Lanky, slender, lean.
Sean,
I would prefer those words to, but let’s face it most people would look at you and me and laugh hard about the two stick-men running around in their underwear!
Fleck
How about Matt Reed and Simon Lessing. Both are well over 6 feet and dominate.
I am 6’3" 195 and I am in no danger of displacing the podium in most races. If I could get down to the low 180’s I think I would have a chance. I need to go on the epic diet.
Actually, the ideal triathlete is tall and lean (like 6", 160 lbs), especially for Ironman. At Ironman distances when two guys blow up and shuffle at 85 RPM, the guy who is 6" will kick the ass of the person who is 5’6". If you look at all the Ironman Hawaii winners, the only small guy to win in history is Greg Welch. Same for road cycling. Taller and lean tend to do better as they can hammer the TT’s and still stay with the likes of Heras or Hampsten on the climbs. For straight out marathon running, 5"6" and 125 lbs is what you want. Shorter guys can also do pretty well at Olympic distance tri, but the longer it gets, the tall guy has the advantage.
Actually, the ideal triathlete is tall and lean (like 6", 160 lbs), especially for Ironman. At Ironman distances when two guys blow up and shuffle at 85 RPM, the guy who is 6" will kick the ass of the person who is 5’6". If you look at all the Ironman Hawaii winners, the only small guy to win in history is Greg Welch. Same for road cycling. Taller and lean tend to do better as they can hammer the TT’s and still stay with the likes of Heras or Hampsten on the climbs. For straight out marathon running, 5"6" and 125 lbs is what you want. Shorter guys can also do pretty well at Olympic distance tri, but the longer it gets, the tall guy has the advantage.
I don’t know about that, I seem to recall walking the second half of an ironman and finishing my run in over 5 hours!
Pretty much all sizes passed me!
Thank you all for all your comments. I am 6’3" and on my way to about 185-190. Currently I am about 198 or so. It seems that I still need a lot more training to be able to place in my age group!!! Thanks again!
Hang on there, Stefan (Kus), is 6’6" and 185 lbs. He just went 9:42 at Ironman Arizona and was on the podium for 35-39. If you lose ~ 10 lbs, you’ll be in the same “telephone pole” speed demon category.
I’m 6’5’’ tall and usually around 165-170 at race weight. I can finish in or around top 10 overall in most of the local tri’s and can place age group at almost all of them. I come from a good running background (i.e. 1:54 800/4:20 1600). I can’t swim to save my life:) Usually have to ride like a maniac to get back in the race and then pass maybe a couple guys on the run.
Cycling is more about power to weight ratio, Triathlon is more about energy efficiency. I’m 184, 6’1…All American 25-29 (whatever that means) and pretty competetive in my age group. I’ve struggled to lose weight off my ‘former swimmer’ frame, and don’t eat any fruits and vegetables, so weight is always an issue for me.
Hang in there, train a lot, you can be competetive.
I am 6’4", 215 lbs., 43 yrs old. Last year I won a local race overall as well as second overall. I wiil usually be the first out of the water, can usually maintain on the bike but tend to lose it on the run. I believe it has more to do with training and conditioning and natural ability than it does with size of the athlete.
6-2, 175 to 180 lbs, rountinely top 3 in 25-29 and now 30-34. Size is an advantage, provided you can keep your strength to weight ratio up.
i’m 6’3 160 but a year and a half ago when i was running 90+ miles a week i was 20 lbs lighter…talk about lanky. since i picked up cycling i’ve put on muscle weight and still get called lanky.
i still think that hard, smart training is the biggest reason you’ll be on the podium. i used to get smoked college in everything from the mile to the 10k xc (low 4 miles & low 30 10k’s) by guys that were a foot shorter than me and probable outweighed me still.
I’ve recently had my share of local placings and silverware although the more significant factors I find are state of mind (absolutely critical) and power to weight ratio (essential as you get bigger in stature). I still suffer a weaker run than some of my fellow lighter competitors but my longer levers (if you’ve got the muscle to move them) in swim and bike I find is a plus against my shorter brethren.
I beleive that this questions should be framed in the context of body mass versus height and at specific race distances. It is not the height, it the the proportion of mass on a particular skeletal frame the yields a certain efficiency over a specified distance. Speed and Power events favor a certain build that is unique in most cases from endurance events that reward efficiency and range/duration.
Look at the body types of the pro or olympic athletes in variety of track, field and cycling events and while there is always the exception to the rule, at the longer distances, the benefit goes to the athlete with the optimal body mass to frame ratio. You will see very few top tier endurance athletes that are carrying significant mass on thier frames. The calories/watts required to drive the extra pounds 140.6 take a toll.
You guys are making me feel like a fat a$$. I’m 5’11" and 176 pounds, but dropping. I have a large frame with wide shoulders though so if I ever got down to 160, I would look like a skeleton with skin. Also, another problem is that my lean mass is currently about 159 lbs. I would have to lose muscle in order to get really skinny and I don’t know if it will be that beneficial to me to lose muscle mass.
BTW, I haven’t even raced my first race yet so I don’t know how I compare to others. My first race is in 10 days but I have at least 5 races planned for this year.
Yes and no. Any other details would be embarassing so I will avoid them! I make sure I pig out the day before the race to stay a Clydesdale so I feel a little better!!!
5’10" 165lbs, moderate running background, entering my 7th year of doing tri’s, practically no hardware for the first 4 yrs, the last three years I have been fortunate enough to get some hardware at about 50% of the events I enter.
I swim like well a rock, nickname given to me by my first masters coach. I have improved in swimming but still swim a bit lower then avg for my age group 35-39, make up some time in both the run and bike. When I go running with a group of ex college runners I feel like a fat slob compared to those gazelles.
Good question, interesting to read all the responses,
Peace,
RF
Well, my bakcground is really Volleyball. I did do track and field, cross-country during middle and high school, but no swimming or bike. I have only been doing tris for about 2 years, so it may be a while for me to really be competitive within my age group!!! bummer!!
That’s not true, you have to be positive, and don’t listen to people who tell you you can’t do it. I did Eagleman in '03 and finished in 6:05, but knew deep down I could be competetive (which I think you do as well). I worked my ass off, told a friend who does these that I was gonna break 5 hours, and he laughed at me, literally! I went 4:30.08 last year, and am now competetive (as I said, all-american).
Don’t listen to people who say ‘that’s not typical’ or ‘you CAN’T do it!’
A close friend who once won an Olympic medal in cycling told me to never let anyone tell you your dreams and goals are wrong.
That’s good advice for everyone, and he didn’t start cycling until he was like 19.
“If you lose ~ 10 lbs, you’ll be in the same “telephone pole” speed demon category”
Dev, I actually lost about 10 pounds compared to my last IM race and saved 14 min on the run. I wonder how much impact that had.
Stefan
eganski,
Thanks for the words of encouragement! I am very competitive by nature and I know I will be a contender (hopefully sooner than later), but I know I have to be patient. For one, I don’t have a true tri bike yet, and the other reason is I know I need some time to develop my “endurance body”. My first race this year was a duathlon (2mi run, 10mi bike, 2mi run, 10mi bike, 2 mi run). My average speed on the bike for that event was 19mph and my run splits were in the 7 min miles. My total time was 1:51:09 and I was pretty happy with it, but again I know I still have some ways to go. If only I can maintain my training schedule and attend family, daughter, house chores, work, etc… I should be able to do it by the end of 2006!! Thanks again.