0/10

Are you being deliberately obtuse or do you really not get it?

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

Awesome accomplishment, congratulations!

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

We have a guy in my masters group who does decas. One thing about him that is unique is cast iron stomach. He can eat a couple of slices of pizza and then run ten miles no problem. Think about your last ironman. Most of us are in big calorie debt and then it takes a few hours before we can start eating normally.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Yup, you nailed it. Either I'm an asshat stirring the pot or an idiot. It's completely unfathomable to you that a third possibility exists. Maybe I have a legitimate, reasonable opinion on the matter that differs from yours. Hell, there is even a chance that my opinion is correct and the Horner thread was based in sexism and male self esteem issues that a woman could accomplish something epic. But never mind that. Let's just go back to me being an idiot.

Hey, RandMart is trying to keep the 50/50 thread going. Let's take this over there, and let this thread be about Mark and not you and Ashley.

I'll help with the difference.

In one case there is prior experience, demonstrable ability and relevent training, and then it actually happens.

In another case there is none of that followed by a complete clusterfuck.

Gender is beside the point. You are zoning in on the only irrelevant difference.

There is an enormous difference here and I rather not talk about AH any longer. As a female I am all about equality in sports but her lack of experience, gawd awful planning, enormous ego and dismissal of athletes and doctors who actually wanted to help is what let to the uproar of pissed off triathletes. I can remember watching AH on the today show talking about her 50/50 as if she already completed it. It was gross.

The difference in this situation is Mark never posted anything. He didn’t speak about it on social media and he didn’t go on national tv stations pounding his chest before he started his first day. The reason I found out about him and started this thread is because a San Diego police officer friend of mine posted about him on FB. SD is where the seals train and friends know friends. There was literally nothing about him online otherwise. I had never heard about these races and it blew my mind. And I don’t care what armed forces you are from (or maybe you aren’t at all) but at times like these - everyone deserves respect unless they give you a reason to treat them otherwise.

So that’s my two cents and don’t troll and try to hijack my thread over last years joke. Karma swallows its own.

I can't say anything about your post. Only this. You hit the nail on the head about the subjects.

Good day to you.

I find it hard to understand anyone trying to defend AH.
This double decker sandwich was genuinely epic. I've done LC racing and this baffles me. I would love to see a woman (with experience) nail this or the 50x50. For example Jasmin Paris https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmin_Paris. She undoubtedly has the physical and mental capacity. The idea that the animosity towards AH was sexist is ridiculous.

All the reasons you mentioned for not wanting to talk about Horner happened AFTER (or, at best, during) her attempt. This doesn't account for the enormous criticism and sexism she endured on this forum before she even started. Yes, she used social media. As does pretty much everyone under 35 years old these days. And assuming she planned on completing her challenge what better way to raise money for a cause?

I fail to see the difference with this particular athlete. He's a seal. That in no way qualifies you to be an endurance athlete. Based on the muscle requirements of seal training it's hard to see how he is completing this. Which is the exact reason everyone ripped Horner. Post #19 of Horner's thread is where the first criticism of her muscle build appeared. That's the first page of comments. The same post started on whether, or how much, she was doping. Odd how we don't see any of those sentiments in this case.

And even if being a seal somehow legitimized this attempt it's a hilarious bar as, to my knowledge, no woman has ever become a seal. They only recently let women even try to become seals. And imagine how cocky a woman would have to be in attempting to become the first female to pass seal training?

Your post simply uses Horner's failure to justify the nastiness she endured. It was blatant sexism long before she failed. And the intended/unintended outcome was that the next woman to try something epic will no doubt hesitate for a second thinking of what happened here.

Im baffled how you are defending your point of view when you clearly have no idea of what youre talking about. If youre just trolling then i applaud you because youre doing a great job. Ive known Mark for years and have raced with him. He came from YEARs of ultra racing before attempting this, having completed the deca and other extremely long races before his attempt. AH hadnt even finished a single ironman when she attempted the 50/50. Let me tell you that AH is not the person you want to get behind, if you wish i can introduce you to some awesome female ultra athletes that have the ability and experience to give the 50/50 a legitimate shot. And i can guarntee if one of them gave it a shot they would have everyones support.

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2x Deca-Ironman World Cup (10 Ironmans in 10 days), 2x Quintuple Ironman World Cup (5 Ironmans in 5 days), Ultraman, Ultra Marathoner, and I once did an Ironman.

