Mark Allen (triathlete)

Mark Allen (born January 12, 1958 in Glendale, California) is an American triathlete and six-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion.

Mark Allen
Medal record
Men's triathlon
Representing the  United States
ITU World Championships
1989 Avignon Individual
Ironman World Championship
1995 Men's race
1993 Men's race
1992 Men's race
1991 Men's race
1990 Men's race
1989 Men's race
1987 Men's race
1986 Men's race
1983 Men's race

Education

He graduated from UC San Diego, where he was an All-American swimmer, with a degree in biology.[1]

Career

After competing and losing in the Ironman Triathlon Championships six times (often to Dave Scott), Allen emerged victorious in 1989, winning one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.

This was the first of six Ironman victories for Allen, the last coming in 1995 at age 37, making him the oldest winner of the event at that time. He has also excelled at the Olympic distance, winning the sport's inaugural World Championships in 1989 in Avignon, France,[2] by more than a minute. He was undefeated in 10 trips to the Nice International Championships,[3] and from 1988-1990 he had a winning streak of 21 races.

Over the course of his racing career, which ended in 1996, he maintained a 90% average in top-three finishes. He was named Triathlete of the Year six times by Triathlete magazine, and in 1997 Outside magazine dubbed him The World's Fittest Man. Allen was inducted into the Ironman Triathlon Hall of Fame in 1997.[1] He has also been inducted into the USAT Hall of Fame and the ITU Hall of Fame.

Allen has summarized his career in four characters: "1-6-21-infinity".[4] "1" is for his victory in the first official triathlon World Championship. "6" is for the six times he won the Ironman. 21 stands for his two season run of 21 straight victories, along the way defeating every one of the top 50 triathletes in the world. "Infinity" represents his acknowledgement by ESPN[5] as "The Greatest Endurance Athlete of All Time."

Allen owns and operates Mark Allen Coaching,[6] a global online triathlon coaching concern.

Results
YEAR RACE POSITION SWIM BIKE RUN RESULT
1995 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 1st 51:50 4:46:35 2:42:09 8:20:34[7]
1994 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA DNC --- --- --- ---
1993 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 1st --- --- --- 8:07:46[8]
1992 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 1st --- --- --- 8:09:08
1991 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 1st --- --- --- 8:18:32[9]
1990 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 1st --- --- --- 8:28:17[10]
1989 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 1st --- --- --- 8:09:14[11]
1988 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 5th --- --- --- 8:43:22
1987 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 2nd --- --- --- 8:45:19[12]
1986 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 2nd --- --- --- 8:36:04
1985 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA DNC --- --- --- ---
1984 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 5th --- --- --- 9:35:02
1983 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA 3rd --- --- --- 9:21:06
1982 Ironman World Championship, Kona, Hawaii, USA DNF --- --- --- ---
  • DNC - Did not compete
  • DNF - Did not finish

References
  1. Norcross, Don (March 6, 1997). "Mark Allen revels in his retirement". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  2. "Allen wins world triathlon". nst.com.my. August 8, 1989. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  3. Gibbs, Peter (May 28, 2010). "Good luck- don't forget the helmet". stuff.co.nz. New Zealand. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  4. "1-6-21-infinity is the greatest legacy in the history of triathlon. Can you guess what it stands for? If you can, you win a weekend of coaching with Mark Allen at your home". 1621infinity.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017.
  5. "Allen 'Greatest Endurance Athlete'". Slowtwitch.com.
  6. "markallencoaching". markallencoaching.com.
  7. Staton, Ron (October 8, 1995). "Allen claims his sixth Ironman Triathlon title". ap.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  8. "Triathlon; Huffing and Puffing, All the Way". nytimes.com. November 2, 1993. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  9. "TRIATHLON; International Mettle Shown in Ironman". nytimes.com. October 21, 1991. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  10. "Ironman winner Allen doesn't covet record". news.google.comaccess. October 8, 1990. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  11. "Ironman Triathlon win goes to Allen". ap.com. October 15, 1989. Archived from the original on July 31, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  12. "Davis, Scott wins his sixth Ironman Triathlon crown". modestobee.com. October 11, 1987. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
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