I raced triathlons seriously in the 90's and 2000's. Since 2010 life got busier with kids, starting a couple businesses, etc so while I still run, bike and swim it is more exercise than training. I love all 3 sports so I don't see dropping any of them. in the 90's I would do over 20 tri's a year, for the past few years only one or two. I am doing a tri this weekend just to keep the 27 year streak of doing at least one tri per year alive :-)

Around my neck of the woods, it seems that the majority of triathletes are aged 50+, sometimes quite a bit ++.

Our local tri club has dwindled quite a bit the past few years, but the regulars who do show up are primarily in the 50-70+ age range.

I keep doing the club Sprint races because I can do so off very little/sporadic training, and still be reasonably good at it.

Have nearly zero desire to Go Long ever again - in large part because I'm not sure I could handle the training necessary anymore.
(he says, having done SOS each of the past 2 years, and likely again next year. I'm a glutton for punishment I guess...)

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float , hammer , and jog

How do you stay in the sport? Who knows, but I agree with everyone stating that it is "all-consuming"...

As such, I have the following ground rules:

1) Stay away from the full-distance IM.
2) Do only 1 "takes up the whole weekend with saturday bike check-in, sunday event" race
3) Do local saturday morning tris where you're done by 12-noon
4) Don't do more than 4 races any given year, space them out at least 1 month apart
5) Don't ever "skip" race distances..work up to each new step
6) Avoid really structured and rigid training plans
7) October is "do whatever you want month"

seems to have worked for me thus far - I am usually on the podiums / near OA podiums in local races, enough to make it fun!

what your goals are definitely factors in as well as what distances? I know many people who do sprints and maybe an Olympic or two and have plenty of time after training to do things. They're not shooting for FOP but doing it for fun. This year I only did a few sprints but did a bunch of gravel bike events as I had a heavy race year last year so needed a breather. up front expenses can be a lot but I've got my triathlon bike and aero wheels and I'm set. Sure, if you do nothing but IM branded events that's expensive but there are cheaper races out there.

well i'm not the most gifted athlete and i'm generally in the bottom 1/3 of the race field but i'm OK with that. For me, this sport is fun and its another way to stay healthy. I had cancer 8 years ago and fell into this sport after I recovered from all the surgeries and chemo. its also something that my kids notice. that said, its also something that if not careful could be the most selfish hobby one can have. I don't play golf (save the random outing with old friends) like some of my friends. they obsess about missing 10 foot putts, I obsess about getting a workout in before a train ride to work. they spend 4-5 hours a day on the weekend on the golf course, i'll bike or run half that. but for me to get better at this game, I need to have a lot more free time. it just doesn't work that way with a full time job with a long commute and family time on the weekends. Ironman was a family vacation and everyone understood. but I cannot dive into this sport the way some can.

I guess it depends what you want out of it. I wont get very good at it. I know my limitations. but I enjoy it and have met some good people along the way. and i'll gladly keep not spending a ton of money on gear that will only marginally help me. back to my golf analogy, my friends have questioned why I would spend $2000 or more to upgrade my bike. I'd say the same reason you get new clubs, you think they'll make you better. when they ask why i'd spend the money to enter a race, same as they would about getting on an expensive course. there's a lot of parallels.

As mentioned above, for most triathletes there's probably at least one of the three sports they dislike. So if they're not racing there's no reason to keep doing it. For me (and I'm guessing the majority) that would be swimming... and as you get older and the joints start aching I'm guessing running starts to go out the door as well.

As a relatively new triathlete (2 seasons) the thing that I hate the most by far is LOGISTICS! Planning for a race that you have to travel to is an absolute nightmare... I swear, the planning stresses me out more than the actual race! We live in downtown Toronto and don't own a car, so to get to any race it involves a car rental (but not just any car... a car big enough to load our TWO bikes), hotel rooms, etc. Then there's making sure you bring the 101 items on your checklist. Then there's worrying about conditions - lake temps, heat and humidity, wind, etc... so many things that can go wrong. Maintenance of the bike adds another layer of stress.. tire pressure, lubrication, assembly/disassembly. Then on top of all that, for a 70.3 or more you've gotta deal with nutrition! I never had to deal with any of this stuff as a marathoner - just show up and run.

These factors all contribute to very real barriers for the average Joe who's either new to the sport or has to balance family obligations. All of this, even before considering the other very prohibitive factor - cost.

Interesting Im one year into the sport, have done one tri, a 70.3 that we had to drive 5+ hrs to and found the actual weekend was great! And I really enjoy the training but the time commitment and I mean the REAL time commitment, all in, is what can be overwhelming at least if you dont have a background in the disciplines and want to do the longer distances. Forget about the $$$s, that's depressing. I feel like I spent a lot and that's considering I am still riding my 20 yr old steel bike

Funny, I'm in the exact same boat - 49, two kids 7 and 9.

