1. Simon Lessing won races at 70.3, ITU long distance and Ironman-distance events.
21 Facts About Simon Lessing
1. 2.
Simon Lessing set an Olympic-distance world record in 1996, and is noted for his 2004 Ironman Lake Placid win, where he set a course record of 8:23:12.
3.
Simon Lessing was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to triathlon.
4.
When Simon Lessing was 9, his family moved to Durban, a port city set on the East Coast.
5.
Simon Lessing trained an average of 3 hours a day in his areas of interest: sailing, swimming, track, cross-country and duathlon.
6.
Simon Lessing developed an interest in hiking and hiked in the Drakensberg Mountain range.
7.
Simon Lessing was selected to represent South Africa in a biathlon but suffered a broken leg in an accident during a local triathlon.
8.
Simon Lessing moved to Britain at age 18 and continued his international sporting career in Europe.
9.
Simon Lessing was entitled to dual citizenship because his mother was born in England.
10.
Simon Lessing won the ITU Olympic Distance Triathlon World Championship in 1992,1995,1996, and 1998.
11.
In 1996, Simon Lessing broke the Olympic distance triathlon world record with a time of 1 hour, 39 minutes, 50 seconds in 1996 at the ITU Triathlon World Championships in Cleveland.
12.
Simon Lessing competed in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon held annually in San Francisco Bay.
13.
Simon Lessing has won the men's elite division there three times: 1996,2003 and 2004.
14.
Simon Lessing competed at the first Olympic games triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
15.
Simon Lessing took ninth place with a total time of 1:49:24.32.
16.
Simon Lessing was Inducted into the International Triathlon Union Hall of Fame in 2014 and Inducted into the Boulder Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
17.
Simon Lessing went on to win the Nice race in 1995.
18.
Simon Lessing has won numerous Ironman 70.3 races, including the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Florida in 2004, and again in 2005.
19.
Simon Lessing did not complete the marathon at the 2005 Ironman Coeur d'Alene and failed to qualify there for Ironman World Championship.
20.
Simon Lessing raced again the same summer and qualified for the World Championships by taking 4th place at Ironman Canada in Penticton in a time of 8:43:13.
21.
Simon Lessing did not complete the marathon at the 2005 World Championships.