[UPDATED following Ironman Florida and Ironman Arizona 2011]

Not only did Chrissie Wellington raise the bar at Challenge Roth on 18th July 2010 - and make it it straight to the top of the (updated) sub-9 hour iron ladies list - but Rasmus Henning (7:52:36) and Sebastian Kienle (7:59:06) also became the 12th and 13th members respectively of the sub-8 hour iron distance club. For a while, the all-time world best of Luc van Lierde (7:50:27) looked like it could be under threat, but the great Dane still recorded the (at the time) fifth fastest iron distance time ever.

Into 2011, and those iconic figures have now been smashed by Marino Vanhoenacker in Klagenfurt, keeping the world-best time in Belgian hands. Well, for a week anyway! You wait 14 years, break a record... and along comes Andreas Raelert to take the record from 7:45:59 down to 7:41:33 a week later at Challenge Roth.

Andreas, along with Michael Weiss (Ironman Austria 2011), Ronnie Schildknecht (Ironman Florida 2011) and Eneko Llanos (Ironman Arizona 2011) have now boosted that all-time sub-8 list to include a total of 17 athletes.

Having updated the ladies sub-9 listing, here is the very latest on the men's sub-8 equivalent.

Number of sub-eight hour male iron-distance finishes?

Sport and numbers seem to be a perfect marriage. Whatever your sport, or whatever your ability, sooner or later you'll invariably be creating targets based on time. Whether that's making the 17-hour Ironman cut-off, running a sub-three hour marathon or beating 25 minutes in your club '10', everyone likes to break a barrier and set a personal best.

In recent years the ladies have made sub-nine 'almost' normal - both 2008 and 2009 witnessed nine instances each of that barrier being broken with, at the time of writing, a record 15 finishes below the nine hour mark in 2011. For the men, as we'll see, sub-eight hours for the ironman distance is a tougher nut to crack - though six so far in 2011 is also a record annual total. Of course, there is no implied assumption here that '8' and '9' are of equal standing when it comes to ironman, but as history has proven with the four minute mile, a rounded barrier has a certain romance to it. While Roger Bannister may have secured a lot more than 15 minutes of fame in Oxford on 6th May 1954, those who subsequently broke 3:50 and 3:45 don't have anywhere near that level of public recognition...

So, why bother with this in the first place?

History. History is important. Over time, the performances and results of athletes can readily be forgotten as the next 'big thing' comes along and earns the headlines. Personally, I hate to see this happen.
People like records. Athletes and sponsors like records. Perhaps more importantly, the wider public understands records and relative performances. Yet, these can't exist if there aren't records and listings to begin with. To have recorded one of the top-10 times ever is a pretty marketable achievement...but you need to know what the 10 best times were beforehand before making such claims!
Geek factor. Ok, I'll' admit there is an element of this Editor's statto factor involved in wanting to put this into place - I love this stuff....and as a student of the sport, I need to know it. Based on the viewing figures on the site, I'm not the only one either.

Is there a value to it? Absolutely. I've seen it with my own eyes - the statistics and facts that live within the sub-nine iron ladies piece for example, and never existed previously, are some of the most widely quoted and referenced ironman facts I have seen. Governing bodies, race organisers, sponsors, athletes, Wikipedia and the wider triathlon press have all utilised its contents. I fully expect the same to happen with this sub-eight men's feature too. A small credit to Tri247 as the source would be welcome, but I digress...

What follows is a result of the mission to create that history. Of course, if you should know of any others I've missed, then send me the details (editor@tri247.com), as my aim is to create the definitive list of sub-eight hour male iron distance finishes.

Sub-Eight Hour Male Iron Distance Finishes

Fastest Male Iron Distance Athletes (Best Time)

Athlete / Race Analysis

Commentary

If you want to race a fast ironman distance, go to Roth. While the ladies sub-nine listing showed that Roth was clearly the most likely course for an 8:XX finish, the situation is even more clear cut for the men, with Roth accounting for almost two-thirds of the sub-eight finishes ever recorded. However, after the 7:45:59 of Marino Vanhoenacker at Ironman Austria, Klagenfurt 2011, that might well change...

That a sub-eight for men is 'harder' (relatively) than a sub-nine for women would seem to be born out by the statistics. Firstly, the fastest time ever recorded by Andreas Raelert (7:41:33) is less than 19 minutes inside the barrier, versus over 40 for Chrissie's stunning 8:18:13 ladies record. Secondly, the absolute number of sub-eight's is significantly lower too, with fewer than half of the sub-nine ladies finishes. And finally, to date, only six venues - Roth, Frankfurt, Klagenfurt, Almere, Florida and Arizona have experienced a male cross the line to see 7:XX on the clock, versus 14 different courses with an 8:XX female finisher.

Australian Chris McCormack has a couple of standout stats to his name. He has four sub-eight clocking's on his glittering CV, while only five other athletes have managed that achievement twice. He is also the only man to have managed it on two different courses, with Roth (3) and Frankfurt on his success list. When you add to that wins at Ironman (twice) and ITU World Championships, ITU World Cup Champion, five consecutive Ironman Australia wins and wins in virtually all of the major triathlon events around the world, Macca is without doubt one of the greatest athletes in the history of triathlon.

Roth 1997 may well be one of the most amazing races in triathlon history. As well as the site of the Luc Van Lierde's 14 year long world best, German athletes Jurgen Zack, Lothar Leder and Thomas Hellriegel all broke the eight hour mark that day too - meaning that Thomas didn't even make the podium despite recording 7:57:21. Ouch!

Roth 2010 saw Sebastian Kienle (GER) finish second, 7:59:06 in his first ever iron distance attempt. This makes it the fastest iron debut ever, the equivalent of Mary Beth Ellis' effort at Austria 2011 when she won her first Ironman in 8:43:35. In 2011 Kienle finished second again at Roth, this time two minutes quicker making it two sub-8's without a victory!

The latest additions to the list include five-time Ironman Switzerland winner Ronnie Schildknecht who recorded the first ever sub-8 finish at Ironman Florida 2011. That is the first sub eight hour finish in North America - though no U.S. male has yet achieved the feat anywhere. We didn't have to wait long for the second North American sub-8, achieved by Eneko Llanos at Ironman Arizona.

Tri247 Iron-Distance Statistics Library

• Sub-9 iron ladies: a history
  the definitive list of sub-nine hour female iron distance finishes
• Sub-8 iron men: a history
  the definitive list of sub-eight hour male iron distance finishes
  
• British Ironman success: Ladies
  the definitive record of Ironman® podium finishes by British female athletes
• British Ironman success: Men
  the definitive record of Ironman® podium finishes by British male athletes
• Home Nations Iron Distance Records
  the fastest ironman distance times achieved by each of the Home Nations (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales)
• Fastest British Iron Ladies
  every sub-nine hour 15 minute iron-distance finish by British female athletes ever recorded.
• Fastest British Iron Men
  every sub-eight hour 30 minute iron-distance finish by British male (and female...) athletes ever recorded

Do you believe there is a performance missing here? If so, please do let me know via editor@tri247.com.