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A picture says … so many words. Ironman legends gather in Nice

Four hall of fame members ... and one likely to be on her way

Photo by: Kevin Mackinnon

At a special function on the beach in Nice last night, two Ironman legends were inducted into the Ironman Hall of Fame – Kathleen McCartney, the woman who ran past a crawling Julie Moss in 1982, and Fernanda Keller, the game-changing Brazilian athlete who finished third in Kona an incredible six times.

Just before the ceremony we managed to capture this shot that included a few more Kona legends – here they are from left to right:

Mirinda Carfrae

Considered one of the greatest runners the sport has ever seen, Carfrae’s record at the Ironman World Championship was impressive. She finished second in her full-distance debut in 2009, won the race in 2010, 2013 and 2014, and took second again in 2011 and 2016, third in 2012 and fifth in 2018, a little over a year after the birth of daughter Izzy. She holds the run course record there – her 2:50:26 in 2014. Carfrae also won the 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Ironman legend Mirinda Carfrae retires

Paula Newby Fraser

The “Queen of Kona” won the Ironman World Championship eight times, won 24 Ironman races in total, and has been lauded by various media outlets as one of the greatest endurance athletes of all time – Sports Illustrated named her one of the top 60 athletes of the 20th century. She remains a mainstay in the sport, working with Ironman in a variety of roles including as a pro athlete liason, coach and commentator.

Fernanda Keller

Here’s how Ironman described the recent Hall of Fame inductee:

Fernanda Keller became the first Brazilian woman to compete at the Ironman World Championship and has completed the event 27 times, among her approximately 100 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 finishes. Racing initially as a professional, Fernanda is the only triathlete in the world to place 3rd overall a total of six times, from 1994-2000, and placing in the women’s top ten another 14 times in the years that followed. In addition, Fernanda has won Ironman Brazil a total of five times and been runner up four times. Keller remains one of the most successful triathletes ever, and in 2015 was featured as one of Forbes’ most powerful women in sports. An advocate for mental health through sport, Fernanda founded Instituto Fernanda Keller, which focuses on serving adolescents from low-income families through education and physical activity. It celebrates its 25th year of operation in 2024. 

Julie Moss

The dramatic coverage of Moss crawling across the finish line in 1982 at the Ironman World Championship on ABC’s Wide World of Sports mesmerized a nation and served as the dramatic inspiration for many to get into the sport.

Kathleen McCartney

Here’s how Ironman described the other 2024 Hall of Fame inductee:

Kathleen McCartney earned the title of Ironman World Champion in her first appearance at the Ironman World Championship in 1982. As a 22-year-old college student attending University of California Irvine, McCartney famously passed a crawling Julie Moss in the final 10 metres to capture the Championship title in one of the defining moments of Ironman’s history. McCartney completed six Ironman World Championship races as a professional from 1982 to 1988, inspiring global audiences with her performances. Returning to Kona in 2012 at the 30th anniversary of her World Championship-winning race, and again in 2018 as part of Ironman’s 40 Years of Dreams celebration, McCartney has competed in eight Ironman World Championship events. Kathleen continues to inspire the triathlon world as a coach, mentor, motivational speaker and even mother to an Ironman World Championship finisher!