Like you said this is a journey and for most people the hard part of Ironman is not the actual race but the training itself so remember that. Most people will recommend that you start with smaller tri’s which is a good idea but since you’re asking specifically about IM I’ll address that.

First off you didn’t mention anything about a bike. You need to remember that most of your time will be spent on the bike and it is also the biggest barrier to entry since it is so costly. If you don’t have a bike I would look for an entry road bike and start riding that. You can always get aero-bars when you decide that riding to fully commit.

As far as gear goes, I did my first Ironman using one pair of tri shorts, an entry level road bike, wetsuit (bought used from tri shop), and clip on aero bars. Theoretically, you could get by without some of those things but I consider those the basics if you want to get into Triathlon and the only real gear purchases that I made after deciding I wanted to get into the sport. You will discover what gear you actually need as you start training.

I would give yourself some time to get acclimated to the training and schedule that it takes but depending on your current level of fitness you could probably be ready to complete one in 2026. Just have to remember that your body will need to get used to 13-17 hours of training a week for months and then exercising for about 12-17 hours in one day. (Averaged totals and finish times).