In 1980, Dave Scott went to the island of Oahu to race the third ever Ironman Triathlon. In both 1978 and 1979, there were 15 starters and 12 finishers. After an article on the event appeared in Sports Illustrated in the spring of 1979, the number of entries ballooned up to 108 in 1980, which would be the last year the event was held on Oahu.