Nope, I'm a pretty normal dude. BCtrigirl regularly podiums her races, so she could brag if she wanted to, but we are both quiet people who don't understand why some feel the need to make the choice to scream "HEY EVERYONE IN CASE YOU DIDNT KNOW I RAN BOSTON" with their choice of clothing.

Like most things in life, do what you want, identify however you want, but for gods sake try to be a bit humble about it.

I don't know. Honestly the teck shirts I wear as layers under a jacket in cold weather, yard shirts, etc. Hoodies get worn around the house on occaision. Also, its one thing to wear a shirt. It's another to see a husband wife couple picking up their packet for the local charity sprint tri in matching Boston hats, full Boston track suits, shirts, shoes and IM socks. At that point Why not just wear your finishers medal too, or just carry around a sign that reads "IM AWESOME". It's ridiculous behaviour.

Unfortunately this is classic Slowtwitch. Life is too short to worry about judgmental people like you. Now people have to worry about what they wear to races just in case someone like you is going to disapprove?! Jeez... You would die if you went to a NASCAR race. All those posers! C'mon man. Some people love everything about the sport, including the swag, the medals, the race momorabilia, the apparel, everything. They are FANS of the sport and they love to wear it on their sleeve. Some even get tatoos, which I think is crazy, but hell who am I to tell them how fanatical they can or can't be about their sport. You come across as insecure since you obviously are making careful, meticulous decisions as to what you wear to races. "We wouldn't want to offend anybody! Goodness no..."
Let people enjoy their sport however they like. We'll never grow the sport if we don't let ourselves and others be fanatical about it without passing judgment about every little thing.

I don't think you can infer that those who wear an all-IM or all Boston attire are necessarily "bigger fans" than the guys who do not wear said attire. The IM/Boston folks are simply more show-off-ish, that's all. I think BC makes a valid point but I know how it is, gotta let people do what they wanna do, as long as they're not hurting anyone else:)[/quote]

Nah, it's more like we're in a sport that eats it's young. Don't you dare be excited about qualifying for Boston! That makes you a poser. This attitude is a huge turn off to the average joe. The average joe wants to be excited about a BQ or IM and wants to celebrate it but the elitism, which is worse in triathlon than running, is a huge turn off. I think it's super important that the average joe that thinks a 17 hour IM is the achievement of his life feel welcome in the sport. It's the average joe, the masses, that bring money and opportunity to the sport. I think I get what BCTriguy is trying to say and there will always be over the top people but I think it's healthy to have the full spectrum of participation in the sport, from crazy/annoying/haughty to super puritan/humble.

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http://dontletitdefeatyou.blogspot.com

Ones that I get...

"Ironman isn't as tough as everyone claims... right?"
"You train when you feel like it... right? " {you don't actually have to sacrifice time}
"You aren't really swimming because you wore a wetsuit"
"You had a long day out there." {compared to everyone else}
"Your time isn't improving so why bother doing more"
"I am sure if I trained I'd finish one too"

Any others?

Unfortunately this is classic Slowtwitch. Life is too short to worry about judgmental people like you. Now people have to worry about what they wear to races just in case someone like you is going to disapprove?! Jeez... You would die if you went to a NASCAR race. All those posers! C'mon man. Some people love everything about the sport, including the swag, the medals, the race momorabilia, the apparel, everything. They are FANS of the sport and they love to wear it on their sleeve. Some even get tatoos, which I think is crazy, but hell who am I to tell them how fanatical they can or can't be about their sport. You come across as insecure since you obviously are making careful, meticulous decisions as to what you wear to races. "We wouldn't want to offend anybody! Goodness no..."

Let people enjoy their sport however they like. We'll never grow the sport if we don't let ourselves and others be fanatical about it without passing judgment about every little thing.

