The IRONMANA Race (Bora Bora Liquid Festival)

IRONMANA: Follow the World’s Craziest Race with Daily Updates from Postcard-Perfect Huahine

posted December 7th, 2017 by Bart de Zwart, Starboard Team Rider and SUP Explorer

Boss Man’s note: We’ve got one last race to finish the year, and it seems we’ve saved the best – or at the very least: the toughest – for last. IRONMANA is a week-long, multi-discipline race in the postcard-perfect Tahitian islands. This year the event moved from Bora Bora to the equally epic Huahine, and once again it’ll feature a smorgasbord of tough racing including SUP, prone, outrigger and swimming.

We call it “Five Days of Pain in Paradise,” and over the next week we’ll take you inside the belly of the beast with daily updates and insights from Starboard veteran Bart de Zwart. → READ MORE

Paris, Perth and Tahiti — It’s The “Last Big Weekend of the Year”

posted November 28th, 2017 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Although the “regular season” wraps up on the shores of Doheny in early October, the real season never seems to end. We’re already thinking about 2018 but we’ve still got a trio of big races to wrap up, with Paris, Perth and French Polynesia all hosting great events this weekend.

It’s going to be a busy few days, so here’s what/where/when (and who) to follow. → READ MORE

The Last Big Weekend of the Year: Paris, Perth and Pain in Paradise

posted December 1st, 2016 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

After a year that feels like it started half a decade ago, we’re finally about to bring the curtain down on season 2016, with the ‘last big weekend of the year’ set to feature points races in Paris and Perth and a torturous specialty event in Tahiti.

Here’s a quick at what’s in store over the next couple of days… → READ MORE

Behind the Scenes of the World’s Toughest Race — Video Journal from Bora Bora’s “Ironmana” Challenge

posted December 15th, 2015 by Mike Jucker, Stand Up Magazin

Tahiti’s annual Ironmana challenge is part race, part torture test, part holiday in one of the world’s most paradisaical locations: The legendary island of Bora Bora. Unique doesn’t even begin to describe it, brutal is an understatement. It’s one of the most challenging yet rewarding events in the world of SUP, and something you should definitely consider adding to your bucket list next year. → READ MORE

‘Ironmana’ Live Blog: Five Days of Pain in the Paradise of Bora Bora

posted December 5th, 2015 by Mike Jucker, Stand Up Magazin

Welcome to our live coverage of the 2015 Ironmana challenge on Bora Bora. The Ironmana event is part race, part torture test, with competitors subjected to five days of grueling events in one of the world’s most paradisaical locations.

Stand up paddling is only part of the show, with other disciplines including prone paddling, va’a canoe racing, swimming, running and whatever else the organisers decide to throw up at the last minute. → READ MORE

Dates Set For Ironmana 2K15 – Get Ready For Even More Pain In Paradise

posted January 31st, 2015 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

The official dates (and teaser poster) for Ironmana 2K15 have just been released, with the world’s toughest SUP race set to return to Bora Bora from December 1st-6th. That gives you exactly 304 days to train, of which you’re going to need every single one.

For the uninitiated, Ironmana is part race, part adventure, part spiritual journey through your own mind as you put your body through a series of punishing tests in the most paradisaical setting imaginable. → READ MORE

35 Minute Film Shows Tahiti’s ‘IRONMANA’ Paddling Adventure In All Its Torturous Glory

posted January 20th, 2015 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

If you want an insight into how crazily awesome the IRONMANA race/adventure/week in paradise really is, watch this half hour film from last month’s epic event on Bora Bora.

IF you’ve been following our coverage of IRONMANA, you’d know this event is something very unique. The Ironmana is part SUP race, part prone race, part swimming race, part torture chamber, part holiday in paradise. → READ MORE

13 Awesome Aerial Photos That Reveal The Beauty (And Hide The Pain) Of Bora Bora’s “Ironmana” Race

posted December 10th, 2014 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Last week I was privileged to spend a week on Bora Bora – the iconic island getaway that everybody is familiar with from every single travel show ever. Though it wasn’t sipping cocktails and relaxing on the beach, instead my time on the island was a series of punishing ocean races known as the Bora Bora Liquid Festival, aka Ironmana.

