After 140.6 miles on his home course, José Graca reached the world championship podium by 19 seconds

The last mile of the Ironman World Championship runs into Kailua-Kona, on Hawaii’s Big Island. On Saturday José Graca ran it with another man at his shoulder, after more than nine hours of racing.

Graca, 51, lives in Kona. He was born in Brazil and races for it. He crossed the line in 9 hours, 20 minutes and 7 seconds, according to the Ironman tracker, third of 246 men in the 50 to 54 age group. Lino Barruncho of Portugal was fourth, 19 seconds behind.

“The guy behind me was like two seconds behind. The last mile was neck and neck.” — José Graca, speaking to Big Island Now

He told the paper he felt “amazing”. It was not his first time near the front: he was second in his age group at the 2024 world championship, Big Island Now reported.

What the day involves

An Ironman is a 3.8 km (2.4 mile) swim, a 180 km (112 mile) bike ride and a marathon, 42.2 km (26.2 miles), one after the other. Added together that is 140.6 miles, or about 226 km.

This year’s start list had 2,548 athletes from 85 countries, regions and territories, Triathlon Today reported from the official figures. The average age was 46. The biggest men’s age group was not one of the young ones: it was 55 to 59, with 276 athletes.

Graca was one of five men from the Big Island to finish. Keish Doi, 59, also of Kona, came in at 11 hours, 50 minutes, 121st of 242 in the 55 to 59 group. “I think the bike was windier than before,” Doi told Big Island Now. He said finishing later in the day had one consolation: “it also cools down a bit so that’s great.”

Why this matters

The race on the island is the far end of something that starts with three ordinary sports. The NHS (the UK health service) recommends 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, or 150 minutes of moderate activity, plus strengthening on at least two days. The CDC, the US public health agency, gives the same weekly figures. Running, swimming and riding a bike fast or on hills are all on the NHS’s list of vigorous activities.

Triathlon spreads the hours across three sports, so a week can mix them. And a race you go back to gives you an honest measure: same course, same distance, a time to compare with your own last one. Graca knows this course, and has been near the front of his group before.

Getting started, or going further

• New to it: one swim, one ride and one run a week is a triathlon training week. Look for a “sprint” or “novice” triathlon near you: the shortest races, often with the swim in a pool.
• Already doing one sport: add the other two at an easy pace before you add distance in any of them.
• Already racing: the step from a half to a full distance is mostly the long ride. Build it before anything else.
• Check with your GP (family doctor) first if you have a heart condition or have not exercised hard for a while. Chest pain that spreads or does not ease, severe breathlessness or fainting means stop and call 999 (911 in the US).

For an earlier Kona story, read about Natalie Grabow, who learned to swim as an adult. For the bike part on a much larger scale, read about Craig Johnston’s ride across Australia.