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Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines?
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It seems like some of the magazines are adopting the "sex sells" approach. Now don't get me wrong, I like hot girls in swimsuits just as much as the next guy but it just seems out of place in a triathlon magazine. Could it be because the people publishing the magazines fail to recognize that they're producing a magazine for a fairly specialize niche in society and resort to the tactics that work for the general public? If I wanted to look at gorgeous girls in bikini's then I'd pick up a Maxim, but since I'm looking for training articles and race reports wouldn't it make sense to find more of that in a triathlon magazine? It also seems like the "new tri clothing" articles are just excuses to show this stuff. I really don't want to get painted as THAT guy who is whining and moaning about girls in my tri magazine but I think it's a valid topic for discussion. Whether you agree or disagree, I'm curious to know what you think since it seems (from some of the "letters to the editor" and other posts on this board) that I'm not the only one that finds all this a little odd.

-Joe
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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I have nothing against them. I feel like I am still getting all of the info I need, just that they have added some hot girls to it.

I wouldn't take the magazines in that direction, but I certainly won't complain about it either!

Thats just me...
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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No I'm not dissapointed.

I'm dissapointed that our country is still hung up on sex but has no problem with violence, thats what I am dissapointed about =)



Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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bring on the sex!
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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Dude...no triathlete mag is bad as h***. Why don't you like them..You don't like looking at hot triathlete women? All those women in the last photo shoot are all triathletes..did you know that? We need more and more hot tri girls!!! You sound married and bitter. Don't worry it'll be okay.

_______________________________________________
"ALL DAY LONG"
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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" I like hot girls in swimsuits just as much as the next guy but it just seems out of place in a triathlon magazine."

I don't understand this. Why on Earth would hot girls in swimsuits be out of place in a magazine about a sport in which hot girls wear swimsuits? Especially since the girls were all triathletes and they were modeling triathlon swimsuits? We see a gazillion pictures of every other piece of tri equipment, and tons of pictures of people modeling shoes, winter gear, wetsuits, goggles, etc, etc. I guess I don't get the outrage these issues generate, except to think that a lot of people have not much better to do than either bitch or feel self-righteous.

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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I'm only a few years into multisport. After the 1st year, I started walking past the newstand in disgust because I know the staple Tri mags are going to be the same as the previous month. zzzzzzzzz My favorite cycling periodical is the Rivendell Reader. Running & Swimming are too simple-in-form to me to require/purchase a periodical.

eg: nothing's more interesting than the simple act of running or swimming itself. what more can be written about that? Cycling, OTOH, has lots of ins & outs that attract good stories. Triathlon, IMHO, should encompass all of this and make for great magnificent stories...but no mags take advantage of that. Therefore, I have ST posts for my Tri story fix.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [rammerjammer5] [ In reply to ]
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the tri mags would be perfect if they added nudity....
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [slowguy] [ In reply to ]
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Hot girls in swimsuits...that what you see at the races..I just renewed the sub..bring on the sex.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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Triathletes wearing swimming suits... OH NOOOO, THE HUMANITY!

Jorge Martinez
Head Coach - Sports Science
E3 Training Solutions, LLC
@CoachJorgeM
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [slowguy] [ In reply to ]
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I guess I don't get the outrage these issues generate, except to think that a lot of people have not much better to do than either bitch or feel self-righteous.


OK, so first, I really didn't want to sound outraged in my post and I really hope I didn't. I'm not outraged, and I'm not going to boycott Triathlete magazine because of a few girls in swimsuits. In fact, that was probably the reason that it caught my eye when I was at the tri shop today. To me, there seems to be plenty of other outlets for those types of things (Maxim, FHM or whatever else there is). And yes it is nice to see attractive women who happen to be triathletes too (which is attractive in itself), but sometimes it seems out of place IMHO. One occasion where it seemed reasonable was the issue with Fernanda Keller on the cover, not only because she's smoking hot but also because the article about her was pretty interesting as well.

And on your accusation of me being self-righteous (I'm not sure if that was directed at me or as a general comment), trust me, I'm a normal guy in college and I have plenty of reasons not to feel self-righteous.

I'm not married, and I'm not bitter, just bringing up a point.

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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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The bold was a quote from an earlier post, I haven't actually figured out how to use the quote function yet.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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I am more dissappointed with the ratio of ads to articles getting higher. In regard to the chicks, if I want to have a perve there are better magazines that require less of my imagination.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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"OK, so first, I really didn't want to sound outraged in my post and I really hope I didn't"

No, sorry. I didn't mean you. I meant the people who write all the really outraged letters to the editor.

