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Re: Why so many Posers in triathlons??? [WebSwim]
“Great story, I like it. I especially like the following line:

"My purchasing research led me to the Cervelo P2k. My wife (of all of two years) talked me into the P3."

You is one lucky man!

Swim On, Donncha



Boy, Donncha, you don’t even know the half of it. Sorry, Tom, close your eyes for the next part. She’s a leggy blonde that does killer Ashtanga yoga, which really shows, and she is extremely smart. I have no clue what she sees in me, but she keeps reminding me I am stuck with her. Did I mention she is 13 years my junior?



Friday morning quarterbacking – some other points in the light of day.

Yes, I have a very nice race bike. On the other hand, I still drive my 1981 BMW 320i. I really like that car. It has held up well, but I will probably have to replace it in a few years. So, yes, my race bike is probably worth three times the car that I use to drive to a lot of my races. I spend money on what is important to me. Not spending mega bucks for a new car every few years gives me that option. (But, to be totally honest, I also don’t buy a car more than once every ten years ‘cause I am just not fond of dealing with car sales people.)

Last year, I bought a T1 DeSoto wet suit. Again, yes, it was expensive, but, two points to mention. First, it was a goal and a reward, loose a certain amount of weight, get a wetsuit. Second, I was/am the antithesis of the ideal triathlete. When I bought the suit, I was 5’4” and 158 lbs. I don’t think there is a single piece wetsuit in the world that would adequately fit those dimensions. The T1 gave me options that worked. Amazingly, at 142 lbs, it still fits well. Again, my wife also pushed me to get a wetsuit. Of course, this was after she saw me do an early season event in May last year with 59 degree water, sans suit. I do have to say, though, that with 25-30% body fat, it really wasn’t that bad. But, I did earn a few points with my wife. ;-). Bottom line – you have no idea why some people have the equipment they have just by looking at them.

Tatakh has a good point about training. My contribution is the memory of a run this past January. Air temp was 14 degrees, zero degrees with wind chill due to 20 mph winds, 17 mile 3 hr run. The ice inside my outer layers was from perspiration that froze, never reaching the outermost layer. To me, people who do these kinds of workouts like that that here in the winter, or like Desert Dude or the Texas guys in 100 degree weather in the summer are serious triathletes (a response I made to another recent thread). You may not be competitive, so what. Not everyone is born a great athlete. I'm not Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Does that mean I can't own a basketball? So, whether it takes you 2 hrs or 4 hrs to finish an International distance race, if you put in those kinds of efforts, or you are willing and able to suffer a 16 hour day in an IM a) you are a triathlete and b) you are not a poser.

I still worry about the steep entry price for new people and especially young people. I have another hobby, flying sailplanes. You don’t even want to think about how much money can go down that hole, equipment-wise. However, there is a serious problem with that sport here in the U.S. and around the world, it’s dying. One clear trend is that fewer young people are getting into the sport. Not so clear, but a factor, is the expense of new sailplanes. There are only an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 soaring pilots in the U.S., and this does not appear to be sufficient for long term health of the sport. Are triathlete numbers in the U.S. all that much larger?


Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)
Last edited by: parkito: Jul 2, 04 6:10

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  • Post edited by parkito (Dawson Saddle) on Jul 2, 04 6:10