IMHO that quote is wrong, and this is an issue of perspective. Ask anyone who "races" Ironmans if they could go out and do the swim in 2hrs, ride the bike in 8hrs, then do the run in 7 and they wouldn't be able to do it. That's fu*king nuts.

Ask anyone who "finishes" an Ironman to race it in under 10, and they'd have the same response.

"Ironmans are very easy to finish, very hard to race". That is a secret which should be closely guarded.....

Ha! Very true.

Ironmans are not very easy to finish - that quote is bullsh!t.

Regardless... there's always a negative nancy in every group, making sure to keep you in check. This same person will also dole out fitness advice when they themselves are pushing 300lbs. Don't worry about it. It doesn't even make sense to try to justify things to this irrational type.

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MyGearGarage - Track all your gear!

I bet most fit people could not finish one of the events and if they did they would be WHIPPED

I second that quote for anyone who does a little exercise.

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

it would seem that completing the actual Ironman race is easy
the hard part would be getting to the start line
the training is incredibly difficult so that the "race" isnt because you've done it all before

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Yes. Always punch people in the face when their interests are different than yours. There can be no other way.
-one_lap

They are very easy to finish relative to how difficult it appears...Most non triathletes (and actually some triathletes) people believe that at the end of the ironman you "run" a marathon. The truth is most run/walk and some just walk the marathon with the ability to stop every mile to munch on fruit, water, gels chicken broth etc. The point is there is a disconnect between the perception and the reality. In my first IM I was blown away by the amount of walking by over half the field. Prior to my experience at IM I often wondered how did "Bob who is overweight and not in the greatest shape finish an ironman" The light bulb went off when I actually did an IM. Racing an IM is completely different......

You raise an interesting point.

There is likely some small culture of people who do Ironman for the "ohh-ahh" factor. Everybody looks for that in life, myself included.

Endurance sports are a demanding mistress though. People start endurance sports for one reason, but stay for other reasons as they expereince the sport. If the reasons for participating is to impress others the romance is generally short lived. As you experienced with your conversation, there is always a higher bar.

I think the reasons people stay in the sport are internal as opposed to external. It isn't to show off or acheive a particular result for most MOP'ers. It is for a list of reasons as individual as the number of competitors. There are likely some common threads, but this sport pushes different buttons for everyone.

People may come to the sport or an impressive line on their personal resume. They stay for other reasons even they may not fully understand.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I have tremendous respect for anyone with the mental fortitude to be out there for 16+ hours. My one IM was just over 11 hrs and that was more than long enough for me.

Its better the sprint triathlon deflation

which happens when a total idiot (me) meets a poorly marked turn on the bike course and cuts the bike course short by accident and drops out completely.

sigh

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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

Its my personal standard that I haven't finished a triathlon unless I at least jog the whole run.

But that personal standard would change if I were 70 years old I'm sure!

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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

Tom, I completely agree. I would expect that a large percentage of folks only do one IM. The percentage of folks who do a second IM probably is very close to the percentage of folks who do a third, fourth etc. The vanity participants are out after one IM because their is nothing gained in the second (your an IM whether you do 1 or 30 IMs). I am not sure there is anything you can do about it- there are always puriest in any sport who complain about the folks who are in their sport for vanity reasons (e.g. withness the tremendous increase in particpants in mountain climbing and surfing).

Na, baby, na. I finished a dozen IM under 12 hours and raced IMC fast enough to qualify for Kona a couple of times. I'm currently training a bit more than an hour a day. I'm pretty sure I could finish by midnight, but there's no way it would be "very easy."

The quote does not necessarily mean you finish in 17 hours. It means you can get off the bike and can decide to lollygag the marathon and have a fun enjoyable day. There are a slew of folks walking/jogging in packs just having a good time- taking pictures with friends on the course etc and finishing in 14-15 hours. The experience of those folks is very easy compared to the athlete who gets off the bike and goes out to truly "run" or "run/jog" the marathon.... If someone told you when you were in sub 12 shape to go out and do a 14 hour IM I suspect you would view that as very easy (very easy relative to a sub 12). I dont think anyone would say that 17 hours out on a course for an out of shape person is easy...

