My first tri was an all-women's tri. It was fantastic for a newbie to get their feet wet in the sport. Definitely was much more low-key than what you're describing, but tons and tons of support throughout the entire race.

Personally, I would skip this race as that kind of thing doesn't appeal to me, but if the race directors want to do it and think that it's a good thing, then I have no problem with it. I think most people understand that not all women are princesses.

If you feel so passionately about it, then maybe you need to put on your own race? :)

Well...I see both sides of this one. I agree that the charity should be first and foremost - but if its working and they're attracting a lot of participation, maybe its a good thing and a sign that women in the area do like pink/girly "stuff"?

I've done several women-only triathlons and I've found them to be a lot of fun and very refreshing. Good competition, yet not big egos. I found it nice (yet somewhat funny) that people were apologizing for bumping into each other during the swim. There was definitely alot of pink at these events, but nothing too overboard.

I personally like pink and other girly colors, but I know that not all women do. I suppose one option might be to offer participants a choice between say the hot pink shirt and maybe a white, gray or black one at the time of registration? Though that does cause a logistical nightmare.

It sounds like marketing to get people to do the event - and if it's "working"...
but I can dig your feelings. It does sound over the top. I don't need that much 'pink princess' in my life. I've never been a 'girly girl'...

Let us know what happens during and how you feel after the event. Maybe it's not so bad?
See how some of the others react.

I won't let anything pink touch my bike. ;-)

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

I like pink shirts and race a 70.3 in a pink tutu every year. I'm that girl.
I guess you lived and learned, and learned that you don't enjoy those types of events - which is okay. Maybe your idea about just giving money to the cause and not participating would make more sense for you in the future.

Also, how do you know it was "dumbed down" by all of the pink for everyone? My guess is that someone in the target audience was attracted to the pink/women's-only nature of the event and ended up donating money they wouldn't have otherwise. Isn't that the point? It's just marketing. Tactics work on some people and not others.

I have a custom painted pink Cervelo....

And lots of pink clothing.

To each, her own.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

be thankful that some of the proceeds goes towards the shelter. It's not always the case. And more and more it's not the case, not even for women's only events. They are just money making events for the people who put them on.

And I don't like pink either.

I have done only one pink party and was not amused because there was too much "girl power" floating in the air for my liking. If a pink party is around to raise money for a local charity, I am all for it but think, rather than running/walking around in such colors, awareness and hands on volunteering should be made. Women are in shelters for various reason who need a friend more so than others getting dolled up on their behalf.

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DISH is how we do it.

I love pink & I wear it all the time! In fact, I am an Administrator at a outpatient surgical center & probably 50% of my "work" clothes are also pink oriented. ;-)

This is the bike I get the most compliments on.

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Awww, Katy's not all THAT evil. Only slightly evil. In a good way. - JasoninHalifax

It's a sweet old school ss, just so happens to have some pink... I'm not convinced!

Indy Fab? Nice ride.

Spot Brand. And thanks, its probably my favorite bike. But my new DH bike is on its way so....

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Awww, Katy's not all THAT evil. Only slightly evil. In a good way. - JasoninHalifax

Spot! Cool. Don't see many of those any more. It's a keeper.

Thanks for your input.

My original post was not a rant against choosing pink as a color to wear, or to decorate your bike with. Please, wear your tutus and pink outfits if it makes you feel good.

It is a rant against what, apparently, pink symbolizes in the business (scene) of all-women's racing. Or at least, this event in particular.

15% of the proceeds go to the shelter. The rest walks away in the pocket of the woman putting on the event. It is true that nonprofit events are basically extinct, and at least there is some charity involved.

The race is Sunday and I am going to keep an open mind and report back.

Thanks again.

I like pink when it's for sarcasm.

I would address your comments, anonymously or not, to the RD after the race (in a letter, not race day) and point out that you would hope a larger percent of the donated $ could go to the shelter rather than the "party activities."

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Spot! Cool. Don't see many of those any more. It's a keeper.

What do you mean? Spot is still making bikes. Their 29ers are pretty awesome with the belt drive.

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Awww, Katy's not all THAT evil. Only slightly evil. In a good way. - JasoninHalifax

I mean I don't see many of those any more! I know they're still around. The original guy is apparently building bikes out of Squamish now. I think he may have also worked with Chris Dekerf before. I saw him at Dekerf's shop a couple of years ago. Nice guy.
Anyway, back to your 26 SS bike. Very cool. I hope you hang on to it. The 29 er craze may be giving way to the 650 B craze sooner rather than later. One day, our 26 HTs may be fashionable again. It's all good, though. Whatever gets people out on bikes more.
I am intrigued by the belt drives. I've seen a few up close, but I haven't ridden one. The low maintenance aspect is appealing.

