Pete Jacobs (born 27 October 1981) is an Australian professional

triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...

competing primarily in long-distance, non-drafting triathlon events. He is the winner of the

2012 Ironman World Championship The 2012 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition held on October 13, 2012 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The championship won by Pete Jacobs of Australia and Leanda Cave of England. It was the 36th such Ironman Triathlon Wo ...

Athletic career

Jacobs was born to parents Jenny and Geoff in Sydney, Australia and raised in the

Northern Beaches The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the ...

area. He grew up following his mother to local triathlon events but took to

surf lifesaving Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted social movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries, in ...

as well as

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

growing up, but states that he never took running seriously at that point. Jacobs started competing in triathlon at the age of 18. During his training at the pool for surf lifesaving he meet other triathletes that helped guide him into the sport. It wasn't until after four years in a

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulat ...

, which he started right out of school, that he decided to turn pro. Jacobs first Ironman victory came in 2011 at the Ironman Australia event after numerous top 5 placings in Ironman and

Challenge Roth Challenge Roth is a triathlon race organised by in and around Roth, Bavaria, Germany. It is held annually in July. The Ironman distance (140.6 miles / 226.2 kilometers) version of the race has been held since 1990, and the short distance versi ...

triathlon events. He routinely posts the top swim and run times at his racing events, and even posted the third fastest run time on the Ironman World Championship course in 2011. It wasn't until his win at the

did the three-time Hawaii Ironman top ten finisher posted his breakthrough performance where he won by five minutes over second-place finisher

Andreas Raelert Andreas Raelert (born 11 August 1976) is a German triathlete. His younger brother, Michael Raelert, is also a triathlete. On 10 July 2011, Raelert broke the world record time for an Ironman Triathlon distance race at the Challenge Ro ...

. In 2014 Jacobs received criticism from Ironman CEO Andrew Messick, who accused him of having a lack of professionalism when he claimed his automatic qualifying spot for the

2014 Ironman World Championship The 2014 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition that was held on October 11, 2014 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The event was won by Sebastian Kienle of Germany and Australia's Mirinda Carfrae. It was the 38th edition of th ...

at Ironman Switzerland. In that race he finished with a time of 11:42, last among pro men and 970th overall. Jacobs first responded to his comments via

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

by calling Messick a "troll." A month later, before the championship, he formally replied to Messick on his website offering an explanation for his performance in Zurich; which he attributed to season-long fatigue. The two later met privately to put their dispute at rest. Jacobs works with the coaching service BPM-Sport.

Notable results

Some of Jacobs' notable achievements include:

References

External links

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ITU Results
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Pete 1981 births Living people Australian male triathletes Sportsmen from New South Wales Triathletes from Sydney 20th-century Australian sportsmen 21st-century Australian sportsmen