The Ironman Triathlon is an endurance event consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike course, and a full 26.2 mile marathon—raced in that order and without a break. Ironman competitors have a strict time limit of 17 hours to complete the race. In 1996, Luc Van Lierde of Belgium set the record for the Ironman World Championship course with a time of 8 hours, 4 minutes and 8 seconds.