I read something that made me think a little about this question. It’s more an issue of how much money you have. I was fortunate to go to the Duathlon National Championships and win my age group this past June. Believe me, I don’t kid myself into thinking I am the fastest 30-34 year old in the country. There are a lot of really fast athletes that can’t afford the airfare/hotel/other expenses to go to these kinds of races.
World’s for duathlon were in Australia this year and I can only guess that a trip like that cost’s in the order of 2-4 grand. For my wife and I to go would have been prohibitively expensive. I can’t even imagine the reaction I might have received had I suggested I try to go without her. J
To those of you who have gone over the years, do the age groups actually become more competitive as you get older because now there are more athletes with the disposable income to travel?
" . . . To those of you who have gone over the years, do the age groups actually become more competitive as you get older because now there are more athletes with the disposable income to travel?"
Yes. But, given the cost of equipment, entry fees, and time freed for training, that is true domestically as well.
"I suppose I should have had my children at a younger age then. By the time I hit mid to late 40s I’m sure they will be draining me dry. "
Not if you put them to work in the salt mines and skim a hefty commission off their income as their creator. Really, kids today are quite coddled. Sit down with them and make them watch Oliver Twist and then explain how it is time for them to start contributing or you are sure there are other kids out there who would be delighted to in return for 3 squares and a roof over their heads.
About another year and my 6 month old will be the perfect size for sweeping chimneys. That oughta be good for some new wheels and maybe some powercranks.
If you have a choice between the wheels and powercranks then I would start with the PowerCranks. The sooner you start, the sooner the pain is over and the improvement begins. Bite the bullet and get the wheels later.
Especially if you are going to have the child earn the extra money. J
Relative wealth will have a lot to do with it, but there is also motivation and priority-setting. It might be that a number of people who do these things scrimp like crazy throughout the rest of the season, maybe by doing just local races or few races at all. Does anybody know anybody who operates this way?
It is all a matter of priorities - for both you and your life partner. To the person with broad perspective, triathlon training often ranks above such not uncommon pursuits as bar-hopping, poker playing, marital infidelities, and 100-hour work weeks.
I qualified for New Zealand Worlds in 2003. I couldn’t afford the $1500 plane tickets on top of everything else. It’s crazy how expensive it is to get to worlds.
One of Triathlon/Duathlon/and even Marathons dirty little secrets. Of course the age groups are dominated by the white upper (and middle upper) class white guys. But I suspect that most like it that way. If all of the truly talented athletes from all walks of life were able to afford the training time, equipment, entry fees, lodging and meal expenses it would be a far more competitive field and many of the current participants might find it less appealing.
Absolutely. Even our nationals have an economic filter to them. Just look at the results from last year’s USAT nationals. I won M25-29 and I wouldn’t have even podiumed in any other non-master’s age group! The 20 year olds are still bankrolled by Bank of Mom, while the 30+ are further into their careers and have banked some vacation time. There are at least 4-5 guys out there in my age group who could have kicked my butt, but didn’t decide to show for whatever reason.
This year will be my first world’s, but I expect the economic dilution to be even greater. Besides the travel costs associated with the trip, it doesn’t help that ITU and USAT try to bleed you dry with excessively high entry fees, questionable surcharges, and uniforms costs.
That’s true of many sports. Try Tennis, golf, and many more, so don’t say economic priviledge is the only issue here. I’m not tall enough for the NBA, should that be an issue? There always seems to be anexcuse people find for their shortcomings, or failure to do the sacrifice. If you can’t compete, find a sport where you can . I did 3 of the races, and raced fewer races, but I’ll assure you that the competition is pretty damn good. Just prioritize, and it’s a great way to see the world, and race. A race in France or Spain is incredible!
But – isn’t it true that our results in any given race are, to a large extent, a function of who showed up? I know it’s true around where I live. Depending on who shows up, I can be top-5 or top-20 in my AG. I actually finished 6th overall in a half ironman last October, with the third-fastest run split in the race. That was because I was about the only person there that races regularly. All the “real” competitors skipped the event.
Went once, to the 1994 ITU world’s in New Zealand and raced in the 25-29 age group. I was lucky that I was in the military then, and my General actually gave me 2 weeks off work without using a penny of my vacation AND he paid for my airfare out of his own discretionary temporary duty travel fund. He thought it was a good recruiting tool to show other people in Canada that servicement were good “normal people”. This was back when the military was suffering from numerous scandals etc and the general public had a negative impression of us. Now it has flipped the other way and the public love the military :-).
In any event, this would have been a $3K trip out of my pocket that barely cost me $1000. No way I would have done it otherwise. Chad, it was also 4 months after my wife and I got married, and she let me go solo :-).
Have not gone to ITU world’s since, mainly cause I have not had the money/vacation/will/desire to travel to a qualification race and then travel to worlds.