I was talked into doing my first ironman in 1999, and did not really train for it. I had a base of 8 years of triathlon, however. I was cycling about 80 miles a week and running maybe 10. I rarely swim anymore. I did two 12 mile runs, and two 20 mile runs. I did a few centuries with some buddies. I swam during a few races. I went just under 11. That would be 6 hours a week, plus extra for the few longer training sessions I did. You may want to tell him 10-12 would be more realistic. And it is great just to finish an ironman, even in 17 hours, but walking an 8 hour marathon must suck at the time.

Regarding shortening the cutoff time? I suggest you spend the the last three hours of an ironman watching the finishline. I make an effort to get back there whenever I can. It is really cool to watch these people cross the line. Limping, dragging and suffering they get to the finish. In that last 200 meters they are superheros, running, jumping, carrying kids, beaming, doing the "Deon," and just acting the fool. Watch that and then tell me we should shorten the cutoff time.

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"Remember: a bicycle is an elegant and efficient tool designed for seeking out and defeating people who aren't as good as you."

--BikeSnobNYC

Just for the record, not everyone who finishes in the last hour are limping, dragging or suffering. Some of us just do not yet have speed.

And of your list: running, jumping, carrying kids, beaming, doing the "Deon," and just acting the fool, the only one I was doing was running.

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

I know where you are coming from. IM00 was my second tri ever, did a half a few months before. It was a long day IMC00, but I am still in the game and on for my 4th IM later this year, finished them all between 16-12 hrs plus. Now I try to discourage people signing up if they have never done a tri before or have done very few, simply because of my own experience, but recently I have been proved wrong by two friends.

One has never raced a tri or even a run race before but was up at IMC last yr to watch and got inspired! She signed up, one of her motivations, accordingy to her, was the fact that all the people who she hung out with that had done IM were so healthy and had such a positive attitude, she wanted some of the same.

Another had raced a bit on and off but was not very confident, again I asked her repeatedly if she was sure and in fact hung up on her when she first asked me to sign her up. I relented but I made her agree to some ground rules: no complaining, no negative comments, and that every time she got a bit sick it was not a sign she was going to die and have to take a month off to recover! :)

These two have proven me wrong so far; they got coaching and have trained hard and consistently. They are in great shape (physically and mentally) and I have no doubt will acquit themselves really well on race day no matter what the actual result. Also they appear to be shaping up to stay in the sport for the long run. They are not in the 5-4hr training category, more like the 10-15hrs a week, so in a way they are paying their dues in the pool and the open road.

I will be rooting hard for them on race day.

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Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??

"I know someone that plans on doing an Ironman as there first triathlon this year. They plan on spending about 4-5 hours a week training"

Here's the other extreme. I've done three olympic distance tris and want to do my first ironman. Due to money reasons, I'm planning on doing Lake Placid in 2005. I have 114 weeks of training to go. I assume I'm going to have one heck of a base and I better break 13 hours! :)

>You always care most about things you have the most
>of your time and self vested in. That is something the
>person training only 5hrs will never understand

That doesn't follow. Maybe he cares quite a lot about something having nothing to do with triathlon, and invests his heart and soul and time into it. He might very well understand those concepts, just not applied to the exact same things you apply them to, right?

I mean, geez, this poor 5-hrs-a-week-motherf**ker is sure taking a beating here. Responses have gone from along the lines of "gosh, that doesn't sound like the best plan for success, really" to something like "your obvious lack of development as a fully-realized human being saddens me".

Well, somebody has to defend him....
Vive le 5-hr-mofo!

You are absolutely right.Actually was defending Him,just did not come out right. I was referring just to IM. In His Life with family ect.. He may be getting more out of life than I ever will. Thanks for the correction.

Good point

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Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??

"Responses have gone from along the lines of "gosh, that doesn't sound like the best plan for success, really" to something like "your obvious lack of development as a fully-realized human being saddens me". ...

For example:
"I guess my question or complaint would be for those that are 30 years old, thin, all the time in the world, and they go out finish the ironman in 16 hours 59 minutes, get the tatoo and then go about there daily lives but tell everyone they meet that they did an ironman."

I'm with pyker on this one. Face it, there are people who can do an Ironman tomorrow with no training. I am not one of them. I'm the 4-5 hour a week guy right now and am just hoping for MOP in an Oly. But I don't think the gifted guy (or woman)who could finish an Ironman on a whim is any less an "Ironman" than someone who trained night and day for two years and made triathlon a lifestyle. This isn't Mt. Everest where a team of Sherpas can haul a reasonably fit person up the mountain just so they can say they did it. There is no one on the Ironman course with them.

I should be no more upset with this person than I am with Alex Rodriguez because I don't have his innate baseball talent. I could let it bother me and enjoy baseball and triathlons a lot less. Instead, I look at what I get out of it and am very pleased with myself. If I can ever find a few hours a week to train I may eventually do an Ironman and, trust me, I will have earned it. If someone else having the title of "Ironman" without "earning" it gives me a problem, the problem is with me and not them.

Sometimes you DON'T get out of things what you put in.

I've been training for my first IM race in Idaho at the end of June. I've been on a coached program for 6 months and have trained about 15 hr a week average. My goal is to finish this race just like Heather Gollnick finished IM Wisconsin last year .... with a cartwheel over the finish line.

Oh wait.....I don't know how to do a #*%darned cartwheel! :) Nevermind...I want to finish like Julie Moss.

Seriously....in my mind anyone who wants to check it off their list is fine with me. Who really cares? Triathlon isn't exactly a team sport ya know. My only concern with newbies at big races is the whole rules and how to ride issues.

I did it having never ridden a bike over 10 miles at any one time before the race. Others in the same race had purchased their bikes the week before the race. I finished in 16:30 and was a top 10 finisher. Hmmm. I guess I am not much of an IM in your eyes, even though if it were not for people like me you wouldn't be one either. And, if it weren't for John Collins making sure that some spots were always available for "ordinary" people, they probably could have a 14 hours cut off and we could all go to bed early.

Somehow, I think you have missed the spirit of this event. Sad.

Frank

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

Actually what you have is what I want and why I picked this as a goal. "Never rode more than ten miles and did an IM." I am having doubts and just rode the distance. I wished I had that confidence. I am looking to learn that by this experiance. I am sure that was not a gift for you either but was something you learned somewhere. Is not this the "Spirit " to be learned and shared. Not the time of finish.

Well put. It takes a lot more sheer guts and mental fortitude to finish in 17 hours than it does in 11 prepared or not. My first triathlon was an Ironman. 3 months before the race hit a dog and got a 3rd degree AC dislocation and couldn't swim or run for a month, came back too soon and got an SI injury and took another month off from running. Finished in 11:43. Wasn't properly prepared and didn't "pay my dues" so I guess I'm not in the club either.