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [effectivepull] [ In reply to ]
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Right on dude......nude tris...theres an idea...you know the people that don't like stuff like that are fat and out of shape...they are the ones who would never go shirtless in a tri. They wear the xllll skin suit that probably looks worse than their bare body.hhahahahha

_______________________________________________
"ALL DAY LONG"
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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And...I have guessed you r not gay!!! Cool....just messing w/ ya! As you can see I am bored stirring up controversy!!

_______________________________________________
"ALL DAY LONG"
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [rammerjammer5] [ In reply to ]
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Haha, I was starting to get confused. Did you ever see the picture floating around this board that was supposedly from a nude triathlon? It was basically a picture of a bunch of naked guys running on a beach. Mos def not the most appealing picture.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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Unfortunately, the magazines don't offer anything that I can't find on the internet. Race reports (live), photos (100's of them), gear reviews (true reviews, not advertisements), training tips, pro interviews, etc., all on-line with a click or two of the button.

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

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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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well, i'm a girl and i have no problem with it. in fact, those girls are an inspiration to me because they are healthy and athletic, not stick thin with DD fake boobs. most serious female triathletes have great bodies because of the training that they do, and the clothing one wears to race is by its very nature revealing to what is underneath. i don't see anything wrong with having the confidence to show to show what you have worked so hard to create- a body that is fit, fast, and because of that, usually very attractive as well :)



"What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass for six hours a day. What are YOU on?" - Lance Armstrong
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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Yes I am , haven't bought one in about 1 year. Here they are about Usd$ 8-9.50 per issue.

I think they should try and get substantially more content, regarding interviews with athletes , race venue knowledge ,race report of the month ( eg.) , traing locations , etc.

Adverts pay the bills but you gotta give the subscribers what they need and want.

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - Les Brown
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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Actually...I didn't...but did you see the picture of the underwear triathlon in one of the last magazines...I thought that was hilarious...

...but about your earlier post..I know what you are saying...People like me that have only been cycling for a year or so, do need articles to explain how to improve..now....having said that...most of the women in the triathlet mag you are talking about r too thin to me.....kudos on the recognition of the girl you mentioned before with that p3 in front of her. I tend to like the Becky Lavelle like frame...Too bad girls like that can destroy me in a tri.

_______________________________________________
"ALL DAY LONG"
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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Truth is that the tri magazines don't offer that much good info compared to the internet. There's far more info on ST than in the magazines. The mags just don't give that much solid information.

I'm totally neutral to the swimsuit issue. Nothing special. Any women's mag surprisingly shows just as many bikini chicks as the men's mags.

Besides, I stopped buying men's girly magazines in my early 20's. Prefer the real thing.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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There is a really great Tri mag out of Canada - Triathlon Canada - that is long on content and short on gratuitous fluff.

http://www.triathlonmagazine.ca/index.html

[Shout out to my old <I mean, former> coach, Kevin MacKinnon, who is one of the editors.]
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [Trichiquita] [ In reply to ]
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"There is a really great Tri mag out of Canada - Triathlon Canada "

Got a subscription. I'd call it "all right" much more than "great"
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [cerveloguy] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
"There is a really great Tri mag out of Canada - Triathlon Canada "

Got a subscription. I'd call it "all right" much more than "great"
Comparatively speaking ... the few issues I've seen are more content-focused. But then again, that could just be due to less advertising money.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [jackmott] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
No I'm not dissapointed.

I'm dissapointed that our country is still hung up on sex but has no problem with violence, thats what I am dissapointed about =)

Be sure to also note that the country seems to be negatively hung up about only some, not all, sex. Every other commercial on TV seems to be about boner pills, but a 5 microsecond glimpse of Janet Jackson's nipple is the end of the world. I just don't get it.

-C

------------------------------------------------------------
Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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I think the magazine have just gotten really boring. I'm not sure if its because they are bad magazine, or because of the nature of tri-magazine and triathlon. There's only so much you can write about I guess, and there are a ton of new people in the sport, and I think, a ton of people who stay in the sport for 2-4 years and then quit. So the magazines appeal to beginners or re-hash the same type of articles over and over again. Now that I've been reading the magazines for 5-years, I rarely find something new that I am interested in, so it takes me 15-minutes to flip through the magazine, where I use to spend an hour or two reading the whole thing from cover to cover.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [Jon] [ In reply to ]
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Once people are in the sport for 2-4 years they probably aren't really in need of guidance from a magazine. I'd guess that by then they have their own training plan and know what they like in terms of gear. For those who are unable or don't want to continue in the sport on their own probably just sort of drop off since the magazines and coverage is focused more on the beginners. Road cycling magazines sometimes suffer from this too in my opinion. There's lots of articles about losing 15 pounds to get back into the sport, or 10 week training plan for your first century ride and all that good stuff. Great for beginners, not so great for people who are more serious about the sport.

