I've noticed that some people are very one hobby/passion orientated while others are more multi. In my mid twenties(I'm 52 now) I used to race sports cars. A couple of years ago I went to watch a race and was noticing that among all the new faces there was still a few familiar ones, people still into it after all these many years. A few of them raced back when I did. The same thing with my passion for scuba diving. I used to do a hundred dives a season, deep diving, wreck penetration, etc. in the Great Lakes as well as shark dives in the Caribbean on winter holidays. At that time I lived for scuba diving, just as I once did for car racing.

I don't race cars any more(way too expensive) but still scuba dive, although not with the passion of a decade ago. Triathlon has become the hobby of the moment. I enjoy it now, but who knows what my interests may be in five or ten years. I'm actually surprised that there are people that stick 15 or 20 yrs. in triathlon. They must be very singularly focused in their interests.

I think that many of the folks in the SF Bay Area I know who have been doing it for so long are the folks who are not singular in their pursuits. Most of the singular folks are solid for 2-5 years and then retire after a Ironman or two. Many of us XCski/alpine/snowboard/snowshoe all winter long. We ultra run. We mtn bike (albiet not very well). We cook and drink tasty wine. Sometimes we just spin the road bikes up the coast to a bakery or two. Maybe scuba is next. What a neat diversion that would be while acclimating or just spectating in Kona. All the while, when I'm away from the day to day fix of endorphines, I begin to day dream about how to fit Ironman back into a 'normal' life. Hopefully a season of Xterra (2004) will be a fun substitute in a somewhat new version of swim/bike/run. My friends and I love looking at the older age-group winners on the stage thinking we'll hopefully be duking it out with each other in 20-30 years.

Anyone else have a formula for balance and longevity that works for them?

I thought I might amplify a bit on Cerveloguy's comments. I have raced tris every year since 1985 (that makes 18 seasons, doing 11 Ironmans in the past 13 years) and I have to say, that I am just as interested in it as ever. Do I have other interests ? Absolutely: Politics, XC skiing, NFL Football, History of India, and reading the Economist from cover to cover to name a few. Granted for Cerveloguy, car racing and scuba were "all consuming hobbies" at one time. The difference is that these are not really "lifestyle" type activities. One does not go and race cars at lunch hour, or on a business trip, or at 5:30 am before work as one might do with running, biking or swimming. Triathlon can become more a a lifestyle type activity. For me, it is integrated into life. Get up, run, ride to work, ride home (throw some hills in on the way) etc etc. Triathlon can be as complex or as simple as you want when integrating into one's day to day life. I think the people that do it year after year, just make it a part of their daily routine, and then throw in some longer stuff or racing on the weekend (circumstances permitting).



You can chose to whip off a couple of surges on your 45 min run at lunch, or drive across town after work, meet with the track club, stretch, train, socialize and get home (total time 3.5 hours). When one makes it convenient and simple is when it gets truly integrated into day to day life. When it becomes a big chore to get to workouts etc etc day after day, that is when people bail out of the sport. This likely explains those that get in the sport for the "rolling 3 year" period required to get from Olympic to Half to Ironman and then get out, once the "Ironman Checkmark" has been crossed off on "life's to do list" typical of most A types that this sport attracts.

Personally, after many years of Ironman racing, I too have the decision to make about racing short course only perhaps for a few years, perhaps permanently as a result of some health related issues that may make Ironmans unsafe. Will I miss it ? Absolutely. Will i be dissappointed doing shorter stuff ? No way. Just being able to swim-bike and run is gift. Perhaps that is why guys like Slowman get back into the sport after long layoffs ? After all, its not about the racing and results. Its all about the journey (training) and as Alison pointed out in today's article...getting to the start line !

Good topic. This was my 18th year of racing. Started in 1985, did Kona in 1991, then left long course alone for 8 or 9 years and did the short stuff...I was better suited to it physically, had some local age group success at it and it allowed me to race often. I see ALOT of new people at the races these days, but it is always fun to catch up with folks here in the midwest that have been around year after year or those from the early 90's that have recently come back again. I like having someplace to "test" the training, which I just kind of like to do.

