You Are an Ironman

How Six Weekend Warriors Chased Their Dream of Finishing the World's Toughest Triathlon

By: Jacques Steinberg

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

As he did so masterfully in his New York Times best seller The Gatekeepers, Jacques Steinberg creates a compelling portrait of people obsessed with reaching a life-defining goal. In this instance, the target is an Ironman triathlon---a 2.4-mile open-water swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride, then finally a 26-mile marathon run, all of which must be completed in no more than 17 hours. Steinberg focuses not on the professional who live off the prize money and sponsorships, but on a handful of triathletes who regard the sport as a hobby.

Vividly capturing the grueling preparation, the suspense of completing each event of the triathlon, and the spectacular feats of human endurance, Steinberg plumbs the physical and emotional toll as well as the psychological payoff of the participants of the Ford Ironman Arizona 2009. His You Are an Ironman is both a riveting sports narrative and a fascinating, behind-the-scenes study of what makes these athletes keep going.

©2011 Jacques Steinberg (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Anyone dreaming of completing a triathlon or just seeking to get off the couch and into better shape will find inspiration here." ( Kirkus)

Great book!

Truly enjoyed listening about others’ journeys as I train for my own ! Would definitely recommend to other triathletes looking for a mental boost

Inspirational

You are an Ironman follows six people through their training for Ironman Arizona in 2009. This book is more of a memoir than an training manual. The author does a great job of capturing the spirit of the Ironman, explaining to the reader why people do these the types races and their back stories, some of which are funny, some of which are inspirational and some just plain strange (there was one guy who heard about people at his Gym talking about finishing one and just decided to jump right in, or at least that what it seemed like). There are also short inspirational stories about people the athletes meet on the way such as about leg amputee and would be Ironman Rudy Garcia-Tolson. The tales of the would be Ironmen (sorry ladies they’re called Ironmen no matter what sex the competitor is) do a good job of conveying the ups and downs of the training that one goes through when preparing for an Ironman.

The only drawback to the book was being an audiobook it made the book a bit hard to follow as the author jumped from one person to the next, so I would recommend that you get it on paper or in your favorite electronic format. Additionally since there weren’t really characters the performance was more of a book reading rather than a performance of a fiction book.

A mix of fun, and inspiration, if you like endurance sports I would highly recommend this book.

Good to pass the time

Narrator is a bit monotone at first but you get used to the style and it goes along well. Good book for someone who is in the sport or looking to get into it. For me it was great to listen to while on the bike, it does motivate you as well

Had me crying

Great book! Motivation for IM Texas next spring !! Really easy to connect with the competitors!

Inspiring!!

For a book that is so inspiring and uplifting, the story is so good!! I definitely recommend and I’m not even a triathlete!!

Average At Best.

Normally I don’t write full reviews and this review is said with respect to the individuals personal journey. I found the book very tough to get through. I finished the book because I got to the half way point thinking it would pick up, but it never really seemed to do so. Perhaps the voice reading the story had a lot to do with it. Very monotoned. I like tri-athlete store ones and thought this would be a good pick but found it to be average at best.

Very Inspiring

Would you consider the audio edition of You Are an Ironman to be better than the print version?

I liked it because I don't seem to have a lot of time to sit down and read. It probably would have taken me months to finish the print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

No favorite. All of the athletes were truly amazing.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration was great. He kept me wanting to hear more. I was sad when the book ended.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I would keep the book title as the tag line. You are an Ironman.

Any additional comments?

I would love to have more inspirational "true life" books to choose from. This book was the best I have heard/read in a very long time.

Wow

Supremely motivational.!! Do yourself a favorand buy this book. you'll be glad you did it!

Great listen!

Loved how the stories of the 6 competitors intertwined somehow, whether through parallels or actually meeting. A very interesting perspective from so many different people, was inspiring to say the least. Highly recommend the book.

Inspiration: possible...even for weekend warriors!

What did you love best about You Are an Ironman?

The stories in this book are as real life and varied as you can get. It was a fun listen that was easy to get into. It made me feel that the goal of an ironman is possible even for those of us with busy lives and starting points wrt our training. If the Ironman highlight videos on youtube have captured your attention - this listen is for you!

What does Kirby Heyborne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Kirby's reading makes this very personal. His use of tone, inflection and personal flare for speaking like the characters in the book was a highlight.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The entire last chapter of walking through raceday with each of the charaters was a delight. Talk of the comraderie shown on the course and personal moments each experienced definitely changed my view of what racing in an ironman could be - for the better!