I hate to feed the troll, but here goes: she endured significant amounts of sexism, yes, which some of us addressed directly in the thread, as I'm sure you observed. She faced significant amounts of criticism, which was totally justified. I don't know that I'll weigh in on the proportion of the one to the other, but it seemed that there was more criticism (justified) than sexism (unjustified).

Can we get back to focusing on an amazing athlete with a long track record who did something awesome now?

-Eric

I understand you are baffled. Mostly because you have missed the entire point I am trying to illuminate. I am not disparaging Mark. He is an elite athlete and I am thankful for his service. I am also not backing Horner. My post has nothing to do with supporting her or insulting him. It does have to do with the sexist rants that many went on in trashing Horner before she even started. And how that bias continues. For example, when Mark tries this and everyone supports him versus starting to question every little detail about the attempt.

The very definition of trying something epic is not having done that before. Horner attempted and failed. Feel free to bash her for lack of preparation. But she is still an elite athlete in her own right and she gave it a shot. You may not respect that. But you still have to respect her. My posts here are just an attempt to show how easy we go on some people that try epic adventures. And how that seems to correlate with those people being male.

Go back and read the Iron Cowboy thread. Im sure youll find that people on here “bashing epic adventures” has more to do with how these adventures are approached/executed vs if they are undertaken by a man/woman.

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2x Deca-Ironman World Cup (10 Ironmans in 10 days), 2x Quintuple Ironman World Cup (5 Ironmans in 5 days), Ultraman, Ultra Marathoner, and I once did an Ironman.

Great job, what a thing to do!

Questions if you are up to it:

I assume you did the 10x1 first because it was - well - harder (HA)! Do you stick with that assessment?

I am 99.9% sure you had a plan going in, how close did you end up being able to follow it? Do you build in makeup time or just sludge through it?

How much do you weigh, how much did you lose etc?

Lastly: anyone can answer this: do you have to do the 24 mile swim, 1120 bike, 262 run in order? Because if so, to me, that sounds WAY harder than do 10 x 1!

IMO, YOU are missing the point.

What makes AH ridiculous to me (and I'm probably not alone) is not the fact she is a woman.
Not the fact she is trying something.

It is the fact all her actions are clearly a caricature.
A caricature of a "social network diva".

Maybe she can be a real good athlete. Or she is. I don't know.

But the way she act on social networks is .... a farce. An internet marketing farce.

Clearly many other peoples are acting the same on internet, men or women. Apparently in the US you also have a red-haired guy making the fool of himself on internet (in Washington DC if I remember well) commenting local politic and international news.
A kind of political farce.
I' m laughing at him a lot also, nobody call me sexist.

We are commenting here because this AH 50/50 story was from the beginning an Ironman related internet/TV marketing farce.

You will notice that in Mark case, the "internet/TV", "marketing" and "farce" aspects were not there.
Fact he is a man is not the point.
Fact he succeeded is not the point.

Internet/TV marketing farce is the point.

Well done! I love following stories about seals, the mental toughness aspect is simply phenomenal (and after listening to Admiral McRaven, I make my bed every morning)! Have always used stories (David Goggins, Among Heroes, Trident, First Fast and Fearless, Leadership Lessons, Extreme Ownership, and Never Quit although it's about the PJs) for motivation. I couldn't meet the underwater swim requirement for PJ qualification when in the AF, still can't, but love hearing about those who went on to keep pushing the limits of human endurance. (not such a fan of some of the seals that went into politics). Keep posting about your upcoming adventures, would love to follow them.

Thanks for posting.

I am training for a DECA in the UK myself in July this year. I am in for the 10x1 but had a real hard decision versus the 1x10. I doubt I will get another chance in this lifetime - and would love you know your opinion. Which is the harder of the two? 1x10 or 10x1. I appreciate opinions will differ but you are the only person I have heard of that has done one after the other - so might have a good idea!

Congratulations on what I can only describe as an amazing achievement.

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He who understands the WHY, will understand the HOW.

You can't be serious.

But on the off chance you are, do a little reading on the amount of running and swimming ability/endurance needed to complete SEAL training and if my memory serves a little about the history of ironman triathlon.

Unfortunately, it's anything but a caricature---which is essentially a parody. That's what makes that whole thing such a sad commentary.

I'd think that the difference in reception is not at all related to sex, but rather the difference between an ironman (and Seal) attempting an ultra endurance feat vs. a person with no ironman background attempting an ultra endurance feat.

I cannot imagine how to split up a 1x10. I feel like you'd have to be on the bike by noon on day 2 and on the run by day 7. And then you have a hell of a week of running ahead of you.