The worst part about all of this is that once the magazine companies figure out what sells magazines, no matter who it's to(newbies to the sport, those who say they're triathletes that really just like the girl on the cover or experienced racers), they'll stick with it. Unfortunately I have a feeling that it will continue to be geared towards beginners (not that there's anything wrong with that) and there will probably be more of the pop culture approach of using sex as a means of attracting readers. The later bothers me more because it probably isn't the best way to attract people to our sport although I don't know if magazines are really what attract people to the sport.

So far this message board has been the best way to get good info on a lot of things and I agree with most that say that there's just as much on the internet and I'd even be willing to say there's more than in the magazines.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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I've never subscribed to Triathlete because by the time it hits the newstand, the information is quite out of date as per race results. Also, I didn't feel like wasting one month of the subscription on a cheesy swimsuit issue. Plus you'd get a free issue here and there in your swag bag at a race so why subscribe?

I subscribed to Inside Triathlon for nearly 15 years from back in the day when it was published by Lew Kidder and was called Triathlon Today. The best thing about IT was that the race news was really current. And the Hawaii Ironman issue is always stellar. I disliked the annual gear review and considered that another wasted issue. However, once I got the cheesy sex issue in the mail, I canceled my subscription. I have nothing against using sex to sell magazines, but if I liked reading sex anecdotes, I'd subscribe to Playboy or Maxim. The annual subscription has too few useful issues so I'll just wait for the Hawaii issue to hit the newstand before I read IT again.

I think that other than race results and nutrition articles, most of the tri magazines are very slim on content. How many times can you cover the topic of how to lose <xx> pounds in two months, or how to train for your first <fill in the distance> in only 16 weeks? I think this is true of Runner's World and not just the triathlon mags. And I do see a trend with IT toward catering to beginners, which is the same format as Runner's World.

Few magazines can focus on just the experienced and accomplished competitors and sell enough issues to remain afloat. They have to go after a larger subscription base. I think that's a financial certainty.

My opinion, of course.
BrokenSpoke
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [brokenspoke] [ In reply to ]
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I'm still fairly new to triathlons, so a lot of stuff in there is still useful to me. As far as swimsuit and sex issues go, hey why not? Personally, I was looking forward to finish last weekend's race, so I could sit down and get a good look at the Inside Triathlon in my goodie bad with Desere on the cover.
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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Looks like you got your responses.

Personally, I've allways thought tri magazines sucked. I've probably bought 10 in my lifetime, each time *hoping* that there'd be something worth reading. Each time I was sorely dissapointed.

Maybe hot girls is what I need.

-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [jackmott] [ In reply to ]
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You mean things like you have to be 21 to drink but you can go die in Iraq at 18? Or, you sure cannot see a boob on TV (when this is perfectly acceptable in France, for instance for a commercial on yogurts...heck...how do you sell yogurts without showing a boob??) but you can see people jumping of the twin towers for real, or people being beheaded etc...yeah...many things do not make sense...
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [BarryP] [ In reply to ]
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I agree, you can only show so many Cervelo's before things get boring

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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [BarryP] [ In reply to ]
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That is a good point about the tri magazines sucking. The ones I have been getting for 'free' as a USAT member seem to mostly talk about the USAT and management of it...snore..

I want like, interviews with norman stadler. That guy is funny. Interviews with Norman, and wind tunnel data...yeah..and boobs



Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [Red Devil] [ In reply to ]
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They should turn it into a hot rod magazine. It'll be full of tricked out Cervelos with hot girls on them.

-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485
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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [strukljv] [ In reply to ]
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The swimsuit tri edition I thought was resonable. But, the last, I think it is inside tri, with sex plastered all over its front, went
too far, IMO, and I am no prude. Even my wife thought it was pretty classless. And I thought the articles in it were pretty
stupid. I hope this is not their future direction.

Flame away.

Dave

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Re: Anyone else dissapointed with current state of tri magazines? [Jon] [ In reply to ]
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The other huge problem with the magazines is that they are really just giant advertisements and there is no objectivity. Look, here's an ad for 2XU on page 3, then on page 20, a Q & A with the founder of 2XU about why their stuff is the best. SBR, Zipp, Scott Plasma, Norman Stadler's Kuota, etc., etc., etc. A lot of this stuff is just not very interesting at all, but it probably makes the advertisers and the people who try to sell ads very, very happy. As long as the magazines revenues are based on selling advertisements, this will always be a problem. And while this is an issue to a certain extent in all mass-media in a Capitalist society, it seems even worse in the tri-magazines. For instance, though there are no races in Jamaica except an obscure sprint, the Jamaica tourism board recently started advertsing in Triathlete. Guess where the swimsuit issue was photographed? At least when they did the swimsuit issue in St. Croix there was some connection to triathlon. Then the "gear review" issues are no different from the trisports catalogue. The "Road to Kona" issue could be really great but contains really scant information - you could at least have a restaraunt review or things to do or a detailed course description.
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