cestmoi wrote:
I've noticed there's an interesting category of triathlete out there: people who are very good pure runners but MOP as triathletes. I'm very interested in this as to why??? When i say good runner, I mean someone who can run a sub 3-hr marathon (by itself), but the same person as a triathlete comes MOP for their age category. I can understand maybe they grew up running on a track or xc team, so maybe they aren't as skilled at swimming (which is like a lot of triathletes), but the running aerobic ability doesn't seem to help with cycling. I know of 3-4 people like this, even across genders. They are good runners, but even despite committing hard to swim and cycle training, their ability doesn't cross into SBR. I'm thinking of what it takes to run a 3 hr - you have to have a good aerobic engine and leg strength it would seem. So that same aerobic engine doesn't translate into a fast triathlete? Let's rule out that they don't put effort into swimming or cycling, as I'm sure there a percentage of runners who fall into this category.This is an old thread but it struck a cord so I am going to add my two pennies worth.
I can run a 1hr 23min half marathon so I would think I could fit the qualifier of a sub 3hr marathon.
I trained 8 months for my first triathlon and was in the best shape of my life when I did that race. When I started triathlons my swim rankings were around the top 60-70%, my bike ranks were the top 30-40% and my run ranks were the top 10-20%. 6 Years later my swim times are top 25-35%, my bike times are top 5-10% and my run times are top 2-3%.
So...when I started out I was very much middle of the pack. I was a front of the pack runner but as all know if you are only front of the pack in one discipline you end up middle of the pack.
I have moved to the front of the pack after 6-7 years of triathlon training. Full Ironman Triathletes train and average of 14 hours a week marathon runner only train an average of 6 hours a week. So runners aren't going to be able to hang with pure triathletes. They don't have the base or fitness. give them the base and fitness and without being really any faster at all in their open marathon time they can move from top 10% on the run to top 2% on the run and with that fitness they can improve quite a bit in cycling and swimming too but for me I still know I am not going to be the fastest bike split any any given race even if I win over all and I know that I am going to have to run fast to catch all the guys that were already peddling hard before I was even out of the water.