. This is the solid stuff.
Crossing the Finish Line
I’m not saying that crossing an IronMan triathlon finish line is the solution to all of this.
But, it’s one of many options for a here-and-now hors d’oevures of the reality of that spiritual feast you were made to strive for alongside other mattering ones. IronMan is a pointer.
Everyone needs to experience the finish line of a full IronMan at least once. Seeing it, and being a spectator is incredible. But, being the one running through that shoot of roaring people pounding on the barriers adorned with the red and black IronMan M-Dot, to have that red carpet under your exhausted feet, to be inexorably drawn to that black finish archway, to be emptied, seeing your name flash on screen, and hearing your name singled out, shouted out, and attached to that pinnacle of glory—
“Daniel Herron… You. Are. An. IronMan!”
There is nothing else I’ve experienced in this world like it.
This declaration of glory is why many of us finishers end the race in tears.
And, here’s the point, the secret of IronMan, and the power of any great brand— finishing isn’t just something you DO, it is WHO YOU ARE. It’s why we get the tattoo.
It’s not doing the thing that matters, it’s becoming the glory it represents that matters.
The power isn’t in the purchase or the potential benefits of a product.
The power is in the identity it serves to form.
To be a great manager, leader, company, or organization is to shape and situate yourself to help people to that end— one of mattering, glory, identity. It’s tapping into the deeper stuff that develops innovative employees, trusting clients, and loyal spokespeople for your brand.
But, many of our leaders and organizations never fully get there because we haven’t gone through the formation process ourselves. We haven’t strengthened the muscle that gets us to persevere to the deeper stuff.
Our values are merely poster platitudes rather than actionable and measurable identity markers.
Our purpose is merely a forgettable meme rather than an indelible north star directing every initiative.
Our culture is unintentional and unfocused rather than a well-designed energy-generating positive force for trust and innovation.
And, we lack holistic vitality in our physical fitness, emotional wellness, mental focus, spiritual depth, relational health, and formational impact leaving us to lead our professional and personal lives from an empty tank with little space to breathe.
We can be like that kid watching the race on ABC and playing Legos, thinking this gives us the deep knowledge of what it’s really like, and mistakenly assuming we’re now qualified to compete ourselves.
But, to get out and compete, you’ve got to be on the formational path yourself.
It’s not doing the thing that matters, it’s becoming the glory it represents that matters.Some next steps to consider. Grab a notebook, and free-write. Meaning, don't restrain your thoughts with what you should think, what's "realistic", or staying at the surface because it takes too much energy to dig. Invest yourself in answering:
What do you really value? Make a list. Start with the extrinsic stuff.
From that starting point of professional success, family success, etc. spiral down and get to the values beneath the values. Why do you want a sweet car-- simply because you like going fast, or because you desire admiration, or adventure, or breaking the mold of a "safe" guy? What's the value driving the desire? Act like a 4-year old and incessantly ask yourself, "But, WHY?"
Then, consider: are these good desires? Are they weighty? Do they serve others, advance a cause that matters, and bring benefit to our world? What is that collection of desires that do have enough weight to form the foundation of an identity that matters? Jot these down.
Summarize 3-5 solid values and 1 core purpose for the mattering life you’re beginning to see.
Describe what those desires beneath the desires look like, concretely. What would your day look like in terms of work, play, self-care, others-care, enjoying relationships, learning, fitness, and rest if you lived out of this purpose and these values consistently?
Describe the gap between this mattering life and where you’re currently at.
What is only 1 thing you could implement today to change/add/remove/begin/stop in order to help move your formational progress forward?
What help do you need? Who can you ask to encourage your formational process?
Connect with me a connect@strive.fit if you’d like a personal conversation partner or a resource to inspire and guide your organization.
Daniel Herron is the founder of Strive Performance, an Indianapolis-based consulting and coaching firm specializing in leadership formation, organizational culture, team wellness, and whole-life integrated wellness coaching. To learn more about Strive Performance's assessment and coaching process, get in touch. We’d love to listen.
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