[reply]
My weight is 170 (6 foot 1) so I stand out (weight-wise) on the marathon starting line .[/reply]

no kidding.. at 6'2" I used to tower above my competition in marathons..
You have something close to the paradigm triathlete build. With that run speed, a good wetsuit, and a year or two of bike focus, you should be highly competitive. Good luck !

"My weight is 170 (6 foot 1) so I stand out (weight-wise) on the marathon starting line ."

In the fall of 2005, I paced my brother for his first marathon. He is a former East Tennessee State track guy (quite some time ago) and provincial 3000m champion who used to run in the 3:40s for 1500m and low 14:00 range for 5k but hadn't run a marathon before. He is now a cop and is 5'11" and around 180-185lbs. I am no lightweight at 6' and about 175lbs on that race day. There was a really cool looking shot with the two of us at the start next to a few Kenyans that showed up for easy prize money in a relatively obscure race. We looked like absolute giants next to them.

I ended up pacing my little bro' to a 2:58 that day which is pretty solid first marathon for someone doing lower mileage and carrying that much bulk. He has my old Cannondale for some cross-training so maybe someday he'll catch the bug for some multisport racing too.

Despite what you might think, 25mph isn't cake for anyone that doesn't ride a ton of miles, and most of them are going to be professionals.

The advantage that we (as small individuals) have is in aerodynamics. With proper body positioning, we're always going to be looking at less wind because our legs have less bulk, shoulders are narrower and more flexible, etc. I think you will find that it is possible to be just as fast with the right kind of training and racing techniques.

Chris

Some points:

1. Back in the early days of the sport, the people that did really well, were people that came from a good to strong running back-ground and seemed to have some latent talent in at least one of the other sports - either swim or bike.

2. Having outstanding running credentials is only a starting point. I have seen many very strong runners absolutly humbled by the triathlon.

3. At the longer races, I think it's even less important to have a strong running background. It helps, but their are many very successful long distance specialists who only started running when they got into triathlons, but they typically have a latent ability to run well.

I came from a strong running back ground as a teenager to triathlon(Fifteen min. 5K . etc. .) and did very well in the sport right from the get-go, because, I also seemed to have a latent talent as a reasonably strong cyclist. It was a different kind of running but I was able to run very well off-the-bike( Tri running best split times - sub 35min for 10K, sub 1:20 for a 1/2 marathon and very close to 3:00 for a full marathon).

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

If nobody's said it already, I believe Hunter Kemper was a runner in college. Also, I've read Jim Vance's (San Diego Pro) website, and I think he was a steeplechaser in college (I think he posts here too, so Mr. Vance if you see this maybe you can clarify.) I don't know if Lisa Bentley ran before her tri career, but she's definitely the fastest runner in ironman racing.

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"I like to start out slow, and then taper off."

-Doug Thorne (TVHS XC)

I guess it depends how fast you consider "decent" but I'd have to disagree about skinny runners never being able become decent swimmers. I think the problem is that most dont think they have a chance at getting good at swimming or are frustrated at the when they start swimming which causes them to never put enough time in the pool to actually make significant gains.

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Team Timex 2014
@ajhodges

Correct, Hunter ran at Wake Forest however he ran and swam in HS which classifies him as a swimmer as well.

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Team Timex 2014
@ajhodges

Didn't Paul McMullen dabble on the bike for a bit before one of his many comebacks?

Allan,

Indeed Colin Dignum still holds the run course record at IMC and in fact, I believe it's still the all-time best run ever on a legit IM course at 2:38(dead-on 6:00 min/mile). I was racing at IMC that day to in 1997 - my last serious race as it turns out. I trained with Colin regularly and at the time he was in 30 min 10K running shape. He had done a decent amount of swimming and cycling to get ready for IMC that year. He was no slouch on the bike, as he had qualified the year before for the National Elite Duathlon Team. His plan was to get through the swim, ride in the 5:20 - 5:30 range and then run 6:00 min/mile until he could not hold the pace any longer! He caught me at about 14 miles just heading back out of OK Falls. I was running solid 7:00 min miles and would run under 3:10 that day myself, but when he came by me he passed me like I was standing still!! I gave him a slap-on-the-back and wished him the best. All went well until the final 200m when he severly cramped up and fell to the ground. He got up and staggered to the finish line.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Some good enough on this thread. Hopefully it keeps rollling.

Paul M. did try out cycling for a period of time and I heard that he wasn't half bad.

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http://www.westtexasendurance.com - Powered by Brooks, Powerbar and pizza.

"I don't know if Lisa Bentley ran before her tri career, but she's definitely the fastest runner in ironman racing."

Lisa ran at the University of Waterloo and was a very good xc runner. I was on the xc team back then and she started to dabble in triathlons since her boyfriend (and now ex-hubby) Steve, was a very good triathlete. In fact, hearing their triathlon discussions, and those of a few of their friends that came out and ran with us, got me thinking that maybe I'd like to try one of those swim-bike-run events ...... That was in 1990 and I'm still hooked :)

Back in the late 80's early 90's one of the top amateurs in IM racing was Kevin Moats from the Atlanta area. He was a low 2:20's marathoner and was as fast as 8:50 or so in Kona. I think he is still racing (unlike me).

Wow. Funny. I raced there in 97, too. We have had very similar splits and were under 1 minute apart at the finish. Must have changed position all day long.

