Bob Babbitt

Kona Countdown 1985
Scott Tinley is on his way to winning his 2nd Ironman World Championship. Back then there were no other Ironman events in the US. The sport was growing, but still incredibly small. Nowadays the leader of the Ironman World Championship is always surrounded by helicopters, officials, and media vehicles. Back then? It was ST and our convertible, with myself, my business partner Lois Schwartz, the world’s greatest sports photographer, and the driver. No one else was in the same zip code.
As Ken Shirk, aka Cowman, approached on his bike, Schwartz captured this classic image of Cowman heading toward the finish of the ride with Ironman champion Tinley running toward the turnaround. Cowman (RIP: August 2023) was a unique character and legend in the endurance world of the 70s and 80s. In 1976, he became the second runner (sans horse) to complete the Tevis Cup 100 mile horse race from Squaw Valley to Auburn, CA. True to his adventurous nature, in 1979 Cowman went to Oahu and finished the second-ever Ironman in 16:41.
We didn’t think much of it at the time, but the photo symbolizes what the Ironman had always been about. John and Judy Collins, Ironman’s creators, had always envisioned fast guys and gals up front battling for the win while average, everyday folks joined them on the same roads simply to do something they thought was impossible.
1985 would prove to be a pivotal year for the Ironman. Dave Scott had won his fourth title in 1984 and became the first person to break nine hours. For his win, he received a trophy. Other races were offering prize money, and Scott, Scott Molina, Mark Allen, and ST were making a living as professional triathletes. In 1985, Tinley was the only top pro racing Ironman. Dave Scott didn’t race and his absence in the race was making a statement. The races he participated in had to offer prize money. The 1985 race was the last year of amateurism at the Ironman. The next year, there would be a $100,000 prize purse. Technology, money, media, and the masses were coming fast, but the classic image of Cowman on the bike wearing his miniature cow horns in the same frame as the eventual champion never gets old.

Photo 2: A little more on Cowman....
Who else do you know who was allegedly disqualified from the Ironman World Championship one year for wearing his cow horns during the swim because people thought he might impale a fellow swimmer? I think Cowman -aka Ken Shirk- is the only one that I am aware of.
We traveled to the Strongman Triathlon in Japan one year and Cowman had the driver stop our bus when he spotted a herd of cattle so he could stand on the side of the road and moo with them for a bit.
After about five minutes, the man who created his own A-Moo-Ha race number in Kona, got back on the bus with a smile and without a word and we continued on.
The photo of Scott Tinley running and Cowman still on his bike in the 1985 Ironman is special because it sums up what makes Ironman great. If you want to win the race like ST and so many others, got for it. But if you want to just be you, take your time and savor the most celebrated catered workout on the planet, that works just fine as well.
As for this photo, one year before the Ironman, Cowman invited me up to a ranch he was staying at in Kona and even let me try on his legendary cow horns.
Thank you so much, Cowman, for never taking life - or the Ironman - too seriously. You helped bring that adventurous spirit to our sport!

The OUTRIGGER Kona Resort and Spa is a great partner of Breakfast with Bob and I've had amazing times staying there. If you are looking for a great place to stay during or after race week, you can use code BABBITT for special Breakfast with Bob rates during October.

Happy Wednesday Everyone! We are just 1 week away from bringing you Breakfast with Bob interviews from the Promenade in Nice leading into the 2026 Ironman 70.3 World Championships. We have a special treat for you today: check out these four amazing interviews that you can watch now in our Nice Pre-Show set. Hear from Gustav Iden, Kat Matthews, Solveig Natvig Løvseth, and Kristian Blummenfelt & Casper Stornes as they joined us from their training camps getting ready for Nice.
Find them on the Babbittville YT channel.

Kona Countdown: Determination

In honor of the great Karen Smyers' induction into the IRONMAN Hall of Fame, the image we used for our special edition IMAGES magazine we published in honor of COMPETITOR Magazine's 10th anniversary in 1997.

And, Karen's 1995 finish line photo. Both by the legendary Lois Schwartz.

Karen Smyers is one of the most decorated triathletes in history and one of the few athletes in history to win at the ITU World Championships at the Olympic Distance as well as the Ironman World Championship.
Karen won the Ironman World Championship in 1995. The race is memorable for the drama that unfolded during the run, with Karen putting pressure on the, at the time, seven-time winner Paula Newby-Fraser:
“Karen put on enough pressure to the point where I lost my focus and my center,” admitted Paula.
Coming out of T2, Karen started to slice and dice Newby-Fraser’s off-the-bike lead almost immediately. With a cloud cover overhead, Smyers quickly shook off the effects of the hard ride.
Karen’s 3:05:20 marathon was the second fastest ever, at the time, behind Erin Baker’s 3:04:13 in 1990.

Kona Countdown: Mark of a Champion

In honor of the great Craig Alexander’s induction into the IRONMAN Hall of Fame, a short piece I wrote a few years ago.

Craig Alexander had immediate success on the Kona Coast. He took second in his first attempt in 2007 and then won in both 2008 and 2009. His game plan was simple: Stay within striking distance during the ride and then use his great running skills to win.
But going into the 2010 race, fellow Aussie and 2007 champion Chris McCormack came up with a plan of his own. “Craig is a front of the pack swimmer,” he insisted. “He is also the best runner in the heat in the sport. His one weakness is on the bike in the crosswinds out by Hāwī. If everyone in the lead group works together to push the pace during that tough out and back section between Kawaihae, Hāwī and then back to Kawaihae, we might be able to put some time on him. If we don’t, he’s going to win his third title in a row.”
It was obviously worth the risk. McCormack’s plan worked to perfection and Alexander was too far back off the bike to catch McCormack and ended up fourth, a little over six minutes back.
If you are a champion like Craig Alexander, you learn to adapt and change your game plan. In 2011, for the first time Alexander was wearing an aero helmet and was actually dictating the pace on the bike. His bike split in 2010 was 4:39:35. In 2011? 4:24:05, over 15 minutes faster than the year before. He had run an amazing 2:41:59 in 2010, but despite going so much faster on the bike in 2011, he only lost a few minutes off his marathon time and ran 2:44:03.
In 2011, Craig Alexander became the first man to win the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship and IRONMAN World Championship in the same year, he went 8:03:56 to break Luc Van Lierde’s course record from 1996 by 12 seconds, and he joined an elite club with his third Ironman World Championship title.

Photo by Paul Phillips Competitive Image

The legendary Powerman Zofingen: World Championship is coming up in a few days. We chatted with two stars who will be looking to have great races as they take on the 10K run - 150K bike - 30K run event. Merle Brunnée is the four-time Zofingen champion and Jens Gossauer is the seven-time Swiss Duathlon Champion.
Watch our chats here:
Merle: https://youtu.be/vcgWVQUIyCg
Jens: https://youtu.be/mtIlLgC4P8w

I had the honor of getting to let Karen Smyers know that she was going to be inducted into the IRONMAN Hall of Fame. We had a great conversation about Karen's career, including her win at the 1995 IRONMAN World Championship.
You can watch our conversation here: https://youtu.be/s4x76WjpETI