Mark Allen (born January 12, 1958, in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

) is an American triathlete and six-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion.

Education

He graduated from

UC San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Sc ...

, where he was an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n swimmer, with a degree in biology.

Career

After competing and losing in the Ironman Triathlon Championships six times (often to Dave Scott), Allen emerged victorious in 1989, winning one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world. This was the first of six Ironman victories for Allen, the last coming in 1995 at age 37, making him the oldest winner of the event at that time. He has also excelled at the Olympic distance, winning the sport's inaugural World Championships in 1989 in Avignon, France, by more than a minute. He was undefeated in 10 trips to the Nice International Championships, and from 1988 to 1990 he had a winning streak of 21 races. Over the course of his racing career, which ended in 1996, he maintained a 90% average in top-three finishes. He was named Triathlete of the Year six times by ''Triathlete'' magazine, and in 1997 ''Outside'' magazine dubbed him The World's Fittest Man. Allen was inducted into the Ironman Triathlon Hall of Fame in 1997. He has also been inducted into the USAT Hall of Fame and the ITU Hall of Fame. Allen has summarized his career in four characters: "1-6-21-infinity". "1" is for his victory in the first official triathlon World Championship. "6" is for the six times he won the Ironman. 21 stands for his two season run of 21 straight victories, along the way defeating every one of the top 50 triathletes in the world. "Infinity" represents his acknowledgement by ESPN as "The Greatest Endurance Athlete of All Time." Allen owns and operates Mark Allen Coaching, a global online triathlon coaching concern.

Results

* DNF - Did not finish

References

External links

markallencoaching.com

Video Of The 1989 Triathlon World Championships

Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Mark 1958 births American male triathletes Ironman world champions Living people Sportspeople from Glendale, California Triathlon coaches 20th-century American sportsmen