Ironman or just iron stomach?
Participants celebrate at the Ironman in 2013. Photo by Chelsea Schreiber, staff. Every year on the Fourth of July, many Hermosa Beach residents partake in a ritual that begins with a run on the beach and ends with a lot of vomit. They call it the Ironman. Hundreds of people show up at the beach early Independence Day morning to run a mile, paddle a mile on surfboards and then drink a six pack of beer as quickly as they can. If you can go 15 minutes without throwing up – the rule for officially finishing – you might have a shot at Ironman glory. While this year marks 40 years for this unique tradition, the origins of it are a tad murky. Robert “Burgie” Benz, former Hermosa Beach mayor, is a sort of figurehead for the Ironman. Though he’s been involved with the event since 1981 and still serves as the master of ceremonies, Benz, 57, can’t say who actually dreamed up the boozey puke fest. But the story goes like this: A group of friends in Manhattan Beach started the Ironman, and a crackdown on drinking by the Manhattan Beach Police Department drove the event to Hermosa Beach, where it has remained. “The irony with the Ironman is that it is on the Fourth of July and the very nature…
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