Deeper Into The Energy Lab—Age-Groupers On The Run

The run turn-around on the Ironman World Championship marathon course can be a tropical hell. This is where competitors get a glimpse of their rivals, gauge advantages and deficits, and measure how much others are suffering by the look on their faces and the spring in their stride. The Energy Lab is where champions separate themselves from the pack. It’s also where grown men cry, dreams shatter into pieces, and exceptional runners walk. In this gallery of images, you’ll find unpublished shots of the pros—both cranking and cracking—as well as the age-groupers who followed.