Unfortunately this is classic Slowtwitch. Life is too short to worry about judgmental people like you. Now people have to worry about what they wear to races just in case someone like you is going to disapprove?! Jeez... You would die if you went to a NASCAR race. All those posers! C'mon man. Some people love everything about the sport, including the swag, the medals, the race momorabilia, the apparel, everything. They are FANS of the sport and they love to wear it on their sleeve. Some even get tatoos, which I think is crazy, but hell who am I to tell them how fanatical they can or can't be about their sport. You come across as insecure since you obviously are making careful, meticulous decisions as to what you wear to races. "We wouldn't want to offend anybody! Goodness no..."

Let people enjoy their sport however they like. We'll never grow the sport if we don't let ourselves and others be fanatical about it without passing judgment about every little thing.

Pretty standard human behavior. It's the "Tall Poppy Syndrome". People knocking others down a peg so they don't feel inferior to them. Sad, but typical.

I kind of stayed out of this thread but on this tangent wanted to share my thoughts. At this point I have done 31 IM's over 31 years of racing. so let's say "I have seen it all, and I have been varying degrees of that guy". I don't even own any Tshirts that are not race Tshirts. That's all I have because I race 5-10 times per year. It's all I wear, because why the heck would I buy MORE Tshirts. Most of the time, you won't see the Tshirt I am wearing because I live somewhere that is cold enough that I need a sweater for 9 months per year. But all summer, that's all I wear outside of work.

I personally think that finishing an IM is a big deal. in 2011 I had a fairly bad accident, from which I had to re learn how to walk, how to ride a bike, how to jog. Doing an IM seemed like an impossibility. For life long athletes, doing an IM may not seem to be that much of a challenge, but I always felt it was a challenge, but after 2011, it took on another meaning, I suppose I could relate a lot more with people who take it on as a life goal, overcome big obstacles and get it done and are very excited about their achievement and wear their gear around. I actually relate a lot more to that crew now than my peers that I have been racing at or near the front of my age group.

There is this one guy at my pool decked out in his IM Canada gear whenever I see him. Initially I did not realize he has a disability when he was in the water, but later saw that he can barely walk, but he is always smiling riding by in his aero gear whenever I see him riding. Damn right he is proud of his IMC gear. I am sure doctors told him to not even bother, yet he has finished one of the tougher IM courses around.

Since 2011, I did 11 more IM's. Once I got the gift back, I was determined to make the most of it, because you never know when it goes away. The wrong lightening bolt, the wrong bus turning into you on the bike, the wrong Cancer card and it's over.

Before some of you judge why someone is decked out head to toe, just take a step back and assume you don't know their story and what those miles mean at a personal level. If you do know the story, suddenly you might realize there is a small celebration daily just living and the day they put on the gear is a slightly bigger celebration day.

So, serious question here. Where IS it ok to wear all the darn shirts you get at each race? I've started saying no thanks when handed one at packet pick-up and always have some in my charitable donation pile.

Apparently you can't wear it to another race? And certainly not to work. How about to work out, is that ok? Or does that also make one an egotistical D-bag?

Some people are proud of their accomplishments. Why mock them for it? It's no different than folks with a M-dot tattoo. It's a form of self expression.

Just in your post, you are backdoor bragging that BCtrigirl regularly podiums her races. One can also say that maybe you should have been more humble and not put that statement in. Pot calling the kettle black, no?

I don't... they bring it up to me.

A women, mother of my daughter's friend, also I never met her before comes up to me and says "so ironman isn't as tough as everyone claims it to be... right? !!"

No one is coordinating their whole outfit because they have a warm fuzzy feeling about having run Boston. It's narcissistic, plain and simple.

ericmulk wrote:

The IM/Boston folks are simply more show-off-ish, that's all.

So are you saying that in your world, people should not wear Boston or IM gear anywhere at any time? I wear them whenever I feel like: to work out, go to the store, go out to eat, etc.
Most of them are nice shirts, why would I want to just leave them in the closet all the time? I don't disparage people who wear a shirt they got when they visited Rio or Hong Kong or something like that which I have never done.

Well not a whole outfit, but I will wear the stuff because I have a warm fuzzy feeling about the race. I thought those races were great and enjoyed them immensely. If you did not, well I guess different opinions is what makes the world go round.