Just curious: do you think you can randomly pull anyone off the street, even someone who looks like they're in good shape, and have him or her complete an ironman in 17 hours?

Tom C.

I agree totally with that one, I have 2 IM finishes now, both close to 11hrs, yet I am always blown away by the folks who are still out there at 15 16 hrs+ pushing themselves to finish.
we had a discussion about it at my tri club, the fastest of the group was a 9:30 racer, the slowest mid 13's. everyone felt that if they were staring down the barrel of a 16hr finish, every one of us would likely have cracked and gone back to the home early.
The pros and the fast AGers are great to watch and cheer for, but those folks who finish in the dark are where the spirit of the race lies.

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!
Adam Savage

no, certainly not randomly. But can 5 of the spin instructors at my YMCA , assuming basic swimming skills, get through an IM with some training-absolutely. The point again is not that its so easy anyone can do it with no training- its simply that the IM is not as tough as most people percieve it to be because if your in shape (i.e., you have some background in endurance event, swimming, biking, running, xctry ski etc.) you only need to swim and bike before your long walk, perhaps some jogging... It really is not that hard because few folks really run the marathon..for those who do- its tough as nails!

yes and no....and your post goes to the crux of the IM- there are folks who train very hard to race ironman and there are folks who decide they will train for 6-9 months to "do" an IM. So one 40 year old is out there year in and year out doing his tues am track workouts and thurs bike thresholds trying to max is FTP and VDOT. The other 40 year old is just making sure he gets 3 swims 3 bikes and 3 runs in a week building his or her base so that he can go the IM distance on race day. Come race day the racer lays it all on the line - continues to turn his legs even though he has nothing left and his body says stop.. goes sub 10- .. The 40 year "doer" gets through the swim in 1:55 s, bikes for 7:00 and then jogs and walks the marathon (with meal stops every mile) finishing 16-17 hours. Why does the latter embody Ironman??? I have tremendous respect for those folks who finish in 17 hours and trained real hard just to finish- that is truly amazing. There are however, alot of folks who could go 12-13 hours with some serious training but do minimal training and finish in 16-17 to say they did IM-- they don't embody IM to me.... I will take the racer anytime.....It takes much more mental fortitude to keep running when you want to walk than it takes to keep walking when you want to stop....

I think people are missing a huge factor; the mental aspect.
If you are expecting to go sub 12 and have a bad day...dehydration, stomach, sickness, cramps, is finishing in 16+ an easy day?

There is a point in every persons race where they have to decide whether they can keep going at the pace they are on or whether they have to slow down. If someone sets out to do a 15 hour race and pushes themselves to achieve that goal is it any different than someone who has the ability to do a 11 hour race and completes it. There are a lot of variables age, ability choice of lifestyle.

What I don't understand is the athlete that chooses to fly on the bike and then has nothing left for the run. The great run split will not miraculously occur on race day. Plan a whole race and when you finish along side me in 13:33 don't try and explain how you had to walk the run so your time is so slow. Many people walk the run for different reasons, but the finishline tells you how you managed your day.

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it turns out that our OP is only "mostly" dead........ ElGordo

I agree to a certain extent but I think at the time you are met with the doubt from someone outside the circle it's an opportunity to point out the benefits of the race.

I think a larger part of the triathlon is the training it takes to get there. While the day might be limited to 17hrs you had to put in many days if not years of training and pushing thru pain and injury, dealing with nutrition problems and a multitude of other triathlon factors.

Triathlon racing or finishing is beyond the day and I think it's a testiment to the sport that it not only is open to participation but embraces the 70yr old trying to push thru their own limitations. For many the race isn't about time it's about the obstacle which is multi-faceted.

