Strange first post. Not sure I believe this story. I almost have never heard anything like that from anyone.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

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USAT Level II- Ironman U Certified Coach

Agreed. I don't think I've encountered that kind of response.

I try to avoid bringing up triathlon because of the opposite... people tend to think completing an olympic is heroic, or that it's somehow more or nobler than a pretty time-consuming and self-centered hobby.

I would agree with ^^^^. As soon as people hear the actual distances that are covered, people look at me like I am off my rocker. Most even say "You find this fun? You have like a couple of days to do this right?"

I can't remember the last time I heard a "Oh I could probably do that." comment when it come to tris let a alone an IM.

I think there are two possibilities:

1) You are coming across as full of yourself and people are putting you in your place.

2) You are surrounded by an unusually high percentage of insecure jerks who are strikingly good at inferring that you have recently completed an ironman.

In discerning between these two, I think the aphorism about how if you encounter an asshole, you encountered an asshole, but if everyone you encounter is an asshole, perhaps you're the asshole might provide useful guidance. My two cents, anyway.

I get some good responses... but usually shock. Like I said... I don't bring the topic up... it comes to me. The comments are from people with alpha-personalities... or think they are. Thank you for validating why I did not want to attach this to my other account.

Shrug and walk away? Say Ok and change the subject? ''Go ahead try, I'll cheer you on and support you''.

Why do you care about what they say? It's a hobby and you might inadvertently say stupid things about other people's hobby only due to lack of knowledge.

I have heard similar comments. So I don't second guess the op.

Obviously, you should agree with whatever these people say, and respond that you don't take them seriously but do them for fun with some of your spare time.

Pretty clear you've surrounded yourself with assholes. May be time to take a look at some of your life choices that have led you to these people.

Or perhaps the wardrobe consisting of an m-dot hat, finisher shirt, m-dot shorts, m-dot shoes, visible m-dot tattoo, medal, and months-old transition bracelet you were still wearing along with constantly mentioning to everyone that you did an Ironman is finally getting some blowback.

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Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

lol... true... I should get a divorce...
I have never worn any of that around the repeat offenders. My wife wants me to get the M-dot tattoo... I'm shore that would go over real well...

I've been doing them for 17 years and looking at me you would never guess I'm a triathlete. I've never heard anything like these comments. Either you're making this up or you hang around a lot of shitty people.

The day before I did my first Ironman, my mother (who happens to have been a child psychologist her whole career) said to me, "I don't understand why you want to waste so much time doing this." I told her there were a lot worse things I could be doing with my free time, and her response was, "Well, I suppose you could be doing drugs in your free time, but that's the only thing that would be worse."
Around that same time frame she also told me that I was going to mess up my body and never be able to get pregnant, that I would get big muscles so everyone would think I'm a lesbian and nobody would want to marry me, etc.
Everyone else in my life seems very supportive, though.

Interesting; I’ve never heard anything of the sort. And I have a hard time buying that a newcomer just happens to make a first post as starting a thread that will just dovetail so perfectly with the race kits at packet pickup one. It’s just chum for the water (please no shark attacks on Saturday).

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Good to hear from someone else whose mother was similar to mine. Hell, she thought I spent way too much time when just i swam 1 to 1.5 hr/day, 7 days/wk, let alone once i started triathlons. Obv being a guy I did not get the negative female-specific comments but rather she was always saying how i should be playing golf and doubles tennis to schmooze and work my way up the corporate ladder. Well, all i can say is fark golf and tennis and fark the ladder. She is deceased now so i no longer have to listen her constant sniping.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Knowing what I know of parents, she’d have found something to disapprove of no matter what you did. You’re either proud and supportive of your kids or you aren’t, and you can find reasons for either.

My dad said I was spending too much time training and would never meet a girl; I’m now playing Sherpa for my wife at Kona. Her mother is much like yours.

Sorry you have to deal with that.

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Exactly what I was going to write.

The only people that I know that would attract those kinds of comments are the type that drone on about their achievements, plaster their pre-race, race, post-race photos all over Facebook/Wankagram etc It's unlikely that all these people are assholes. Perhaps that is the case and you're unlucky? Who knows. Maybe just have a rethink about how you portray yourself on social media and to friends/family when it comes to triathlon. People appreciate humility and self-deprecation. Be self-critical and self analytical. Have a think about what you could be doing wrong as opposed to thinking these people are wrong. And I concur with others, I have never heard a non-triathlete claim they could do an Ironman or they are easy. All of them are staggered at the distances and times.

After I completed my 2nd marathon, I was at my in-laws with my wife. I didn't bring up the subject and he said "I've completed a marathon"... to which his wife said "no you didn't". I could see he was irritated. I never brought up anything I have done. I have made it a point to not tell people what I have done... After completing my 4th marathon and going under 4 hours, my father-in-law takes me in his car and tells me how he could beat me at a marathon..." with frustration in his voice. From what I have learned he has gone on about all his past athletic achievements... with everybody, however I don't think he has ever run further than 5 miles in his life.

