Quote:
Real question is whether you'd rather finish an IM under 10 or an Oly under 2? I'd say the IM under 10 would take more training, and would be viewed as more of an accomplishment by most in the sport.
I agree that your comparison is a little more fair, but look at it this way:
Theoretical 2 Hour Oly Race: :21 1.5k (1:24/100m) - :1 T1 - :60 40k (24.8mph) - :1 T2 - :37 10k (5:58/mile)
Theoretical 10 Hour IM: 1:05 1.2mi (1:42/100m) - :2 T2 - 5:21 112mi (20.9mph) - :2 T2 - 3:30 26.2mi (8:01/mile)
I would never turn my nose up at someone's 10 Hour Ironman, but I just don't find any of the splits or paces impressive. I realize that the difficulty lies in stringing the three events together and you can't really analyze each event individually but I think the 2 Hour Oly paces are much more impressive even if you look at them as standalone events.
Add to that the fact that Ironman is a glorified duathlon and I just don't have an interest in it either. I am not even a swimmer, but at least make the swim have some sort of an impact on the race. A lot of ironman athletes like to snub draft legal ITU racing because the bike is a 'draft fest' and 'those guys can't even bike'. Look at your event, you don't even have to be able to swim a lick to make it to Kona which according to some in this thread is the 'Pinnacle' of the sport. It is no less a two event sport than ITU racing is.
But, different strokes for different folks, there is certainly room for all of us in this sport and I think we are all just out to have some fun anyway.
"The more you sweat today, the less you bleed tomorrow"