I remember that speed-monster going by, too. Depressing.

Axel

Over the years there have been quite a few top pros who started out as very good runners but could also swim. Myself, Tinley, Simon Lessing, Greg Welch, Chris McCormack, Bentley, Erin Baker, the Puntous twins, Carol Montgomey. All have won many races. Some good runners who weren't good swimmers (1:15 for an IM swim when they started) like Swiss dude Oliver Bernhard, Swedish dude Clas Bjorling (8:15 IM), Lori Bowden, Heather Fuhr and Aussies Jo King and Emma Carney went on to learn to swim well and win a ton of races. And then there's some people like Gordo Byrn and Chris McDonald who were fat and out of shape and pretty hopeless at all 3!!! and still got down to an 8:30 IM level.
A tall guy with a 29:20 10km PB is light years ahead of where 95% of the top pros started from.
As you read more and find out about the history of the sport I think you'll be very encouraged. There's no physical reason why you couldn't be very, very good at this sport. Good luck with it. It should be a lot of fun for you to find another sport where you can get better for a very long time.
Cheers, Scott

I thought Macca was the fastest runner in ironman racing (currently) ;)

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"don't you know that slow is the new fast? :)" -Turtlegirl
"I'm not a Dr., I just played one with your mom...." Stallion1031

I was one of those really lightweight runners when I started 4 years ago, 5'11, 135lbs in my racing days. That was soaking wet. Oh, and I wasn't too shaby as a stand alone runner, p.b. wise.

Riding a bike and getting gapped like a three dollar whore was the rule vs. the exception up until the last couple of seasons.

It took me time to get the cycling up to respectable standards for long-course (HIM distance), I spent most of the last couple of seasons riding as much as I could, not worrying too much about running but also working on swim technique. I'm not sure given my lack of muscle mass and ratio of fast twitch to slow twitch I could get enough anaerobic power to the pedals in an Oly to be truly competitive, and I now weigh in the mid 150's from a ton of swim work in the last 6 months.

My opinion: If you can get swimming wired, (sooner than later) and really just be ready to tolerate long hours on the bike you will be fine on a competitive level in long-course triathlon.

No, that's actually The Sergio.
Others who ran prior to racing triathlons: Brian Fleischman, Derek Kite, Lori Bowden, Samantha McGlone, Desiree Ficker, Kelly Cook. I'm sure they are a ton more because most of the top pro triathletes (any distance) either come from a swimming or running background.

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Shawn
TORRE Consulting Services, LLC
http://www.TORREcs.com

Got a friend, who was a very good runner and switched to tri. It took him 2 years of dedicated effort to get a slot at Kona. He forgot about becoming a fast swimmer and put most effort of the bike part, while maintaining run fitness. He became a 5:20-5:25 on IMs bike leg, 2:30 on 1/2IM and was still able to run 3:10-3:15 IM runs and 1:20-1:25 1/2IM runs.

I started as a runner - took about 6 months to get strong enough on the bike to be able to "race" an Olympic distance, and that's with a lot of hard bike training. Took 2 years before I could really think about training to race an Ironman... and has taken 2 years to get into fitness to race an Ironman.

It can be done, but prepare to be humbled.

Carol Montgomery was a runner before triathlon also, I believe.

you sound like you'd be about the same build as bevan docherty and some of the other top itu guys. these guys can swim as well...

pieter van den hoogenband is the world record holder in 100m free. He goes 47.84. His bio from Athens lists him as 1.93 and 71kgs. He is a sprinter. Aren't sprinters meant to be more muscular as they have to generate more power? ;)

"I raced there in 97, too"

I ran most of the first half of the marathon right out of T2 in a small good working group that included, eventual women's winner Lori Bowden(her first IM win), Jan Wanklyn, one of my best friends and training partners Augy Marmelo and another guy who was battling it out with Augy and I in the 35 - 39 AG. I remember it quite distinctly because, Jan kept asking me what the mile split was every mile, as I was the only one in the group with a watch on that had started a watch right at the start of the marathon. So I was the pace guy, to make sure we stuck on 7:00 min/mile pace!

It was one of the few times, that I raced an IM and had a good working group to work with for a long stretch( 10 miles or so) in the marathon. It was a great deal of fun.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

there is an english girl who ran in commonwealth games over 5000m who is now a top flight itu competitor....andrea whitcombe.

Scott,

Great runners all, whether in triathlon races or standalone events. Carol Montgomery remains the only athlete, man or woman, that I know of that legitimitly met and qualified for two Olympic teams( Athletics, 10,000m and triathlon) in the same Olympic Games at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. It had been her intention to race in both events. Unfortunatly, a crash and a broken wrist in the triathlon, eliminated her from a very solid shot a medal in the women's triathlon and she was unable to start in the 10,000m race on the track later in the games.

Just listened to a great interview with Scott and Gordo prior to the most recent Epic Camp. Link to that interview and others from Epic Camp NZ is here:

http://ironmantalk.com/Podcast.html

Awesome interview with tons of very interesting information with take-away information for athletes at all levels.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Being a good runner will only get you just so far. The competition is fierce at the top. I had the fastest run split in my age group at IMLP this past year, but without a solid bike and swim I was barely inside the top 10% overall of my AG and ultimately a few spots out of a Kona slot.