The Ironmana race is painful – at times downright miserable – but also oddly rewarding. It also didn’t hurt when you’re in absolute paradise. So to give you an insight into the beautiful chaos of Ironmana, here are 13 awesome aerial photos that tell the story of the event. → READ MORE

LIVE BLOG: Bora Bora Liquid Festival / Ironmana (aka Four Days Of Pain In Paradise)

posted December 5th, 2014 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

UPDATE: Event is finished so the live blog has been wrapped. Thanks to the Stephan Lambert and the rest of the organising team for the week of punishing racing in what can only be described as an absolute paradise. The Ironmana is definitely a bucket list race that you need to experience first hand.

Congratulations to every competitor that toughed it out, particularly the overall Ironmana 2K14 champions Tamarua Cowan and Morgan Hoesterey. That was a brutal week. You can click through to relive the live blog, aka my daily descent into madness… → READ MORE

A Preview Of What’s To Come At The Ironmana Race In Bora Bora

posted October 29th, 2014 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Here’s a nice clip looking back at the 2014 Kainalu XT race series in Tahiti. The KXT series is a prelude for the big Ironmana race that’s happening in early December, an event this video gives us a nice insight into.

The “Ironmana” race isn’t really a race though, it’s more of a brutal, triathlon-inspired, multi-day event that just happens to be held in a ridiculously beautiful location (the paradisiacal island of Bora Bora). Paddlers will be tested across three disciplines – stand up, prone and swimming – with overall times combined. → READ MORE

Thought the season was over? The season is never over… Here Are Four Big Races Still To Come In 2014

posted October 18th, 2014 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

So you thought the SUP racing season was over huh? Nope… The SUP racing season is never over.

While the Battle of the Paddle may have come and gone for another year, there are still plenty of big stand up paddle races left to run before New Year’s.

From Perth to Paris, Bora Bora to Brazil, here are four of the biggest… → READ MORE

WATCH: SUP Racing In Paradise Gets Brutal… (Full Length Clip)

posted January 21st, 2014 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

You’ve seen the photos, you’ve been teased with the trailer, now here’s the full length clip from IronMana 2013, aka one of the gnarliest races on the planet.

The IronMana race, part of the Bora Bora Liquid Festival in French Polynesia, went down in December 2013 and featured one of the most grueling formats in the sport. Part paddling, part swimming, all pain. Hence the name of their new feature clip: IronMana – Beyond The Pain. → READ MORE

WATCH This Video: It’s Where You’re Going To Be In December

posted January 13th, 2014 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Watch this video, because there’s a good chance it shows where you’re going to be in 11 months time.

The KXT Ironmana Liquid Festival on the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora (the one that’s world famous for those luxury huts on the water) is an event that brutally combines SUP, prone, outrigger and swimming into one giant, week-long torture-fest in one of the most beautiful places on earth. → READ MORE

15 Photos That Will Make You Wish You Were In French Polynesia Right Now…

posted December 12th, 2013 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

If you’re currently located in a cold part of the world you probably should look away right now, lest you succumb to an intense bout of jealousy.

Last weekend was the IronMana SUP Challenge, a half-swimming, half-SUP and all-grueling event that was held as part of the Bora Bora Liquid Festival in Tahiti. It’s no secret that Tahitians enjoy some of the most epic paddling scenery in the world, something highlighted very well by these aerial and water shots from the race… → READ MORE

The Last Big Weekend Of The Year: Four Races In Four Very Exotic Locations In Four Totally Different Corners Of The Globe

posted December 2nd, 2013 by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

It’s not just the last big race of the year, it’s the last big weekend of the year.

In what is perhaps the most exotic weekend for Stand Up Paddle racing ever, we’re going to see four races, in four corners of the globe (can a globe have corners?) and in four very cool locations: Puerto Rico, Paris, Tahiti, Mauritius. → READ MORE