Abstract
The inaugural Ironman® triathlon was held in Hawaii in 1978. From the initial event with 14 participants, Ironman® triathlons are now hugely popular, global sporting events in which both elite and non-elite triathletes participate. Following Foucault’s genealogical approach, in this paper, I consider what combination of material and discursive factors or conditions may account for the creation of the Ironman® and its growth over the last 35 years. Based on the analysis of qualitative materials including television broadcasts, multi-sport magazines, and popular texts, my central argument is that the feminist movements and related anti-feminist backlash of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, along with the development of an obesity discourse within neoliberal forms of governance, all contributed to the growth and popularity of the event and what is now a significant amount of cultural capital connected to the title of Ironman®.
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