My kids both do the splash and dash races and Ironkids runs.

I'm always under trained cos I work out at 8:30-9:00pm after the kids go to sleep. My wife gets frustrated sometimes and sometimes when the kids are ramped up I just skip my workout or adjust.

Being older and having this as a hobby I try to keep it in perspective and not put a burden on the family.

Sean, that was your first Kq? You rocked a 9:15, I would almost assume you’ve kq’d before. I was 5th in our age group, but I wouldn’t have taken the kona spot if you would’ve passed on it. I’ve been there once. And it was bloody expensive! Kona was a 1 time thing for me. Good luck in kona! And start saving money now for that trip!

I've been doing triathlons since 2004. However have had at least 4 or so years where I haven't raced due to injuries etc. I'm now married, and have my first kid on the way at age 40. I'm currently training for a marathon in 2.5 weeks time.

I have been thinking this was going to be my last season of tri (I live in New Zealand so it is moving into summer here), as my wife can get quite resentful of the training and I don't want to be one of those selfish triathletes who always puts themselves first. Was planning to do a half ironman in December, as wife is due in February. I'm going to make a call after my marathon as to how motivated I am as I keep going through stages of being motivated and unmotivated. Last season my two main races, a half and an ironman, were DNFs due to illness and now I seem to have gotten sick again right before my marathon, so it's quite frustrating and even a bit emotionally draining.

I find it quite stressful sometimes to balance everything, as I work in a pretty demanding job (family law and I could be in 10-15 days of hearing time over November and have a 4 day hearing starting Thursday), and I really enjoy spending time with my wife, but at the same time, I like the endorphin rush and the transformation you go through as you are preparing for an event.

I think after my first child is born, I might make an active decision to step away from triathlon for a while, as opposed to it being forced on me by injury. Might just decide to keep active through a mix of activities or do the local park run event. The training has also meant I don't surf anywhere near as much as I used to, as with travel that usually takes up half a day.

Even 10 hours of training a week is quite a big commitment for someone with a busy life. Just not sure triathlon is for me right now. And I just spent a shit load of money on buying a p5 last year only to not complete my two main races.

I find swimming on my lunch break helps me to focus on my work in the afternoon, plus it keeps headaches at bay (I get post concussion headaches if I have too much screen time), so that's something else I might continue to do sporadically.

Yeah it is about perspective. I loved the training and the event itself and I was ramping up for year 2 and then realized there's no way I can repeat what I did last year. As far as longevity in the sport, I do really enjoy it, I will try to continue at it but realize Ill always be a BOP'r and realize this is about fun and health and not getting priorities mixed up

Because Ironman highjacked the sport of triathlon. Triathlon can be a great long term, healthy lifestyle but not so much for IM obsession.

It’s a shame that anything less than a “70.3” is now only for beginners or pussys.

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Geoff from Indy
http://www.tlcendurance.com

Some people see it as a bucket list sport.
Some get pressured by the SO to cut back, not ride outside to get hit by a car and leave them to raise the kids, etc.
Some dump way too much time in and get burnt out.
Some switch jobs and lose the flex schedule.
Some get injured.

If you can find some sort of homeostasis to balance all that (not all at once, but over time) then you have some longevity.
I've switched jobs a few times and had hard work hours, and some flex hours.
Sometimes I was home based, sometimes office based.
You have to roll with the punches and that's not an ability a wide spectrum of people have.

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

" I am doing a tri this weekend just to keep the 27 year streak of doing at least one tri per year alive :-) "
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My 37 year streak is alive and well. Great lifestyle which I continue to love.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Yes, my first kq. Thanks! I'd only done one full IM previously a couple of years ago and wasn't fast enough then to even think about kona at the time. I'm planning on kona being a one time thing for me as well, victory lap so to speak.

You had a nice race as well, I was worried about you running me down when I got splits almost halfway through the run. What happened with you? I was cruising along until I started to get a cramp in my hamstring almost 20 miles in, then lost a lot of time the rest of the way as it kept cramping over and over again. Went from 2nd to 4th in the last 2 miles, ugh. Then got lucky with the rolldown. I guess that's just IM though.

I disagree, those are either bucket list or big opportunities to travel. my family loves ironman events. that said, i'll be focusing on local races that are smaller. something nice about being able to enjoy the race environment and get home in time for lunch.

The cost of racing is doing me in. But thankfully, my local tri club puts on 10 races a year for free that are timed with post race food. All for $75 a year. That's the only thing keeping me going. No stress of signing up early a year in advance to get a deal. If you are healthy, show up and race. If not, volunteer and cheer. It's the social aspect that matters

Same with our family. The Ironman's I've done have all been race/family vacations. Been to Europe the past few years to race and brought the kids (teenagers) It's really a great experience for them. They still talk about a restaurant they went to in Zurich for dinner.
Out of all the places we've been my wife's favorite is still Lake Placid. Which we never would have gone to, in the summer, if I wasn't racing.

