I agree that except for the winner, everyone else lost.

But the reality is that we have triathalons to make money for someone. Recognition of those who participate is necessary for that goal. (Same for other events.)

I stopped participating because I saw no difference between race day and training day.

THIS!

Finishing an IM is not hard, if you are at all in any decent shape. Obviously an obese person could not do it.

Racing an IM is bloody hard.

When I was a kid some coach gave me a sports psychology book entitled "winning isn't normal." The premise was that everyone longed to be different but no one was willing to do the things necessary to be truly different. My rebellious thought was that since everyone else is trying to win, it might be really hard to become "different" that way. Maybe it would be better to try to lose in some spectacular (or memorable) fashion. That would truly be different. I think Tom Robbins argues something like this in one of his books.
I have never really tested this philosophy, however.

My goal as an amateur athlete, is to get the best performance possible for the finite amount of time and talent that I have. This makes sports a highly personal activity. How fast might I be? How fast am I?
The problem with Ironman is that it requires a ton of training. After five years of heavy training, I am still unable to even estimate "how fast I might be." I can only say how fast I was on a given day on a given course.

Personally, I think it is better to race a sprint triathlon than to complete an Ironman.
(Of course there is no reason you cannot do both). I have.
If the goal is to complete a 140.3 event then why not Rev or some other brand of event.

To summarize I think a true "Ironman" is basically a professional athlete. Most of us are just completing a challenge (and often an ill defined one at that). 9:30, 10:30, 13:30 or 17:30 Ironman or Rev. It is personal.

Thanks for this historical note. Many of the guys here think 17 hours is some magical number that must never change. Your finishing time should be your trophy. Official finishers' list should include everyone who finishes, regardless of time, imho.

-Robert

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

I'm going to go with false to the original question. Ironman is a race. A "true Ironman" cares not about time. Only about who he beats. Particularly if they are friends who are competitive with him. Time is irrelevant.

On a side note, why not give yourself more time to develop aerobic fitness and a healthy cardiovascular system before attempting the feat? That way you are out there racing against other people and not just stumbling around delirious trying to beat some time cutoff. I think fitness should be a lifetstyle and not just something done for a year or two to check off a bucket list goal.

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-Bryan Journey
Travel Blog | Training Blog | Facebook Page

Appreciate comment. I wouldnt even consider an attempt till 2014 at earliest and would b (hopefully) much better prepared than if i were to try now. I guess it is hard for me to see beyond my current abilities as i dont want to b presumptuous. I did 50k today and averaged 12.5min/miles so i know i have room for improvement personally and hopefully would only get faster and in better shape w more time to train once husband done w school and i am not 95% responsible for son while working.

Maybe my question was not as personally focused as it was more a general question w non wtc events lenghening time limit. Thanks for comment. Happy racing!

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Linking TriBloggers! http://www.listoftriathlonblogs.com
Full time working mother trying to find time for triathlons, marathons and golf. http://www.nicolekesten.blogspot.com

The real question is: Are you happy?

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"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health"
- Hippocrates, 460-370 BC

So, can anyone in Melbourne call themselves and Ironman after today?


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I volunteered at the last aid station on the run last year. My opinion of people that are still on the course that late giving 100% to hit that midnight deadline is pretty damned high. Talk about dedication. Saw some of the most amazing things between 11 and 11:45pm, real feats of humanity and human effort.

IMLP 2013 will be my first IM. I'm learning that the real challenge is getting there. The training alone is so intense. I will be happy to get there healthy and finish Although, honestly, I sure hope I'm not out there late in the night, but if I am, you know damn well I'm doing the best I can!

At the end of the day, no matter what anyone says, this is an individual sport. You have to race your own pace or blow up trying. It's really that simple. There will be those that are always faster than you are, and some who are slower.

I'm doing my 2nd HIM in two weeks. I plan on doing my first IM in 2014. I'm shooting for a time in the 13-14 hour range for my first time out. Many on here would say that is slow and doesn't count. I'm training for that pace to leave myself some cushion if things go bad. Things went pretty bad in my first HIM and I'm glad I had some time cushion. I'm hoping to do quite a bit better in my 2nd.

So you do a Rev3 for your first (and I'd love to have a Rev3 race near me to try this series), and it takes you 17:01. Are you happy? I would be. You will still push yourself, learn a whole lot about yourself, and one day you will be a lot faster and can look back on your improvement and be proud of yourself. That's really all that matters.

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You will remain the same person, before, during and after the race. So the result, no matter how important, will not define you. The journey is what matters. ~ Chrissie W.

Just finishing is a huge accomplishment but as the one poster said, you have to look yourself in the mirror. "Cs get degrees" but if you are capable of doing better, you're just selling yourself short. Give it a real effort.

"My opinion of people that are still on the course that late giving 100% to hit that midnight deadline is pretty damned high. Talk about dedication."

For me, dedication is about more than a gritty effort on race day.

I won't consider myself a true Ironman until I run the whole thing without walking which for me equates to a sub 4:30 marathon. That is the bare minimum for an actual run. I am still a little bit of an ironman but it doesn't feel like it when you walk for a portion of the run race. I have ran for most the 26.2 before but to me it's when I hit that 4h30m cutoff when I will know I really am an ironman.

anybody can drink coffee all day and send e-mails all week then walk a gritty ironman on sunday. It takes dedication to train consistently for months leading up to the race.

? Ironman uk is 17 hours as is wales

It's what you believe you are.

This is the better question than that raised by the OP. I can recall my greatest fear on the Saturday before each IMLP I did was that weather would shorten or cancel the swim (they are always predicting T-storms up there...some day it is going to happen) and all that training would be for just a long race, but not a full ironman. Ok, I admit that the day before a race I was not exactly mentally sound (I imagined I had monsters under my bed too), but to me, an IM is 140.6. In fact a recent post (by Dev, I think) commented that IM France was 7k short on the bike...if true, my view of that event has changed too. Marathons are 26.2. Ironman is 140.6. But everyone has to reach their own conclusions on this as well.

I can, and I didn't even do the race :-)

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

After 17 hours they shut down. So you dnf. Not an Ironman.

The 10 hour finisher would still rack up more miles ;-)

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I thought you were only an ironman if you do it at Kona and Mike Reilly says so

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

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Well Mike was announcing everyone across the line in Melbourne as Ironmen yesterday so I guess you don't need to complete the full distance anymore either..,,,(smiley face...pink.....smiley..pink)

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