Ironman is funny though...it kept scratching and I felt the itch to see if I could still go long, got a lottery spot to Kona in 2001 and survived those winds. I was a two-time finisher now and that was going to be it, but then come all the raves for IM-WI.

90 miles away from where I am in northern IL, great race, interesting course. So I tried again last month, this time with a rough DNF on a hot day. THAT was going to be it, but two days later decided I want to finish the one I go out on, so I'll be there again in 2004. Then short course again, for sure, I think.

What amazes me are those folks who do an Ironman as their first and only triathlon. Nothing against 'em. Great that they are out there and trying to finish. But they might be missing so much of the sport. The small races, on little lakes on a summer Saturday morning, all the different distinctive towns to see, the memory learning of the courses as you try to improve year after year. I have been so many places because of the sport. That might be one of the best things of all.

I'm glad Dan wrote the article and I am lookig forward to these posts.

Mark

Well according to Dan's analysis I was a "climber" Got into the sport in 1981. Competed in the shorter events for a number of years, but always seemed to do better as the race got longer. Knew somehow that Ironman was going to be a point of destiny for me. Did my first IM in '89(IMH) then did 8 more IM races in the next 8 years. I kept going because I was doing better and better - driven along by my own personal performance. Packed it in in 1997 after a solid effort at IMC and decided that with a 1 month old child and a new job it was time to walk away from it for the time being - and I did. That was the last time that I swam hard and the last time that I road over three hours. I still stayed fit and although I have had some semi serious back-problems to deal with, I stay active( cycled 60K easy last Saturday with a good friend).

I had considered jumping back into the sport seriously when I turned 40( 2001) a few years ago as the competition in the masters division both locally and at the national level in Canada was not that deep - I was one of the first wave of top people in the country from the early days to reach 40 - but the back problems and some other personal issues put that on hold.

If the back problems ever sort themselves out I am still thinking of getting back into it, but if that never happens - I am fine with that. It was a great run, and I feel lucky to have been able to experience the sport in my country from the very early days. It came full circle for me when Simon Whitfield, A Canadian Kid from Ontario, won the Gold Medal in Sydney. A few months later when I bumped into him at a running race he actually thanked me for helping get the sport off the ground locally in Ontario. I really did nothing, but I was touched by his thoughts none-the-less!

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

"Triathlon can become more a a lifestyle type activity"

Gotta agree with you. That is why I took it up in my late 40's, finally realizing my own mortality. I may not be doing full triathlon as a very old man, as long as I'm able to turn a crank and maintain my balance, I'll always ride my bike as a lifestyle activity well into my final years.

I have been involved in triathlon since 1986. I still love competing despite family and work demands that are at time all consuming. One thing that has kept me going is lots of changes in scenery. I started doing triathlons in Singapore and Malaysia, then spent 4 years in southern Ontario. I then moved to the Philadelphia region and am now in Arizona. I just finished a year in Singapore and spent a summer in France three years ago. I also spend most of my summers in Nova Scotia, where I am much more into windsurfing than triathlon (before triathlon windsurfing was my number one passion). Each place I have been has a different and enjoyable triathlon scene. In Arizona I also do a lot of mountain biking plus the occasional MTB race and love running track races. I have been fortunate that my job allows me to travel and live in different places.

---

Andrew Inkpen

Compared to some previous posters, I'm a relative newbie to the sport.

My gateway to triathlon was running. I guess I was a running "climber." After the first 10k in 2000 came the half-marathon and so on until ultimately completing a Marathon in Dec., 2001. I started doing triathlon after the half marathon to keep fit until marathon training actually started. Needless to say, I was hooked. I've concentrated on local sprint and oly distance tri's with a Wildflower Oly in there for fun.

Triathlon has also been a gateway sport to other sports for me as I am currently racing Cyclocross for more fun, fitness challenges. I used to race BMX as a kid in the early 80's and triathlon has brought back my "bike lust." I have my eye on a new mountain bike to participate in local mountain bike tri's, du's and races put on by my local triathlon promoters.

Racing gives my training meaning. It's something I can work toward and be a part of with people who share the same appreciation of life.

---

Sean