Iron War

Iron War

The classic account of an unforgettable endurance test, now updated with a new introduction. The 1989 Ironman World Championship was the greatest race ever in endurance sports. In a spectacular duel that became known as the Iron War, the world's two strongest athletes raced side by side at world-record pace for a grueling 139 miles. Driven by one of the fiercest rivalries in triathlon, Dave Scott and Mark Allen raced shoulder to shoulder through Ironman's 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race, and 26.2-mile marathon. After 8 punishing hours, both men would demolish the previous record—and cross the finish line a mere 58 seconds apart. In Iron War, sports journalist Matt Fitzgerald writes a riveting epic about how Allen and Scott drove themselves and each other through the most awe-inspiring race in sports history. Iron War goes beyond the pulse-pounding race story to offer a fascinating exploration of the lives of the world's two toughest men and their unquenchable desire to succeed. Weaving an examination of mental resolve into a gripping tale of athletic adventure, Iron War is a soaring narrative of two champions and the paths that led to their stunning final showdown.

The Iron War: 2E11-17

Set against the backdrop of a continent torn by conflict, The Iron War unfolds in the heart of Aerbon’s blood-soaked history, where armies clash and empires crumble under the weight of ambition, treachery, and revolution. Taking place at the onset of the Second Era, The Iron War takes readers deep into a world on the brink, where politics are as lethal as gunfire and the fight for power is as brutal as the clash of armies. Following their completion of the Iron Highway, the people of Voska not only introduced their vast empire to the rest of Aerbon, but also their discovery of gunpowder and muskets, bringing the whole of Aerbon into a new era of technological advancements. War is inevitable. It comes like the rise of a storm, silent in its approach yet devastating in its wake. In the clash of steel and the booming blast of muskets, their world is torn apart, but the true cost of conflict lies not in the blood spilled or the ground broken—it lies in the hearts of those who fight and the choices they must make. At the center of this violent tapestry are Tobias Schumacher, Aleksy Ilyich, and Aleksy's sons— Alexei and Pyotr. Their lives— once separate— will go on to collide in the chaos of one of the greatest conflicts that Aerbon has ever known. From the battlefields where comrades fall and leaders rise to the hidden power struggles shaping the course of empires, they will learn that the price of survival is never what it seems. As alliances shift and the lines between enemy and ally blur, the cost of war becomes ever clearer. The Iron War is not just a battle for territory, but a fight for the very soul of Aerbon. With a continent on the brink of collapse, one question remains: who will rise from the ashes, and who will be consumed by the flames? In The Iron War, war is more than bloodshed. It’s a struggle for identity, survival, and the price of freedom.

National Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publication