I am getting into pretty good shape and there are not many races for the next two months. I could fly to new zealand and race but don’t feel like doing it. I was thinking of just doing an ironman on my own. I could swim the distance in my local pool drive 20 min home hop on the trainer for 112 miles and then run a marathon doing multiple loops in the park outside my backyard. I’ve done one (Muskoka) before I think well below my potential because I bonked in T2 and took almost an hour to recover. I am definitely not anywhere near able to qualify for Kona and won’t be unless I get way more committed and at 50 years of age I would be lucky to not get injured trying. Anyone ever done this before?
I don’t see the point but to each their own.
Len,
I think it could be easily done depending on where you live. For instance, I live within driving distance of Lake Placid and have thought about doing exactly what you are describing at some point in the future. I would likely hire someone to follow me in a kayak for the swim and then self support the bike and run. Heck of a lot cheaper than actually spending the money for some cheap dinner and a medal. 
Mark
I don’t see the point but to each their own.
- No entry fees
- True test of mental and physical toughness (nobody to draft off of, nobody cheering you on)
- If you need to bail for whatever reason you aren’t out $700+
- If you need to move your race from one week to another, pretty easy to do.
- Do it in the off season when you don’t get hosed on hotel fees.
I could likely go on if you want.
I don’t see the point but to each their own.
- No entry fees
- True test of mental and physical toughness (nobody to draft off of, nobody cheering you on)
- If you need to bail for whatever reason you aren’t out $700+
- If you need to move your race from one week to another, pretty easy to do.
- Do it in the off season when you don’t get hosed on hotel fees.
I could likely go on if you want.
Still not seeing the point but I don’t really care what others do. I mean, if I run 13.1 miles in training I would never say I ran a half marathon. A half marathon signifies I did an organized race of some sort. Otherwise, it’s just a training run.
I get the OP wants to test himself without the barriers of being locked into a race entry and logistics (which you note) but I, as in me personally, don’t get that mindset. I’m just not wired like that. What everyone else does is of little concern to me so at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what I think or what he does. I just don’t get it. All I’m sayin’.
I don’t see the point but to each their own.
- No entry fees
- True test of mental and physical toughness (nobody to draft off of, nobody cheering you on)
- If you need to bail for whatever reason you aren’t out $700+
- If you need to move your race from one week to another, pretty easy to do.
- Do it in the off season when you don’t get hosed on hotel fees.
I could likely go on if you want.
Still not seeing the point but I don’t really care what others do. I mean, if I run 13.1 miles in training I would never say I ran a half marathon. A half marathon signifies I did an organized race of some sort. Otherwise, it’s just a training run.
I get the OP wants to test himself without the barriers of being locked into a race entry and logistics (which you note) but I, as in me personally, don’t get that mindset. I’m just not wired like that. What everyone else does is of little concern to me so at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what I think or what he does. I just don’t get it. All I’m sayin’.
Fair enough. Maybe next time you won’t feel the need to piss on his parade though.
I mean, if I run 13.1 miles in training I would never say I ran a half marathon. A half marathon signifies I did an organized race of some sort.
So I guess my 5k PR that I ran on my own at the track shouldn’t count because I didn’t pay to run it in an organized race? Just as you don’t see the point in doing any triathlon on your own, many people don’t see the point in paying Ironman 350 dollars for a 70.3 when other race series charge half that for the same distance.
A few years ago I did an indoor Ironman where I swam at the local pool and then did the bike and run in my pain cave. I did it on Kona race day so it was pretty fun watching the live stream and college football during the day. All things said and done, I’m glad I did it although I don’t typically mention it if people ask me what Ironmans I’ve done.
I am getting into pretty good shape and there are not many races for the next two months. I could fly to new zealand and race but don’t feel like doing it. I was thinking of just doing an ironman on my own. I could swim the distance in my local pool drive 20 min home hop on the trainer for 112 miles and then run a marathon doing multiple loops in the park outside my backyard. I’ve done one (Muskoka) before I think well below my potential because I bonked in T2 and took almost an hour to recover. I am definitely not anywhere near able to qualify for Kona and won’t be unless I get way more committed and at 50 years of age I would be lucky to not get injured trying. Anyone ever done this before?
I’ve done it 10 or 12 times… Can’t remember the exact count. Invited friends to do all or whatever part of it with me. Even did a self-supported Ultraman because I didn’t want to blow that much cash on just exercising for three days straight. The money I saved paid for me to upgrade to a new bike with electronic shifting. They can be harder or easier than a regular race. I don’t like crowded courses, so I like it more. Some newbies need the crowds to cheer them on and find the paid-for catered races better. 
