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The Greatest Endurance Athlete?

Discussion of a poll of the Greatest Endurance Athlete of All Time conducted on the ESPN Sport Science website in 2012. The voting was based on the best athlete (not overall Endurance Athlete) who has a combination of strength, speed, endurance, quickness, durability and the other attributes that make an athlete elite. See more about the ESPN Sport Science poll to determine the Greatest Athlete of All Time.

Nominees

Who is the greatest endurance athlete of all time?

  1. Mark Allen — Allen is a six-time winner of Ironman World Championship, and he won 20 straight triathlons from 1988-90. He holds the record for the fastest marathon split ever in the Ironman World Championships: 2:40:04.
  2. Bjorn Daehlie — winner of 8 Olympic gold medals in cross-country skiing, with an exceptional VO2max, one of the highest ever recorded.
  3. Patrick Makau — world record holder for the marathon at 2:03:38.
  4. Diana Nyad — she has the fastest time ever swimming around Manhattan Island, and once swam 102.5 miles.
  5. Pam Reed — she was the first woman to be overall winner in the Badwater Ultramarathon.

And the winner is ...

Ironman champion Mark Allen



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