Shirin Gerami is the first female to officially represent Iran to take part in the Ironman World Championship.

By representing her country and respecting Islamic culture, Gerami agreed to respect the rules and regulations of Iran, which requires women to be covered in public settings.

Shirin Gerami completed the Ironman World Championship in 13 hours and 11 minutes.

^[4]

She also made the headlines in 2013 by becoming the first female representative of Iran to take part in sport's world championship in London.

The 26-year-old Shirin had to go through the same kind of intensive, regimented, several-months-long training commitment that the other athletes did — plus the actual 140.6 miles of strenuous exercise (in a hijab).

She also had to work against the odds and her nation's government just to be there.

^[9]She swam 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and ran 26.2 miles in 90-degree heat being covered from top to bottom.