Competitors may choose one of two ways to mete out their self-flagellation: do one Ironman-length triathlon a day for five days, abiding by a 17-hour cutoff, or do all of it continuously — a 12-mile swim, followed by a 560-mile bike ride and a 131-mile run — stretched out over five and a half days, broken up however you wish.
The one-by-five variant means you can get a longish night’s sleep, but you have to get up for a 7 a.m. start every day — a fitness nut’s “Groundhog Day.”
Insanity. I compare this to people who have a few tattoos to people who do a complete body modification and turn themselves into a lizard. Also, the people who complete these must be insufferable at parties. “Don’t even ask Jim how’s he’s doing. He’ll just complain about how hard is life is preparing for the next race”