Any mispelled words are intentional as is the improper grammar and sentence structure.

Fair enough. See I think that anyone who wants to can complete an ironman and I am living proof of that. I did it because I wanted to and I would agree with you that the 5 spin instructors you refer to could do so also if they wanted to. But I also think that "wanting to" is nothing to be scoffed at. Another poster touched on this issue far more eloquently than I. When it comes down to it, it's all about desire. Sure we have different starting points, different strengths and weaknesses, different physical attibutes and limitations. But to me it is the desire that distinguishes us in life. Training for an ironman takes great sacrifices in terms of your free time-- personal and family relationships can suffer-- and you necessarily give up or put on hold other interests and pursuits. Whether the goal is finishing or winning your age group you have to make those sacrifices. Sometimes, not always, those who excel at the sport-- no matter whether you define it for yourself as winning your age group or beating your time--is the result of making more sacrifices. I had a friend who was a green beret. He told me he made the cut not because he was the fittest, fastest or strongest in his class but because he wanted it more.

I think that can be an admirable quality in a person, and if I were picking teams for anything I'd rather have the 70 year old nun than the wise ass you ran into at the party.

Tom C.

at risk of contradicting myself, I agree with you as well.
my view is coloured by what I saw at the end of IMNZ 08
part of me goes to the finish at 11:40pm to cheer for those who have endured the longest day of their lives ( small twisted part of goes to see who 'just misses out' )

but this year, one woman stood out in terms of grit. unfortunately I don't think she was recorded as a finisher ( a couple of minutes past 12pm. I don't know her story either, was she the racer who had a bad day? or the participant whose only goal was to finish? I'll probably never find out.

with only a few hundred meters to go, the clock ticked over 17hrs, yet, unable to walk fully upright and in obvious pain and some distress at not making the cutoff, she held her chin up, and marched as hard as she could to the line, the crowd went nuts, Mike Reilly was leaping about like a school kid. She paused at the tape, and acknowledged the crowd ( there was still a tape held up for her to cross ) and then she disappeared into the tent.

I was rapt when word came back up the course earlier in the day that Cam taken the win, and even more elated when Jo held off a strong challenge to avenge her defeat at the Tauranga half IM.

but that lone woman will remain an inspiration to me for a long time to come.

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!
Adam Savage

Ha! I always try to get that out first. After the oohhs and aahhs I say it is about deciding you want to finish. After all, there is a 70+ year old nun who picked up the sport in her 50's. People still shake their heads.

"Ironmans are very easy to finish, very hard to race". That is a secret which should be closely guarded.....
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I agree. Any reasonably fit and healthy person can finish an Ironman distance event in 17 hours after 3-4 months of swim, bike,run training.
Anybody who watched the last 2 hours of an Ironman finish line can attest to that. I know couple people who can barely run a sub 30 minute 5K finished an Ironman.
This also applies to marathons with 7 hour finishing times as well.
The reason for this is totally commercial $$$$ and please do not start the whatever gets them off the couch argument.
If you are not racing it the whole thing is a joke.

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I see obsessed people.

I have no IM tattoo or license plate. I don't wear my IM clothing anymore or bring up my IM finishes at parties. If I never have to recite the IM distance to anyone ever again, I'll be a happy man. But I will always believe that anyone who has completed an IM, even if they walked the entire marathon and coasted down every hill, has acheived a physical feat that should never be described as "very easy." :)

After one IM I am not satisfied at all. I still consider myself very new to the sport of triathlon. I've been training, learning, competing (mostly against myself) and attempting to "race" for four years. I finished my first IM at IMCDA in June. I didn't feel I "raced" as I was very much in learning mode. When family, friends, co-workers "ohh-ahh" over my accomplishment I am pretty quick to remember that for the most part I just showed up and did what it took to just cross the finish line. In August I actually felt I "raced" an HIM - there was strategy, pacing, no wondering if I would "finish" and tactical things that I did to greatly improve my time. I came in 2nd in my AG but more importantly felt I had put together a very complete race. The reason I'm doing another IM in 2009 is to again learn but also to try to employ some strategy, pacing and so on to get that same satisfaction that I had at the 70.3 distance. I don't expect this will happen as quickly and based on what many have said it is a life-long pursuit in IM to figure things out. I have a long way to go for me to be impressed enough with myself to say, "ohh-ahh".

i'll go one further and say that the average person would most likely drown in the ocean.

