Superman's Cousin

He doesn’t come from outer space, but simply from Sweden. And instead of donning a blue-red cape, he forces his muscles into a triathlon suit. Jonas Colting is Ultraman – and the quickest of the year at that.

The first leg is a ten-kilometer swim, followed by the one where you can carefully dry your clothes in the wind, over 145 kilometers on the bike. A day later it’s time to take in the surroundings – cycling again – this time a distance of 276 kilometers. And finally, on the third day – running – there’s time, a magnanimously given 84-kilometers-worth, to think about your experiences: This is the program for the annual Ultraman World Championship in Hawaii – the toughest triathlon there is.

Fourth-fastest time in history

Jonas Colting won it for the second time on November 25 – in a net time of 21 hours, 59 minutes and 44 seconds, the fourth-fastest time in the history of the contest. The trials and tribulations of the route were forgotten the moment he crossed the finish line, he said: “Tough times never last, tough people do!”

At the front from the first day

The 34-year-old, who just missed out on breaking the contest’s record by 27 seconds in his win four years ago, laid the foundation for his victory this year with the quickest time through the water, only taking 2:26 hours for the ten kilometers, 12 minutes less than his closest rival. He increased his time difference on both the hilly stages of cycling, his specialist discipline. In the running leg Colting then only had to defend his advantage. When he crossed the finish line, the blond, 190-cm giant had a lead of almost one hour over Brazil’s Alexandre Ribiero, who came second.