You only wish you owned Ironman

How do you say, "Joe Blow, you're an Ironman!" in Chinese?

In case you missed it, China's Dalian Wanda Group is purchasing the Ironman triathlon series of some 200 races for roughly $650 million. According to Reuters, which broke the story, the Chinese company is also assuming Ironman's debt, so the deal is valued around $900 million.

Talk about inspirational.

Talk about profitable.

Sources told Reuters and the Wall Street Journal that the company selling Ironman is making four times what it paid for World Triathlon Corp., but the gleeful money-grab doesn't end there. WSJ noted that one of the reasons Ironman is so profitable is because the company has successfully leveraged armies of volunteers, which of course minimizes tremendous operating expenses for most organizations - you know, employees.

You've seen that play out firsthand every summer in Coeur d'Alene since 2003, when volunteers by the thousands step up to ensure an exciting, safe event. Starting next year, you'll see it twice in Coeur d'Alene: A half-tri in June and the full monty in August.

Not only has most of the work been done by unpaid workers, but businesses and the Coeur d'Alene Chamber have prettied up the financial package even more by subsidizing the event. The folks at World Triathlon Corp. aren't stupid, and neither are the new owners, whose company is headed by the richest man in China. With ridiculously low operating costs supplemented by high entry fees and by other willing subsidizers, Ironman has crafted a model that most in the business world can only envy because they can't emulate it.

We point this out in an attempt to paint a more complete picture than Ironman fans and detractors might typically imagine. Yes, Ironman creates a thrill throughout the community that has few peers among local events. On the other foot, there's no shortage of locals who run the other way when they see Ironman coming, knowing it's going to clog downtown Coeur d'Alene for several days and make area travel challenging on race day.

Maybe someday we'll all look at this a little differently. How do you say, "Pay your own way, Ironman!" in Chinese?