Agree w/ Tom C... Who is anyone else to say that I should spend less time w/ my kids so I can "race" it in 11 hours vs training a bit less and muddle along in 14? So is the embodiment of IM reflected by someone who's willing to give up balance w/ family and/or job because their own personal obsession is more important? I guess it's true for some...

Any reasonably fit and healthy person can...( put anything here )

By this thinking pretty much life would be easy for any reasonably fit and healthy person.
Life isn't easy for many and finishing a 10 k race isn't easy for many.

If you are a physicist the following statement might be similar.
Any reasonably intelligent person can understand string theory after 3-4 months of physics classes: Unlike the point particles in quantum field theories such as the standard model of particle physics, strings interact in a way that is almost uniquely specified by mathematical self-consistency, forming an apparently valid quantum theory of gravity.

Life is easy or life is hard. Depends on your unique perspective.

Every challenge one conquers is a worthy one.

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it turns out that our OP is only "mostly" dead........ ElGordo

Awesome!

I"m usually caught flat-footed by that guy at the party. Most people might say something like this just out of conversation, but we all have met those who seem to enjoy reducing the accomplishments of others.

LOL!

I have read some of the responses and at first I thought, yeah most folk could finish an IM. BUt then I thought more and got annoyed- you should have turned around and said "Really? Then get the f#*k out there and do one as well as*^#le" this pisses me off. Just getting to the start line is an accomplishment, a sacrifice that many families, children, and colleagues could testify to. The IM itself is the final step in the journey- yes there may be a 70yr old nun out there, and ther may be larger folks plodding along, but 140.6 is 140.6 no matter which eay you cut it. I have done a bunch of IM races all around 11:30-12:30 and I have always returned to the finish line to watch the 15-17hr folks come in. They are the real work horses of the show, the real hard core folks IMO- and I tip my hat to them. 15-17hrs is along time to be on the move no matter what speed you go at.

At the nex party, down a tequila and challenge the fu*#er to a race! 140.6 or go home...

Weeman

So is the embodiment of IM reflected by someone who's willing to give up balance w/ family and/or job because their own personal obsession is more important?

Perhaps part of the equation is waiting until a point in your life where that balance is easier to maintain, even with the additional stress of sufficient training to race what is intended to be a race.

Does that mean you are a sub 9 IM racer??? Because if you're racing than you are out there for money or medals.

If you're not in the top ten then you ARE one of the rest.

Another way of putting this is that finishing an IM is "simple" but it ain't "easy." To finish you just need to do the right thing in your training for about 180 consecutive days and a reasonably fit adult can finish an IM. Try doing anything for 180 days in a row and you will see what I mean.

Mallory told people who asked why he climbed mountains that he did it "because they were there." He was really trying to find a polite way to tell people to piss off: it's a way of saying that people who ask the question that way will never understand the answer so he wasn't going to bother with you. I feel the same way about people who worry about how fast you have to go to become a "real" Ironman. Or some dork at a party who noticed a 70-something nun on TV one day racing Hawaii.

This has been a very interesting thread. To zerobars and those that have responded, thank you for having a conversation versus drawing lines in the sand. I think I would (if one had to) classify people in two categories: participants and competitors.

Competitors in my mind are those that are going for the podium or for the money (if applicable). These are people that have the ability, the skill, the equipment, the training, etc., (i.e. all the components) to make them competitive.

