Mike Reilly, the “Voice of Ironman” announces retirement
The man who made the words "You are an Ironman!" famous will hang up his mic at the end of 2022
Photo by:
Kevin Mackinnon
For over 30 years Mike Reilly has been known around the world as the “Voice of Ironman” – he was the first to coin the expression “You are an Ironman,” which has become a mantra for those finishing Ironman events.
“After 1,000 endurance events, 210 Ironman events since 1989, yelling out those words almost half a million times, at the end of this year I’ll be hanging up my microphone,” Reilly says in an Instagram post.
“You have always been so close family to me,” he said to his many Ironman fans around the world.
Reilly says he wants to spend more time with his family, specifically his grandsons.
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Reilly wrote a book about his announcing experiences a few years ago, “Finding My Voice.”
“Mike Reilly has announced Ironman races for 30 years and his trademark, “You are an Ironman!” is as iconic as the race itself,” Helen Powers said in her review of the book. “The anticipation of hearing those words has inspired many athletes and they, in turn, inspire Reilly. In his first book, he shares their stories, details of his dream job, and the mutual love for the sport that brings them together.”
This year’s Ironman World Championship race in Hawaii will be one of Reilly’s final announcing events. After the race in Kona he’ll announce at Ironman California, Ironman Arizona and Ironman New Zealand.
