Rick Rawlings

Year Inducted: 2025

Rick Rawlings enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1980. He served in South Korea on the Demilitarized Zone, and attended Republic of Korea Ranger school, earning his ROK Ranger tab. While serving in Korea, Rick earned his first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He went on to earn his fourth-degree black belt while training with the Blue Water Tae Kwon Do Club in Sarnia under Grand Master Norm Lepine and Grand Master James Taylor.

From 2008 to 2019, Rick successfully completed 16 full Ironman races. Long considered by endurance sports experts to be the toughest endurance race in the world, the Ironman Triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile open water swim, a 112-mile cycling section, and a 26.2-mile running marathon. Each event must be completed consecutively, with time cutoffs for each event. For the Ironman medal to be awarded, the participant must complete the three events in under 17 hours.

Rick successfully completed six Ironman races in Louisville, Kentucky; nine races in Phoenix, Arizona; and the crown jewel of all, the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Most of his finishing times were just over 11 hours.

In order to be invited to the World Championships, an athlete must meet strict qualifications. Less than three percent of all the world’s triathletes qualify. The fields contain professional triathletes as well as several gold medal Olympians from disciplines includes triathlon, cycling (including several Tour de France competitors), and world-class swimmers. Conditions in Hawaii are very challenging: Ocean swells during the swim making it very difficult; winds of 30 mph or more are not uncommon during the cycling portion; and sweltering temperatures of over 100 degrees add to the difficulty in completing this event.

Rick successfully completed the Ironman World Championships with a time of 13 hours, 38 minutes. In 2017, Rick was ranked #57 in the United States and #177 in the world for full Ironman triathlons.