That is one sweet bike.

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When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, you suffer.
Dan

I helped co-organize a fundraiser to raise money and awareness for a family violence shelter in Northern Canada.
Originally, it was meant to be an all-female group of cyclists riding 1200 miles from Yellowknife to Edmonton.
We had a lot of discussions about our branding, colour-selection, etc. It was felt that purple was more the colour that could be associated with the cause.
In the end, money talks. So, if having a princess party raises the most money in that setting, so be it. In SF, having studly men in nice suits handing out Tiffany necklaces at the end of the marathon certainly helps the event sell-out every year!
In our case, with an extreme event in a smaller, remote community - opening up the event to male participants helped us leverage our ties in the community to allow the most fund-raising.
You can see the design my friend put together for the event on our website banner http://www.freedomcycleyk.com/
I thought her design was a very beautiful and elegant way of capturing the cause (I love her stylized representation of the Northern lights...) - with just hints of pink and purple...
We ended up raising over $60k directly for the women's shelter.

if it's good enough for zdenek stybar, pink should be good enough for anyone ;D

AGAIN:: this is not a rant against pink being "good enough" as the color of choice for you bike/accessories/clothing!

It is a rant against how pink is marketed to women athletes, and how this all-women's event is particular I was signed up for is flooded in hot pink and semi-lame promotional sayings on the website like, "I run for the cute t-shirt" and "water proof mascara is OMG awesome" and "I run to impress the boys." I was curious if ALL all-women's events are like that, in your vast experience.

UPDATE to follow!

UPDATE!!!

Race was today.

I did it. It was a giant parade of pink. Pink balloons, pink mile markers and 95% of the field was dressed in pink. I just wore a white shirt and black shorts, and there were a few others "dressed down" like me too. Nobody gave me any bad looks for not wearing pink.

There were some fast women, I think two ladies broke 18min in the 5k. There were about 50% walkers. The race was very supportive of all speeds, shapes and sizes, which I can certainly appreciate. People cheered me on (and everyone on), although the ladies in butterfly wings and pink lingerie certainly got more hoots than I did. :) {< that was a semi-sarcastic smiley face, but indeed the outfits were....creative.}

The bright pink shirts were the hot item and very important to many of the racers. They were picked up at the end, and most women put them on right after. I gave mine to my friend's daughter. I just can't wear it, it's not me.

In the end, the energy of the event was very positive and it got a ton of people out there walk/running 3.1 miles who otherwise likely wouldn't have, which is a good thing.

I don't think I would do it again. Who I am is not someone who particularly enjoys being out there in the pink parade. But I can say I tried!

Final thought #1: I'm happy to say I have the choice- to never wear pink and never do another all-women's race again if that's what I want! Also happy that women who only want to wear pink and only want to do all-women's races also have a choice to do so if they please.

Final thought #2: Donating clothes this week to the women's shelter. Going to write to race director and suggest that next year she has bins for clothing donation to the shelter. There was virtually no mention of the shelter at the race.

I agree with you that the 'pink it and shrink it' approach to female athletes is sometimes a bit offputting, especially for those of us who don't care for the color (although I do have pink handlebar tape on my road bike) all that much.

I would have been offended at the embracing of sexist stereotypes ("Mascara is awesome" is just offensive), so it's not just you.

I've only been to one all female event and it wasn't even remotely like that. I think I would have just donated the money to the womens' shelter and skipped the princess party, but hopefully you'll have fun.

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http://aclockworkmango.com

totally see your point on the pinkness...meaning the event should be creating awareness of the issue at hand instead of a pink party!
looks like some $$ was raise and people got moving-a win. I like the suggestion to contact the RD and make some suggestions for the future to bring more awareness and help to the shelter.

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Team Rev 3 Triathlon

Oh just be thankful you don't like in a country where it is like this ALL the time. I'm in Japan and I swear to god everything sports related here for women is.... pink. Or pink with dolka dots. Gag. I hate pink. I prefer black. I dislike the "cuteness" of women only events and women's sports in general in this country. Often think "This is why men don't take use seriously" when it comes to sports - at least in Japan. Though yes, the heart is in the right place, it gets women off their butts and going but wow, it makes me roll my eyes and vow to be the only one wearing all black to events. I get that others like the colour but why does pink have to be shoved down our throats? Why not green? Or yellow? Or purple?





