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Mark Allen
Six-Time Ironman Triathlon World Champion
Mark Allen
Six-Time Ironman Triathlon World Champion
Biography
The Ironman Triathlon held annually in Hawaii is the most difficult one-day sporting event in the world. It starts with a 2.4-mile ocean swim, followed by 112 miles of cycling, and finally finishes with a 26.2-mile marathon. For most of the 1,500 men and women who compete in the Ironman, simply crossing the finish line amounts to a victory.
Mark Allen had a different destiny. His first six attempts—all losses—were casualties of everything from flat tires to internal bleeding. Yet each defeat served to galvanize his commitment to fulfilling his dream of becoming an Ironman champion. Finally, on his seventh attempt, Allen won, beating Dave Scott in triathlon's greatest race ever.
Allen went on to win a total of six Ironman titles in six attempts. His final victory came at the age of 37, making him the oldest champion ever in this incredibly challenging event. Allen completed a 15-year career in the world of elite athletics with a 90 percent top-three finish record, going undefeated in 20 races over a three year span from 1988 to 1990. He was named "Triathlete of the Year" six times and after retiring in 1996 was called "The World's Fittest Man" by Outside magazine.
Today, Allen works for NBC Sports as an expert analyst for each annual Ironman. Previously, he provided commentary at the Sydney Olympics for triathlon's debut at the Games.
The author of two books on lifestyle fitness, he published Workouts for Working People in 2000 and co-authored Fit Body, Fit Soul with Brant Secunda in 2008.
Still living the principles that enabled him to turn adversity into success, Mark Allen was recently awarded the highest ranking any speaker has ever received from Northwestern Financial Network for a keynote address he gave to their advisors.
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The Art of Ironman Success
How can we create certainty in an uncertain environment? How can we learn from our defeats in order to ultimately succeed? Where do we draw strength from when we want to quit?
These were some of the many difficult questions Mark Allen had to answer in his seven-year journey from defeat to ultimate victory at the Hawaiian Ironman. Accompanied by compelling race footage, Allen's presentation incorporates strategies for dealing with change and unexpected challenge, how to come back when success seems impossible, and the importance of doing the work required to become a champion.
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