anything is possible.....hes already paid up, so he might as well go for it.

its not like you cant get off the ride...if he gets there and DNFs so be it. If he slogs around the course in 17 hrs that is pretty slow moving and wouldn't be all that taxing physically. ( a bike tour and a long walk)...he'll survive it.

If he has no swim background, you might be generous in assuming he can swim a 400 (let alone at 2:00/100).

In five months he could do IMOO, but he'll be walking most of the marathon. He just needs to be able to swim the 3800 without getting totally gassed, get in some local centuries, and a walk/jog 13.1. Not saying it'll be pretty, but he could finish.

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x2. I don't know what the big deal is. It's not like he's going to lose his house if he DNFs.

I once heard there are no stupid questions, just stupid people. Apparently, that's true.

I think this is your real question.

The answer is no. Its not your decision.

Let him figure it out as he starts the training process.

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"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)

He should be able to finish, but it wont be pretty. If he can get through the swim, paces the bike right (ie very, very slowly) and walks the marathon he'll be "fine".

I'm not really sure why some people feel the need to torture themselves to prove some point. The only thing that going from couch potato to IM finisher proves is that said athlete is stubborn as hell and has a tendency towards stupid decisions that reek of narcissism. It's not some grand show of athleticism. I've seen a senior citizen with one leg cross the finish line with time to spare. Most 29 year olds should be able to finish, should they have the mental fortitude to suffer through the day (and through what will surely be an unpleasant training experience, if he chooses to train).

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Long Chile was a silly place.

Despite his youth, he sounds like a swim fatality in the making.

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Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

Here is my story, 26, got my first real bike about 3 months before Ironman Wisconsin - biked casually in high school and college to get somewhere. Ran 1 cross-country season in high school and part of a season of track. I was an on-call medical device rep in crazy territory during the summer of 06 so only rode it inside mostly. Had a decent base in running coming in but never had a coach a plan etc, learned to swim about 10 months out from the race. In 2006 I went 10:50x, it rained all day, I swam something like 1:12, rode 5:4x, ran 3:4x.

Here are my thoughts, never underestimate a hockey player. From my experience they can build good top-end and endurance doing that sport. So can he go from couch to Ironman, absolutely. I think a person can go couch to KQ if they are super talented. It all just comes down to motivation and consistency.

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I would stay staying healthy is his biggest concern.

Putting out a big workload and being consistent aren't all that hard. Keeping injury free while ramping up to IM distances is going to be more challenging.

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"Whether you believe you can or you can't, you are right."

He could finish (he'd walk most of the marathon....) if he were disciplined and spent the next 5 months training consistently. However:

>>>with a constant diet of smokless tobacco and a 6 pack of beer

He's not disciplined and he won't train and he won't finish the swim, assuming he doesn't chicken out the night before the race.

The answer to the first question is definitive yes, but the answer to the second question is definitive no. Even with sufficient training an Ironman is brutal on your body. The level of damage is then a function of how well you trained and how hard you race. A person well trained that goes easy can come away with minimal damage. Without training, and without knowing your limits, damage is guaranteed, now just a question of how bad.

In terms of finishing it's a matter of answering three consecutive questions:
1. How beat up is he going to be after the swim? A lot of people come out of the water destroyed, nauseous, and completely drained. If you get on the bike without any energy in you, and you can't stomach any food, you're toast, game over. The good news is that the swim is only 3.8km, which for a person with a reasonable stoke just isn't that big a deal. So in 5 months with a few pool sessions and a couple of open water sessions he'll be fine.

2. Can he eat on the bike? Most people can't, and so most people do it wrong. The human body can only handle so many calories per hour, they need eat early and they need to eat often. Depending on the heat he'll also need a lot of liquids. Get this wrong and he'll either run out of energy before the end of the bike, or he'll bonk early into the run. The actual hard part of an Ironman is learning how to arrive at T2 ready for a marathon.

3. Is he willing to walk for 6.5 hours? The bike cutoff is 5:30 leaving 6 and half hours to walk a marathon. That is slightly faster than 15min per mile which means that if he uses all his time on the swim and bike he'll need to run/walk for 6.5 hours to finish. I personally wouldn't want to do that. A lot of things started to happen when you're walking that long, particularly blisters. People that haven't run marathons, even with a lot of endurance background, are often caught off guard by how brutal 26.2 miles can be.

The good news is that from what you've told us, he won't be the least trained person on the course, which should tell you something.

Lmao he's fuckin retarded, he might be able to make the cut off time not much better

As much as we slowtwitchers like to overanalyze all of this - simple "completion" of an Ironman for someone not too old and not too fat is really not that big of a deal, given a reasonable level of training. Sure he might roll in around 16:50, but most people can "complete". Is that an accomplishment worthy of any praise? We can debate that, sure. But can he cross the finish line in time? I would say it is likely.

