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Does Mark Allen still race?
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You hear about Dave Scott, Scott Mollina, and of course, Scott Tinley still racing here and there, but I've never heard anything about Mark Allen racing. I know he has his on-line coaching, but it would sure be cool to see him at Kona again. I can't imagine he'll never compete for a 7th win, but to see him there would be great.
Last edited by: Tom H: Sep 30, 03 2:51
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Re: Does Mark Allen still race? [Tom H] [ In reply to ]
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Top ranked athletes choose one of a few possible exit/retirment strategies. I am not sure, but It may be a coincious or subconcious decesion. Whatever, it is a personal deceison

1. Cold turkey exit at the top as Mark Alllan did

2. Hang on a bit past the peak/best years, but still being a factor and a contender

3. Hang on a bit past peak/best years, but performace drops off.

#1 and #2 seem to be the most common, #3 less common. My guess is that it's hard to go from winning/being-a-contender to just participating.

I respect any top athletes deceison to call it a day and however he/she deceide to go about it. Mark Allan deceided to go out on top. Dave Scott decided to make a few highly successful come-backs. Paula Newby-Fraser continues to compete now at 40+, but clearly is no longer a favourite to win the really big races. PNF is not really a #2 or a #3 - somewhere in the middle really. Bottom line with many of these folks is finding a role for themselves that is fullfilling and keeps them going.


Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: Does Mark Allen still race? [Fleck] [ In reply to ]
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While on that topic...

I ran into Kathleen McCartney recently (our sons play soccer together). She was the woman that passed Julie Moss for the win in 1982 in that famous finish.

Kathleen is going back to Kona this year for her first triathlon since 1988. She looks fit and has been putting in the miles -- but she says don't expect a top-20 AG finish...she's been a full-time mom for a few years.
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Re: Does Mark Allen still race? [Tom H] [ In reply to ]
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Mark doesn't race anymore - at least not competively. I have known Mark for a number of years and he has become a great friend. I often asked him, "why don't you still race?" His response was that he is very content and at peace with what he did and accomplished in his career. He went out on top (like many athletes don't do) and he doesn't regret that for one second. I once asked him if he would ever consider doing Kona again and again, he answered that there was pretty much no amount of money in the world that could draw him back. He said he gave so much of himself to win those six times that he didn't think he could find that in his body again to go back and actually gun for another win.

I completely respect his decisions and his attitude about retiring when he did. Mark is a very, very centered person and a really neat guy to know. My only regret is that I didn't know him when he was racing at the height of his career as I would have loved to have been there in Kona and watched him race.

As far as guys like Dave, Scott Tinley, Molina ... if they are still enjoying competing, at whatever level, then I respect that as well. Mark, for himself, simply had nothing more to prove and knew it was time to move on. He's still very involved in triathlon with his coaching and his association with IM Austria and IM France as well as much of the TV coverage he does. His passions also lie with the Dance of the Deer Foundation and the Shamanism workshops he does with Brant Secunda.

By the way - Julie Moss will also be racing Kona this year .... re-living the Moss/McCartney battle from '82. Should be a fun year in Kona

Dennis
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Re: Does Mark Allen still race? [Dmcminn] [ In reply to ]
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I read that Mark Allen doesn't race anymore. He doesn't even train, really. He does workout, but to stay fit. His workouts are a major scale down version of what he used to do. If I remember correctly from what I read, he doesn't run more than an hour and doesn't bike more than two.



Would love to see the big four PARTICIPATE in IM Hawaii, not race it. It would be fun to see those guys out there enjoying themselves, kind of like an old timers baseball reunion game.

________________________________________________________________________

___________________________
And the road gets rocky along the way
But if it gets too smooth, it's time to call it a day
-Kinks
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Re: Does Mark Allen still race? [Tom H] [ In reply to ]
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I interviewed Mark Allen for our San Francisco Triathlon Club newsletter and this was the exchange on some questions relevent here:

"SFTC: Do you have any current race plans?

MA: No.

SFTC: Will you ever try Hawaii Ironman again?

MA: No.

SFTC: Any other Ironmans?

MA: No.

SFTC: I take it you still train quite a bit. What is your average training day?

MA: I do some kind of workout just about every day. I run most days, lift weights twice a week when I am home, and surf as much as I can in the winter months when the waves are the best here in Santa Cruz, California where I live."

For the full interview go here:

http://www.sftriclub.org/newsletter/

As an aside, he is also involved with Ironman Austria and was involved in the pre-race meeting. In fact, he placed my IMA finisher's medal around my neck which was very cool :)

Alan
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Re: Does Mark Allen still race? [Tom H] [ In reply to ]
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I had heard he was racing NASCAR, but I'm not sure about the sponsor. Anyone know? I think it may be Celestial Seasonings or Dr. Maffetone with Endless Pools as a secondary sponsor. Not sure though.
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Re: Does Mark Allen still race? [Tom H] [ In reply to ]
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I think you will see Dave Scott at Kona again. He likes to experiment with his body and see what it can do. Maybe as a 50 yr. old. Molina will be there this year for the 25th. Mark is RETIRED.
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