Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen, & the Greatest Race Ever Run

by Matt Fitzgerald , Bob Babbitt

Overview 

The 1989 Ironman® World Championship was the greatest race ever in endurance sports. In a spectacular duel that became known as the Iron War, the world's two strongest athletes raced side by side at world-record pace for a grueling 139 miles.

Driven by one of the fiercest rivalries in sport, Dave Scott and Mark Allen raced shoulder to shoulder through Ironman’s 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race, and 26.2-mile marathon. After 8 punishing hours, both men would demolish the previous record—and cross the finish line just 58 seconds apart.

In Iron War, sports journalist Matt Fitzgerald writes a riveting epic about how Allen and Scott drove themselves and each other toward the most awe-inspiring race in sports history. Beyond its pulse-pounding race story, Iron War is a fascinating exploration of two men possessed by an unquenchable desire to succeed—one a master of pure will, the other plagued by self-doubt.

Weaving an examination of mental toughness into a gripping tale of athletic adventure, Iron War is a soaring narrative of two champions and the showdown that forced one to master his inner demons and left the other unable to forgive his loss.

Meet The Author 

Matt Fitzgerald, runner, triathlete, and coach, is a former editor and current contributor for Triathlete magazine. He writes articles for such national publications as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Outside, Fitness Runner, and the Runner's World Web site, and serves as managing editor of the sports nutrition Web site, Pioneering Muscles. He is a prolific journalist and an authority on sports nutrition and endurance sports. Since 2005, he has authored 10 books, including Brain Training for Runners and The Runner's Body.

Details 

• Pub. Date: October 2011
• Publisher: VeloPress
• Format: Hardcover , 336pp

Table Of Contents 

1 The Moment

2 A Drop Too Much

3 Get a Grip

4 Pain Community

5 You Again

6 Dig Me Beach

7 Iron Will

8 Shot out of a Cannon

9 Burning Matches

10 Vision Quest

11 Breaking Point

12 The Man’s Search for Meaning

13 Shaman Surfer

Epilogue

Notes

Photo Credits

Course Map

Iron War Timeline

Acknowledgments

About the Author