Will he enjoy it? That is a different question and I would say he is in for a miserable and very long day.

My $.02... i say encourage the hell out of him, help him, give him pointers, help him find a good training plan, make sure he knows the difference between sore muscles and actual over training issues. I look at it as he's a guy that's a bit overweight, probably not in the best shape and if he spends the summer trying to whip himself into shape... even if he DNF's... hell even if he DNS's he comes out ahead just by getting himself in better shape and hopefully making some healthier choices. You never know, something like this could be one of those life changing moments for someone.

Absolutely. I watched one stay on the ice for at least 2 minutes once.

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If he can swim a 400 2:00/100 right now he should be able to get through the swim. In my experience, swim distance comes easy. 8:00/400 isn't fast but it at least shows he can swim a little bit. If he can't do 200 - 400 now without stopping that would seem to show he can't really swim. And an only moderately interested person will have a tough time learning to swim and do the other training in only 5 months.

If he hasn't ridden at all he will truly enjoy the experience of rubbing holes in his crotch 20 miles into a 100 mile ride. But getting through 112 miles isn't impossible. 7:30+ hours gives a lot of leeway. But an only moderately interested person will say fuck it when it is time to do a 4 or 5 hour ride in July and August heat.

It takes 6:09:38 to walk an IM marathon with a hurt foot (ask how I know). It sucks and it hurts. Unless you really really want to finish you will say fuck it. But if you get off the bike and haven't completely fucked up your nutrition, 6:30+ hours to walk a marathon is plenty. In fact, for his purposes I might not suggest running much at all, he's going to walk the marathon anyway, may as well concentrate on riding. And get used to long ass walks when he is completely knackered.

If you assume someone can swim and are motivated, they can finish an IM in 5 months. I actually think almost anyone can finish within a year if they are properly motivated. But if you aren't actually motivated, you'll bag it long before race day.

I say encourage the shit out of him. Get him excited about it. Then ridicule him when he gives up and see if you can make him cry.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

ever underestimate a hockey player. From my experience they can build good top and end and endurance doing that sport.


Absolutely. I watched one stay on the ice for at least 2 minutes once.


But have you ever tried it?

Give it a try and report back.

it all depends on the swim. if he can cover the swim distance he should be able to finish . for just finish people its more mental then fitness . I did a sprint race after losing 20kg then won a charity auction entry to IM melb 10 weeks before start day . I avg only 9hrs a week training . longest ride was 111km and run 30km . avg 4.5 sessions a week . I found swimming not to bad and finished in 1:20 . bike I shredded a clincher and had to wait 30min for a repair car and lost 30min more in the toilets (found out body cant handle that many gels) and took another 7hrs on top of that to finish bike . run started well doing 21km in 2:10 but then felt dizzy and had huge blister so walked last half of run as I just wanted to finish . finished in 15:30 and felt like crap for a week but after losing 30kg in less then a year and always wanting to do a ironman I was happy to cross it of my bucket list .

My answer is: let him try, it'll teach him something.

I have no idea how he'll do. What he learns will depend on how he does.

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

it all depends on the swim. if he can cover the swim distance he should be able to finish


I agree. For a young guy to finish an Ironman isn't that hard, as long as he knows how to swim. I have no idea why someone would do it, there are far better things to do with your time if you are not really interested in triathlons but in terms of being able to do it, of course.

Lol, best answer. ;)

I too was wondering about the 2:00/100m swim time.....find it hard to believe given how you describe him (in reply to OP)
But yeah, 17 hours is a long time, I bet he can finish as long as he doesn't drown.

I have no idea what his overall athletic prowess is, but in a sport where genetics plays a big part I'd never underestimate the impact it has on success. In the early 90's I pulled a talented former h.s. swimmer off the couch to a few triathlons. On a borrowed MTB in running shoes he was on the OA podium in every race. Raced a few more times that summer and said he was bored with it and went back to golf and scratching his nuts on the couch watching tv. I have no doubts if he put his nose into this game in 2015 with all this tech, coaching etc he be a FOP threat in a heartbeat. If he does enter please update us!

Guys I would like to thank you for all your input and hope all enjoyed their Saturday rides! Update on this is he is buying a bicycle at Performance today so we will see what comes of it. I have absolutely encouraged him I just worry that he might be biting off more than he can chew. Most of you are correct. A moderately in shape 29 year old should finish no problem. I might be generous on that 2:00/ 100m pace on a 400 meter swim but we will find that out soon.

I'd be happy to keep you guys posted! (Well see how that hockey player mentality works out!)


Oh and DJRed.... I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say you forgot to post your comment in pink.