I, myself, would put myself in the participant category. I am out to participate in this event because I have a limitor. Being diabetic, I have challenges and thus I agree that IMs are simple to complete, but not easy. I say simple to complete in the context of execution. It will still be easy. For me, completing my first IM (IMAZ 11/08) has been a true journey to learn what my body can take and how to deal with low levels of adrenelin, insulin, and glycogen production. I substituted the "70 year old nun" into the above statement with "diabetic" so that it read like this: "I read that a diabetic does that event, how hard can it be? Puts a whole different context into that statement, doesn't it.

Regardless of participant or competitor, we each have a set of goals. It is the meeting of our individual goals that make us winners.

To all...GREAT success in what ever you are trying to accomplish.

Does that mean you are a sub 9 IM racer??? Because if you're racing than you are out there for money or medals.

If you're not in the top ten then you ARE one of the rest.
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Everybody races to their own ability and age. For a 70 year old finishing in 16:59 might be racing but for somebody else 11:59 hour might be cruising and having fun.
But again when you finish one, most regular Joe's won't even ask you the time but just go hu-ah...That is why for people in the know the whole thing is a joke but most won't admit it freely because a lot of money and interest is tied to Ironmans.

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I see obsessed people.

this is the perfect answer ... we have a winner

"So is the embodiment of IM reflected by someone who's willing to give up balance w/ family and/or job because their own personal obsession is more important?

Perhaps part of the equation is waiting until a point in your life where that balance is easier to maintain, even with the additional stress of sufficient training to race what is intended to be a race. "

Agreed. What constitutes racing is highly individual-but the point of IM (I believe) is to race it. For some that will take 16-17 hours but they will train and race it. My concern is with those particpants who do not sacrafice but who go out just to finish. "Just walk the marathon" I do not think anyone who is training for IM with the intention to walk the marathon (when with proper training they could run it) should be doing IM. Not when there are folks who are willling to make the sacrafices to race but can't get in because of the overdemand for spots. IM is an ultra endurance event it should be respected as such. Ultraendurance events by their very nature require a tremendous sacrafice of time. If you cannot make that sacrafice then perhaps you should be doing something else. Taken do its logical extreme you would have no issue with folks (who are otherwise reasonable fit but did not want to sacrafice to train) spending their day walking the NYC marathon and going to work the next day to say that did the marathon. Based on some of the posts in this thread some of you would applaud those folks as embodying the true spirit of the marathon since unlike the folks who finished under 3 or 4 hours they were out there all day... I suggest these folks should not be at the starting line.... Few would disagree that Julie Moss' 1982 finish at Kona embodied IM -not because she finished under 17 hours (she finished just over 11 hours) but because she put all out on the course..few can approach that kind of determination but those who race understand and grapple with determination when it gets tough out there.... I do not see alot of grit and determination among many of the walkers- I see smiling, waving, picture taking etc... which is fine but not sure that is what IM is all about. Remember that the first Ironman included the folllowing statement (now a trademark) in the rules for the event: Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life",
I believe the excellence demanded by that statement has been watered down to Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run/Walk 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life". For the fit individual I believe the former formulation of the statement should be the requirement for IM....

I agree with everyone that this has been a great thread. I figured I'd share my opinion. I agree that there are all types of people who complete Ironmans but when it comes to the overall percentages its still quite low compared to most things people can say they accomplished in their lives. I definitely wanted the Ironman on my endurance resume and will probably not do another. As most of us on this forum, we probably don't tell casual observers what our time was but in the case of the thread starters conversation I probably would've been steamed enough to blurt out my time and talk about all the training that I did to achieve that time.

Overall, I've been surprised by how many people are impressed with completing an Ironman who aren't endurance athletes.

