No legs, all heart: Alex Zanardi completes the Ironman at speed

Just making it down the famous steps into the Kailua Bay near Kona, Hawaii, would be a challenge for most severely disabled people. But for Alex Zanardi, a former CART champion and Formula One driver who suffered a devastating accident in 2001 that cost him both legs, those steps were merely the beginning of one of the most grueling days in all of sports.

The ocean was raging on Saturday for the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championship, providing the athletes with some of the fiercest conditions in recent years. The most famous of all triathlons, the Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile swim in the Kailua-Kona Bay, a 112-mile bike ride to Hawi and back, followed by a full 26.2-mile marathon concluding on Ali'i Drive. It's an event that has consistently inspired people to achieve greatness since its birth in 1978.

Without legs to help him swim, Zanardi made do with a buoyant wet-vest, a snorkel and arms the size of sequoias. As the canon went off at around 6:30 a.m., unleashing all 2,246 athletes into the Bay at once, his snorkel was kicked off his face and the flailing arms of his competitors around him, all vying for the same inch of ocean, shoved his head underwater. This would happen over and over again.

Zanardi, who turns 48 on Oct. 23, is no stranger to grueling events. Since losing both his legs, he partook in the 2007 New York City Marathon and won gold medals in hand-cycling at the Paralympic Games back in 2012 in London. On top of this, Zanardi is still racing professionally, driving in the high-profile Blancpain Sprint Series in a BMW Z4 GT3 equipped with hand controls for the brake and throttle. (He went back to racing within two years of his accident.)

Zanardi completed the IRONMAN this past Saturday in 9 hours, 47 minutes, 14 seconds — good enough for 272nd overall among the 2,187 athletes who completed the course within the 17-hour time limit. But to the Italian, it wasn't about the position, it was about going the distance -- seeing it through, no matter what difficulties he encountered.

After the race, he talked about that troublesome swim, where his lack of legs prevented him sprinting at the start, meaning every open spot of water in front was snatched by a fellow athlete, leading to another heel kick to the face and goggles full of salt water. Despite his issues, Zanardi completed the 2.4-mile swim in 1 hour, 8 minutes.

On his custom handcycle, the winds for the 112-mile ride were so strong that at times he nearly crashed. In the headwind, he utilized a gear typically reserved for steep mountain passes — such was the ferocity of Mother Nature in Hawaii.

After a further 6 hours, 7 minutes on the bike, Zanardi switched over to his Olympic wheelchair. He recalled climbing the steep hill up Palani Road at a mere 2 or 3 mph, with his hands slipping due to the sweat soaking his wheelchair's rims.

As he finished on Ali'i Drive, after taking just 2 hours, 24 minutes to complete the marathon, the realization of what he had accomplished hit home: "When I passed down that narrow lane I have never experienced anything like that. It was amazing. I was always close to crying. I am not an emotional guy for these types of things, but this was very special.”

During the 140.6-mile event, Zanardi saw men and women of all ages crying as they witnessed his struggles. To him, inspiring others makes the hardships he has dealt with during his life worthwhile.

As he proved on Saturday, taking those first steps into the water is perhaps the trickiest part of all. It's not the steps itself; it's the fear of the unknown. Once again, Alex Zanardi has shown all of us that by simply getting in the water and not giving up, even the most unlikely of things becomes possible.