devashish_paul wrote:
I tend to agree with Blep. I have no issues with the lottery. I work very hard (check ST log) and have just good enough genes that with a half decent finish and the really fast guys not showing up and with a fairly decent roll down, I have been able to go. But guys in this category (on the bubble) are still in the minority. The bulk of participants, no matter how hard they work will never get a whiff of the Kona start line, but like a guy like me would never get a whiff of the NFL or NBA....just have the wrong parents.
Unlike the NFL or NBA, our sport CAN provide access to the championship event for those with parents who gave them genes that are not ideal for long course triathlon. I do think the lottery is valid. To appease those who want the purity of the sport, they could just have a citizen wave that leaves 5 min after the "qualifier wave". In fact, beef up the size of the "citizen wave" and put the transition for that behind the King Kam. More access to the show for regular folks who don't have the right starting genetics to get to Kona qual shape. Moving all of this to the Kim Kam would also provide 200 more spots on the pier for the "qualifer wave"...win win win.
To Bryancd, I know what you mean by "work harder". I think for guys from a half decent genetic starting point for Long Course tri, that certainly applies. But that won't get most people to Kona. Many don't have a chance in hell even if they average 17 hours a week of training all year and get down to 6% body fat. It's just the way it is. Some of us can't be linemen, some of us can't be gymnasts, some of us can't be jockeys. Nothing wrong in admitting that there are some body types that just don't work for some sports.
Sorry to drag up a two-week old post, but just stumbled across it searching for something else...
Can't really understand why you think lotteries are a good idea for a WC. Do you believe the Superbowl or AllStars event would be better if they allowed people to drop some cash and play in the games? Not the greatest comparison because obviously in a team sport environment they would interfere with the other players. A better one might be the Masters. Do you think that the spectacle of a 13 handicapper teeing up at Augusta National would be good for the game? No, that's what they have Pro-Ams for.
You don't have to be genetically "blessed" to get there. I agree with Bryan that it's more about the hard work. I suspect those that claim to train as hard are more limited by a lack of ability to hurt and train hard. Then there's the dialing in of nutrition. Let's remember the speeds some people are swimming, biking and running are not actually that fast.
There are so many IM's around the world these days that no one is stopping these lotteries from ticking their 'bucket list', but a WC is a WC. I think Duffy hit the nail on the head when he said the majority who have the issue are the fringe athletes. I was one of those and at the time I do recall this bugging me. But then there's also the CEO passes, armed forces etc to get worked up over. Though perhaps the biggest beef was that my efforts (I won't use times because that's course dependent) would have been good enough in most North American races. Many are limited by geography, not genetics, and shouldn't have to be flush with cash to travel across the globe for equity, particularly when it involves training through winters for anything other than the main act. Scales may have started balancing a bit more in recent years mind you but still have ways to go.
Back OT ... Jordan's views are somewhat baffling. MR said she expected to be on the run course after 6 hours, so that's not sandbagging the first two legs for a female pro, that's pretty darn good for all but CW. She can't run and to do so later in the year would impede on her priority races as Dev said. Based on the views of many that I've read recently it sounds like they think Rapp is being more 'disrespectful' to the sport by not showing up at Kona and instead putting sponsors first. At least MR is trying as best as she can to get there given the circumstances and wanting to race the best.