So what? That's one of the things that's very cool about this sport, and about IM's in general. IM isn't just about the race; it's about the people we meet along the way. So, the response might be, "yep, a 70 yr old nun does IM's. Do you think YOU'LL be in that kind of shape when you're 70?" That 70 year-old nun is an example of the possibilities of life and health that seem to have been lost somewhere between McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts. When non-triathletes ask me about IM, one of my favorite things to talk about are some of the other people in the event because the most common response I hear from non-triathletes is, "I could never do that?" "Really? Have you heard about . . . ." It can be even more fun to watch the audience "ohhhh" and "ahhhh" over those people. Bitter-boy is just trying to steal your spotlight . . . turn it around and steal it back.

ZB - To go back to your original post and not debate about 13 hrs vs 17 hrs, the most obvious solution to avoid a repeat incident would be NEVER to say "I'm an Ironman". Not to be rude, but that just sounds a bit pretentious. Whenever I go to a non-triathlete or non-swimmer sponsored party, I just make small talk about whatever. If someone asks me how I stay lean, I say I swim a lot and do some biking and running. If they ask if I do tri, I say that I have been known to do one on occasion. Generally their next question "Do you know Joe Smith or Jack Jones who does tri", and then we'll get off on this tangent about wheter we know anyone in common. Usually by then someone else comes up and the thread of the conversation changes. You get my drift here I'm sure: force them to drag the info out of you. If they finally ask if you've done an IM, you can say yes, I've done 1 or a few or several or whatever you deem appropriate. You could say "I've done one iron distance race" or "X number of iron distance races" rather than "I'm an Ironman". The odds are that, if you are casual about it, they may well not even ask the IM question. I know that it may be hard but discretion, or modesty in this case, is better part of valor, as they say. I've known several guys who won medals in swimming and track, and they absolutely never talked about it. You ALWAYS, ALWAYS heard it from someone else. Since winning an Olympic medal of any color is incredibly, stupendously hard, MUCH harder than finishing an Ironman, I believe their example is an excellent one on which to model our behavior. Similarly, if any of the top 3 male and female Ironman medalists went to a party where they were not known at all, I doubt you would hear them say much about their achievements, unless it was absolutely dug out them under repeated questioning and even then they would downplay by saying something "Yeah, I got lucky" or something bland like that. They are almost always self-effacing.

Well, don't mean to sound like I'm lecturing, but thought I'd throw this angle out since nobody else has...

Regards,
Mulk

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"ANYONE can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Bingo! The guy who busted the OP's balls at the party could very well have been on some podiums here and there...

A friend who spent a couple years on the freeskiing circuit is fond of saying that it's usually the quiet guy at the party who's listening to what other people have to say that's the one you gotta worry about.

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Eliot
blog thing - strava thing

Good post and great advice. Very well said. I don't typically talk about it with non-triathletes, but friends and family have a tendency to drag it out into the open with a, "He's an Ironman." That's when I turn the conversation to OTHER people who do IM races. I admire their accomplishments . . . I really do. It's not that I'm ashamed of my accomplishments, but I can't really explain it (and people who don't do IM can't understand it).

The year I did Ironman about 10% of the field did not finish. You may not have to be rock star fit to finish, but you need to be a rock star mentally.

To say very easy? I'd disagree with that.

This is essentially my approach. I have pride issues, so I make it a point not to advertise what races I've done. This summer I just told people I was "training for a race in Louisville." But if they ask for details, I'll talk about it. That said, if I hear anyone try to dismiss an IM, or even a marathon, as easy in public like that, I call them out. My response is "I'd be glad to show you how hard it can be. Are you interested in working out with me tomorrow? I'll make it an easy day..." Strangely they never take me up on it, and having to admit to everyone that they cannot keep up with the training effectively ends the conversation.

Dude, I never ,repeat never, say "I am an Ironman" in public because I agree with you its pretentious. Someone at the party trains with me at the pool at the YMCA and asked how IMLP went...

I agree that a good percentage of single-event Ironman athletes do it for vanity, but I know several who only do the single event because they want to see if it's in them. For this demographic, it is enough to finish even if it takes the entire 17 hours. People who race and finish in eleven hours can't possibly empathize with this prerogative, let alone sympathize with it.