I'm going on 23 years. Started with sprints, moved to oly, then 1/2 then full. I'm late 40's and still really like the long distance and plan to keep up with it as long as I can.

Although it is nice to jump into a sprint every so often and be home by 10am.

i'm 48, have 12&8 year old boys, with a litany of activities. long workouts during the weekend became a big challenge at home so no more full distance for a while. which is fine. i'm planning on having 2 x 70.3 to bookend my season around some local and smaller races. any opportunity I have to make a race work around family fun works out well too. my kids have done Ironkids and local kids tris. my boys are going to do a turkey trot with me this year again as well. that's more fun than a PR for me. I've done things like getting my run in at a little league game, despite my son being embarrassed about it, which is certainly less embarrassing than the drunken moms (especially the one that got thrown out of the game). unless you're a pro, its a hobby. to excel, it requires a lot of time and dedication which comes at the expense of family time.

we've been to Tremblant twice. everyone loves it. my kids want to go back. my wife would as well. but i'm at a point that i'd rather wait another 3-4 years for my kids to be 12/16 and go to Europe and do something like Barcelona, Nice, Zurich, etc. like you said, its an opportunity to give them an experience as well.

We first took the kids when they were 10 & 11. Raced in Zurich then went to London for a couple of days. Definitely a bit of challenge at that age. Not too much into sightseeing at that age. My 11 yr old said.. Another church. How many of these are we going to see, they all look the same.

Went to Copenhagen & Rome 2 years later, was like night and day. Much more enjoyable for them and us.

This past summer they were 15/16 and we were able to let them walk around by themselves a bit when we were in Frankfurt and Paris. Not to far from us but enough where we could be shopping in one store and they could be in another and didn't have to be constantly looking for them. Plus they appreciate the sights and culture more than when they were little. I think it's been a great experience for them.

I feel sorry for triathlon.

:(

Since I hail from a developing country, down here it's the $$$ that gets in the way of tri as a lifestyle, in my opinion. When I was a junior, my family wasn't well off, but I had the luck of being a Physical Education student at the time and could use the facilities at my school to train - oh, and no Cervelos or Canyons for me, a regular local brand would have to do the trick. Now factor in the nightmare of going to races (money and logistics-wise) and you had a recipe for disaster. Of course, none of this applied if you were one of the few lucky rich kids who did triathlon, but anyway, it was so hard financially that I stayed for 3 years in the sport and had to quit it for something more sustainable. No wonder the best athletes in Tri come from developed countries - the same applies to golf and any other "rich kid" sport.

Now I'm 15 years older and finally got well off enough to be able to return to triathlon. And I realised that once you're past Junior category in the sport, there's still another hurdle for it to become a sustainable lifestyle, the already mentioned Ironman™ fetish that seems to take hold of the sport. Some may deny it, but yes, it feels like sprints and olys are for n00bs or people who haven't grown a pair yet. You read a book on triathlon training (f.e. the excellent Triathlete Training Bible) and there's a palpable sensation that it doesn't dedicate the same attention to shorter distances as it does to longer ones. You watch videos from GTN or (ugh)Triathlon Taren and they gloss over shorter distances, since it is for beginners. And finally, you see that the media coverage of long distance events is absolutely disproportionate in relation to the number of participants, the accessibility to and sustainability of this kind of sport. I understand that the sport was born as a long distance one, but come on, it's time we admit that IM events are not and cannot become a minimally widespread lifestyle, or else triathlon might end up like modern pentathlon.

I did tris for some 15 yrs last one was in 2004. Price went very much up, I changed jobs that didn't allow me to train nearly as much, then family with 2 kids and last but not least, I simply lost motivation as there was noting else that attracted me to it. My social life was very good with triathletes and the club but the races lost appeal. Kona was good 45 min away for me, I have been to Boston and setting new PRs by a minute or two or half meant nothing to me. I run and ride now and then but just for fun of it, no timing, HR, wats etc. I still know few people from back in the days who are still racing, still chasing some elusive slots or PRs in a new age group. Nah, I have moved on. I didn't care about being good at it, however that is defined, just enjoyed the whole thing and improvement came on its own. I was FOP and MOP and it was all good and fun.

A 36-year streak for me. I've thought many times of returning solely to running, which I focused on before tris, but I figure I would burn myself out. I haven't done an IM in a decade and the number of tris I do each year is gradually declining, but I still love a long training day.

To celebrate Kona, which I last raced in 2000, my volume goal for this week is to total IM race distance, but swimming 6000 yards because the IM swim is too short. ;) A fun goal that doesn't require an entry fee, a super bike or travel expenses.