I do admit to owning a hot pink running jacket but that is because it is was 50% off and they didn't have my size in the black one. My husband nearly died laughing when he saw me in it the first time. Whatever. It's warm.

+1.

I also can't stand the pink marketing to female athletes. Give us choices. If there's a charity involved, keep it at the forefront and raise awareness. I'd like to think it's possible to have the fun and inclusiveness of a "pink party"-type event without catering to stereotypes. A far as existing evetns, Irongirl does a pretty decent job and I'll admit I love the dressed-up stuffed duck that I got for racing. A decent amount of pink but also blue and certainly nothing like the mascara signs. Lozilu is a new series that is a women-only mud run. Haven't been to one yet or heard from anyone who has, but the marketing looks much better. I know the founders and they're all young, fun, grounded people (and Lauren is FAST!).

Personally, I like to feel like a bada** when I'm out racing, not a princess... but as others have said, to each her own... :)

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Twitter | Blog

grrr... can't stand pink!! it also reallllly frustrates me that women's track pants don't have pockets to shove your hands in on cold mornings standing around waiting for races because heaven forbid you put something in the pocket and make your hips look bigger!!!!
I'm not a frilly fru fru kind of girl (except when it comes to shoes... small obsession there... ahhh Jimmy/Louboutin...drool)... and i really can't stand that all the marketing for women's stuff and events is pink and cutesy... i thought i was alone in that so nice to hear that i'm not the only one. it would be good for marketing companies and clothing designers to consider that things need to fit our shape (i.e. cater to hips and boobs) but not necessarily "shrink and pink" - i do love that expression!
thanks for the support girls!
happy triathloning! :)

Can we loop all things flowery into the pink genre?

Why do all women's jerseys apparently need floral themes? It's like the world apparently needs to see us in pink & flowers in order for any/everyone to remember that we are women? Or for us to remind ourselves?

I just want a semi-plain, reasonably colored cycling jersey. Just a jersey people....no pink, purple or flowers. I just don't get it.

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AW

It is called MONEY! While many of us don't like that pink floral crap, others do and will spend a lot of money on it which is why it won't go away any time soon.

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DISH is how we do it.

Lots of us wear pink when we compete because it's just another color. That's it. No ulterior motive.
Others wear it as a way to exult in their identity as a woman...it's something we can do that distinguishes us from the mens. It's ours and ours alone.
And some of us, myself included, avoid it for that very reason. My identity...the way I want to be perceived...is "athlete", period. My gender isn't as important as my speed and toughness, and I don't feel fast and tough when I wear pink. So I choose other colors.

That being said, some of the fastest, toughest women I've raced wear pink. I often wonder if that's just what they happened to pack in their race bag, or if it's a conscious way they've chosen to express their identity as an athlete.

I feel the way about those ridiculous girly races as I do about the rash of mud runs lately. I have done them, and don't take them seriously as races, but they are fun as events. You gotta have fun with it; nobody does Race for the Cure hoping for a PR, at least not in Seattle. Same with the Athleta Iron Girl. If you want to do the 10k, you'll have a fantastic first lap, but about 6k in, you're constantly dodging overweight walking, race t-shirt wearing princess pink tiaras. With strollers, and dogs and kids and their five friends from work they convinced to come out and do it. The first time, I got irritated at the race directors for the poor planning, since it's a flat fast course and I was trying to go under 39, but then I thought shit, these ladies are all out here, all of them are at least making some kind of attempt to finish this race and maybe that walker is working just as hard as I am, and we're both out here doing this thing. After that rush of comraderie passes, the t-shirts suck, I don't wear mascara, and for christ's sake, I do not want a super tight v-cut dryfit shirt that shows off what are closer to pecs than boobs. But, my sister lost her 5k 'virginity' and we had an awesome time watching moms and grandmas and all the ladies in between finish their first or second or 50th race and it was uplifting....for what it was. Yeah it's ridiculous, just like it's ridiculous for a bunch of Starbucks-chugging yuppies flounder around in the mud and over obstacles that are just trying too hard to be obstacles, but it's fun. For them. I've got a couple trail races that could put Survivor Zombie Spartan Sprint through the wringer, but that's not why we go to these things. I think, donate directly to your cause if you want to avoid the princess party, but don't downplay the heft that fun can have and celebrate all those ridiculous couch to 5kers out there making the effort.
As far as pink and shrink goes, it's just as bad on the other side. Might as well call it "enlarge and darken". Gender-based marketing is totally freaking ridiculous IMHO, I'll take functional of any color.

This would be why I bought a couple of the Twin Six women's jersey's with skulls on them :)