Hey, what does your run time need to be so that you're not considered as having "walked" the marathon? Hoping that my one effort "qualified" as an IM. ;)

it could be 6:30 miles or it could be 16 minute miles...you know what it takes to give your best or at least a solid effort- it starts with serious training and then focus and execution on race day. Time doesn't matter....effort does.. Only you can assess your effort, commitment and determination- the clock can't....

ZB - OK, great, sorry, I must have misinterpreted what you wrote in your original post.

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"ANYONE can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

I believe the ST approved version is 'Float Hammer Jog'

although, there's no mention of walk in there either

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!
Adam Savage

Going slow in an IM isn't something new. Walt Stack was an icon in San Francisco and a pretty tough old guy.

Stack is the cause célèbre of many fascinating anecdotes during the course of his life and running career. In 1982 at age 73 he participated in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, and he holds the event record for most time taken to finish, in dead last place. Surviving the ocean swim rather effortlessly, Stack commenced the 112 mile long bike ride on his single speed granny-basket bike, and finished the 26.2 mile marathon run early the next morning, but not before stopping in for a full waffle breakfast prior to finishing. Stack finished in the record-breaking time of just over 26 hours. Officials implemented a cut-off time in subsequent years.

I totally agree. Ironman, for those who aren't racing it, is not about aerobic condition. It is about the ability to push through pain and stay the course. The pain you feel on the bike after 6 or 7 hours can be incredible. Legs locking up on on you on the run or getting caught up in the washing machine start can also have a tremendous affect on your mental state and nerves. I did it almost a year ago today. I admit the toughest part is the training. But for most it is the mental not the physical part of the race that is most challenging and without that training and preparation, I don't think most could push through it.

This is the reason I simply don't bother to tell people that I do triathlons...or an IM...or marathons. Every accomplishment that is meaningful to YOU can be trumped by anybody with a TV or the internet. Your "friend's" comment about the nun is spot on though...if a 70-YO nun can do it, anyone can. Absolutely true. The thing is, how many people actually get off their ass and do it

A group of my training companions and I all recently completed our first IM in July. Times ranged from 12 hrs to 15.5 hrs. EVERYONE finished...how many of us "raced"? Why none of us. It was our first time and we were all tip toeing around with no real idea what to expect. The amount of effort expended for the 12 hr finisher may or may not be any more or less than the 15.5 hour guy, but the point is that we all finished, we all got past the start line all the way to the finish.

So that's why I don't sport the tatoo (although I have plenty of coded stickers on my car for the initiated to interprate!). Much easier for me to be happy with MY time at finishing the IM, knowing that most of my non-tri family and friends have no idea what it took to make that happen, knowing that while I was very happy with my time, I will have to try another IM to better my technique, my training and my execution to come closer to RACING the IM rather than just FINISHING.

Easy and hard are qualitative terms so everyone has a different take on what they mean.

I've done 6 of them and had to do substantial walking in 2 of them. The first, IMWA I had a torn meniscus and could not run at all but was flying there anyways to do it with my son, so I went for it. The second, my last IMCA was probably a function of trying to do two of them in 6 weeks. I personally would not describe either of these 2 races as easy even though they took me close to 13 hours.

I do think its probably closer to an universal truth to say it's harder to race one close to or at your potential than it is the "coast" through well below your max. A guy who has the potential to do a 10 hr IM and does a 10:10 is going to feel pretty wiped. If he does a 12 hour he'll feel that it was a lot easier. If he did 16 hours he would probably describe it as very hard--either because of some breakdown or the mental drag....

AS to deflation--who cares what other people think--I always find it humorous when people who haven't even done a triathlon espouse on the difficulty of doing an IM....Only you know how hard it was for you--that's all that matters!

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Randy Christofferson(http://www.rcmioga.blogspot.com

Insert Doubt. Erase Hope. Crush Dreams.