Perhaps my writing and the assumed responses to it paints the picture best... I come across not matching up. I look inferior and since people like to establish a pecking order they hate what I am doing. I don't have to say a word about anything. Here is another for you... for my first IM, people at work placed bets on whether I would finish or not. But I don't think this is anything as bad as those other remarks.

Yes, looks like you never just casually drop all our marathons and IMs in conversation. :)

Just giving you a hard time.

I have heard them. Usually they are from individuals who are open sport of some type that typically assume because they are/were fast at one type of event, then they should extrapolate that they would be good at all three.

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Are you very overweight? This is the only explanation I can think of.

No... thin.

Well, I've never done a full, but my peeps would not know a full from a half from an oly from a marathon or a color run. I get the blank stare with a half smile. And mostly I get confusion. What are the parts of a Tri? Is that what my neighbor did once? How long is it supposed to take? The meanest I've ever gotten is 'why aren't you skinny as a rail with all that exercise?' Food. Food is why. Food makes fat. Excercise makes fitness.

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Hillary Trout
San Luis Obispo, CA

Your trip is short. Make the most of it.
https://www.slogoing.net/

Not quite sure why you wouldn't want to attach this to your other account especially if you've been a respectful poster on that account. It might have actually been taken more seriously if you had, just saying.

That being said, yea, I've had some negative comments after running a ultra. The thing is that they mostly come from a small minority of people who are just plain losers and negative about almost anything. I actually have more then a few people who are way overweight that seem to be quite proud of me when I'm running a lot of races.

For the ones that are negative, that just drives me to run/bike more and at a higher level.

FWIW I run trails, mostly 50k or less, never have done a tri.

H20Fun... is that you?

I'd recommend getting at least three Ironman tattoo's to let people know you're wanting to be taken seriously regarding the sport.

No one cares what you did, ironman or something else entirely. Well, your family and your real friends might care. No one else cares. If they pretend they have an opinion about it you ought to pretend you give a shit about their fake opinions.

Cant really believe this!

I never hear those kind of comments, only "that is a lot of time to use on a sport " and "omg i would never be able to do even half of that".

But im a little suspicious of your post, why would you double post it to reddit too?

https://www.reddit.com/r/triathlon/comments/75y4vn/uplifting_comments_after_completing_an_ironman/

Or all the stickers on the car?

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

This right here. Who told you this or why do you think this? You have to work out the self-esteem or self-image problem before you can expect others to change their outlook toward you.

Who told them you were doing an IM? If it wasn't you, you have to have a talk with your cheerleaders and get them to lay off. A second way to deal with this is to ask to get in on the betting.

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Less is more.

For reference outside of my friends that also do Triathlon I really don't talk about it much. The only time I bring it up is if I have to turn down an invitation to something due to either training or family constraints. I also do not do any social media unless you consider slowtwitch social media. So in short I can totally believe what the OP is saying.

You clearly need a new father-in-law.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I can appreciate the commitment. Maybe not the execution, but that's an A+ for commitment.

This right here. And, put your money on "not" finishing. Nothings more disarming than self-deprecation.

Change your motto: "I do IM for the goodies in the Medical Tent!"

That's very odd. I usually just get very good responses.

The only occasion that someone actually says something remotely similar to that is when a weekend warrior who has completed a couple Half marathons in, say, 1h45, asks about my last HIM run split. When I say something like 1h38, I have heard more than once "yeah, that's an ok pace."

Strange. By chance, is this the same cat that was fired by his coach for not enough trucker hat? :)

You keep saying this

Which clearly does not jive with this

Nobody at my place of work would know that I did triathlons if I did not tell them. Even now, I will do races and just take some vacation days, and nobody knows I did a race. People don't just automatically assume you did an Ironman if you take a few days off of work. There is obviously more to this than you are divulging.

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Proud Member of Chris McDonald's 2018 Big Sexy Race Team "That which doesn't kill me, will only make me stronger"
Blog-Twitter-Instagram-Race Reports - 2018 Races: IM Florida 70.3, IM Raleigh 70.3, IM 70.3 World Championships - South Africa, IM North Carolina 70.3

This exactly.

Sometimes when I travel to races and people ask me why I am going XYZ I say I am going to just spend the weekend there with the wife.

Thank you letting me know you have another account. That's explicitly against forum rules. I've deleted this account accordingly.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

I was surprised how long that took.

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"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

He must've been otherwise engaged

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

People around work round up my exploits far more than I do

If someone is contemplating starting a C25K program I hear "Oh! You should talk to Randy! He does marathons and Ironmans and races bikes and shit like that"

"Um, no I don't, I just run a bunch, and bike a bit, and swim a little, but thanks for thinking of me"

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin