An 80-year-old man has miraculously finished the 140 mile (226 km) Ironman Asia-Pacific event in northeastern Australia after 16 hours of brutal racing. George Hulse, 80, was applauded by astounded fans lining the final run into the finish line over the weekend as he finished last place in the event, a nevertheless admirable effort given his age.
He swam 2.4 miles in one hour, 30 minutes and 44 seconds, before cycling 112 miles in seven hours, 47 minutes and nine seconds, and then finishing with a six hour, 38 minute and 49 second marathon.
Ironman fans and supporters of Mr Hulse cheered as the 80-year-old ran the final stretch to the finish line.
A huge round of applause encouraged him through his final stint as people offered their hands to the brave pensioner.
As Mr Hulse concluded his more than 16-and-a-half hour Ironman, he was quickly given a wheelchair to rest his legs.
The event took place in Cairns, Queensland, a northeastern coastal city in Australia.
The official Ironman Instagram page posted a video of Mr Hulse finishing the race. They captioned the footage: “Our final finisher and our final competitor, at 80 years of age, George – YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!”
Blown away by his herculean effort, social media users hailed the old man as an “inspiration” to those considering taking on the mammoth race.
One person said: “What a legend. Give that bloke the biggest medal and a standing ovation at the presentation ceremony. Honestly. What a remarkable man.”
Another said: “There is no one quite like George. He has been an inspiration to others for decades.”
READ MORE: Gareth Thomas husband: Is he married? Emotional moment after Ironman [INSIGHT]
Incredibly, Mr Hulse is not even the oldest person to complete an Ironman race in the last year, nor is he the fastest in his 80-84 age group.
Warren Hill, from New Zealand, finished the 2022 IRONMAN World Championship in 16 hours, 16 minutes and 25 seconds at 82 years of age. That was good enough only for second place.
And Hiromu Inada, 87, who already has a certificate on his wall that confirms his status as the world’s oldest Ironman, said in 2020 that he planned to continue competing into his 90s.
In 2018 at the age of 85 years and 328 days, Mr Inada went to Kailua-Kona in Hawaii and set a new mark for the oldest person to complete the world championship Ironman.
