I've run one open HM. I've completed 3 HIM's and several 13.1+ mi. training runs.

If people ask, I tell them I've run ONE HM.

Not saying anyone is right or wrong.

But you yourself say 13.1 miles is a half marathon, even if you wont call it that.

So if you drove 100 miles on the freeway do you not call it 100 miles unless it was a race?

ETA for the OP: Go for it and have fun!

But why *just* do an IM? Customise the distances to your favorite long loop rides and runs.

I guess my point was if someone (at that time) asked me what my half marathon PR was, I would certainly say the time but then not hesitate to say that I ran it in a training run. Something along the lines of "I had a 14 mile training run that just happened to include a PR half marathon"

Or if I decided I wanted to try to PR my 5k and just did it myself based on my Garmin, I wouldn't hide the fact that I did it in a non-race situation.

I don't see it as a bad thing, just a thing.

I wouldn't do that. It takes too long to recover from a full. It will affect your early season racing. And you'd be risking injury for no good reason.

I've done a half on my own. That was easy, logistically speaking. I carried all the nutrition easily and ran where I knew there were water fountains. Would not consider ever doing a full on my own.

Why not enter a local full or a HITS or something like that?

but considering the majority of the field in just about every sanctioned ironman are paying $700 to be waddling around for 13+ hours, the context of 'racing' isn't really applicable for most that toe the line.

I was thinking of just doing an ironman on my own.

It's a great idea and one I wish more would do. It shows people are in the sport without having to have their accomplishments validated, a nice change. I think a lot of people compete in triathlons as a goal-oriented sport instead of just for fun.

I did a half-IM on my own a number of times and did the IM bike leg and an off-road marathon on my own. After doing the latter, I never entered a race again. I figured I can get far more enjoyment from doing it on my own and I already had lots of t-shirts.

When you finish, make it official with a do-it-yourself M-Dot tattoo.

I've done this a few times (not the full IM distance) as a dry run leading up to my IM. It was a great way to test endurance, nutrition, set-up, clothing, etc. Instead of distance, I used time. After a few failed attempts at fuel/hydration, I just kept it to loops. For the swim, I did open water for an hour, keeping close the shoreline, going out 800 then coming back. That way, if fit hit the shan, I wasn't a mile out in the middle of the lake. For the bike, it was out 1hr and back (2hr loop) for 5hrs (last loop only an hour). For the run, out 30 min and back for 2hrs. Each loop gave me ability to use my truck as an aid station to exchange bottles, strip off (or put on) clothes. 8hrs total.

Whatever you want to call it shouldn't matter. If you want to call it an IM distance...great. Want to call it a training session (which is what I did)...great. Either way, when you tell your friends what you did over the weekend, whatever you call it, they still think you're nuts!

The answer to which is...yes, of course it does. Which is the opposite of what you are saying (that a solo ironman makes no "noise"), so I think you need a new cliche analogy.

The standard philosophical reply is that the air would vibrate but without a receiver then there is no sound. The question is a classic educational debate topic and a PERFECT analogy for discussing the OP's proposal ... which similarly has two sides regarding whether it is a worthwhile pursuit or "counts".

If you have your Garmin file, it counts. If not....well, then you might as well call yourself "Kip".

By the way, 112 mi on a trainer is probably the equivalent of about 140+ on the road. I'm a big proponent of using the trainer just for efficiency and safety purposes. But if you're strictly going for the 112 distance, do the ride outside if at all possible.

Of course you can do it. Nothing wrong with that.

Some friends of mine from Norway raced the Norseman course during winter time.
Check out the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUsAQ47sA9U

This all sounds like the big day training from GOING LONG. Sounds fun! I do one on my birthday and call it the OLDMAN (6200 swim, 62 mile bike, 6.2mile run) I started doing it when I turned 62 and kept it there as it is now taking too long to add distance every year (I like to swim, like to bike, and would like to run faster). Or how about a MADMAN (I live in Henderson Nevada): swim in Lake Mead, Ride to Mt. Charleston, then hike up Mt Charleston (18miles to about 12,000 ft). If I ever get around to it I'll get me a fake tattoo of Alfred E. Newman. I keep thinking of doing the Silverman on my own (Maybe some day I'll be too old to think about).
What epic solos have you all done that we all might be interested in?

Have a happy swim, a pleasant ride, and a great run

After a few failed attempts at fuel/hydration, I just kept it to loops.

Yeah, my biggest issue was having enough fluids on a self-supported bike and run so also did loops on both.

Fair enough. Tree wise, I guess I'm firmly on the side of it making noise in both the philosophical realm and physical world. Whether someone heard it (chose to listen?) is not something that concerns the tree - it did its part, including making the noise. Something like that. So yeah, you're totally right, it is like that question. Can we agree that when the OP completes his workout, there will be plenty of one-handed applause?

It was George Mallory who said it.

On topic, if it's not a race, it's a training session.

Your point about #3 is exactly the reason to do it.

---

Simplify, Train, Live

But there would be no POINT in doing it since I already know in advance that as soon as I got to that POINT in the run that I would bail because there would be no POINT in completing it. :)

We are in total agreement on that. And I will offer my one handed applause in advance if that helps the OP.

I'm not going to read through the thread or argue, but synthetic did this a couple years ago, got himself a clock and everything if you want to dig that topic up. had some good insight

---

_____________________________________
What are you people, on dope?

—Mr. Hand

I know someone who did one on his 40th birthday, did the swim at his local pool and then did the bike and run on his own (he was also a multiple Kona qualifier/finisher).

I used to do a DIY half-ironman when I was training for IM to get a sense of where I was fitness-wise, would swim at the Y and map out a multi-loop bike and run course from my house; also did it with an OW swim at Walden Pind and mapped ride/run from there.

---

"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

Do it! Races are technically a long training day.
I've done similar simulation in order to work out 'A' race pace and nutrition at race pace. Be sure to work out your nutrition in the logistics, water and he'll stops on the run, - you would be my hero if you do 112 mi on a trainer, most I've tolerated has been 3hrs.
happy training!

yup, my wife also did the same. when we knew we could accomplish the simple feat of 'finishing'... we signed up for a real race, and both did 2-3 hours faster.

Is a time trial a race?

I'll say! I know I'd fail that test.