But seriously, why people want to pay for one is up to them. I’ve done a bunch of Ironman branded races and they’re great too. Just kinda depends on your current situation. I did Ironman Canada last summer and having a race all ready for you around Whistler was pretty kickass.
I’ve done open water and pools for the swim. Whichever you choose, have a backup plan. And designing your own course to make it challenging for you is a ton of fun.
I did a half iron distance in training once. Yeah, it’s not technically a 70.3, but that’s how it was treated in my head. Sure I can’t say I did a 70.3 to people like GMAN, but who cares. I’d say at you could at least do a shortened version for training. You’d have to weigh the pros/cons if it is worth doing the full 140.6 on your own and needing to take some time to recover afterwards.
I mean, if I run 13.1 miles in training I would never say I ran a half marathon. A half marathon signifies I did an organized race of some sort.
So I guess my 5k PR that I ran on my own at the track shouldn’t count because I didn’t pay to run it in an organized race? Just as you don’t see the point in doing any triathlon on your own, many people don’t see the point in paying Ironman 350 dollars for a 70.3 when other race series charge half that for the same distance.
In this situation I have said in the past that my half marathon PR came during a training run. Or in your case I would say my 5k PR came during a solo attempt. I don’t see anything wrong with that. However I also wouldn’t say I “ran a half marathon today” or whatever.
As for the OP, I also don’t quite understand the point. So much about triathlon, especially at longer distances, is the race and the race day experience. I think a lot of that would be lost doing in on your own. However we are all different so who am I to criticize?
I don’t see the point but to each their own.
- No entry fees
- True test of mental and physical toughness (nobody to draft off of, nobody cheering you on)
- If you need to bail for whatever reason you aren’t out $700+
- If you need to move your race from one week to another, pretty easy to do.
- Do it in the off season when you don’t get hosed on hotel fees.
I could likely go on if you want.
Still not seeing the point but I don’t really care what others do. I mean, if I run 13.1 miles in training I would never say I ran a half marathon. A half marathon signifies I did an organized race of some sort. Otherwise, it’s just a training run.
I get the OP wants to test himself without the barriers of being locked into a race entry and logistics (which you note) but I, as in me personally, don’t get that mindset. I’m just not wired like that. What everyone else does is of little concern to me so at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what I think or what he does. I just don’t get it. All I’m sayin’.
“half-marathon” refers to a distance of 13.1 miles. period. if you did it in training, or in an organized event, you still did 13.1 miles.
sounds to me that you are also saying one did an “ironman” ONLY if it was done in a WTC Ironman-branded event, and not in some other iron-distance event (and certainly not in a training session). am i wrong on that one ?
But doing it on a trainer isn’t like doing a real Ironman.
“half-marathon” refers to a distance of 13.1 miles. period. if you did it in training, or in an organized event, you still did 13.1 miles.
Not exactly. A half marathon is a running event with a standardized distance of 13.1 miles. Running 13.1 miles by yourself is not an event. This is a stupid debate we are having regardless.
Fair enough. Maybe next time you won’t feel the need to piss on his parade though.
WORST. PARADE. EVER.
“half-marathon” refers to a distance of 13.1 miles. period. if you did it in training, or in an organized event, you still did 13.1 miles.
Not exactly. A half marathon is a running event with a standardized distance of 13.1 miles. Running 13.1 miles by yourself is not an event. This is a stupid debate we are having regardless.
so you say. and, so i say. i sleep just fine with my view of it, as i’m sure you do, too. matter of opinion, so you don’t get to say who’s wrong or right. and yes, i will agree this is a silly debate. i’m done.
I don’t see the point but to each their own.
- No entry fees
- True test of mental and physical toughness (nobody to draft off of, nobody cheering you on)
3. If you need to bail for whatever reason you aren’t out $700+ - If you need to move your race from one week to another, pretty easy to do.
- Do it in the off season when you don’t get hosed on hotel fees.
I could likely go on if you want.
I don’t see the point either. This is like the question “If a tree falls in the woods, but there is no one around to hear it, did it make a noise?”
Regardless, the paradox of #3 is that the probability, at least for me, of bailing out of a non-event halfway through the run is close to 100% while the probability of bailing out an event where I paid $700+ is exactly 0% (at least to date).
I say go for it. Like Sir Edmund Hillary supposedly said, you can “because it’s there.”
I’m planning on doing something like this myself this Fall on the same day as Kona. I’ve done stupid crap like a sprint triathlon every day for a week at the gym, but never anything this long. It won’t be a true Ironman 140.6 distance, but instead will take the Leadman Bend Epic 250 approach, where it will be an extra long swim and bike, with a shorter run totaling 250 km.
I’ve got a friend to kayak alongside of me for the swim across a local reservoir (about a 2.5 mile swim) to the park where we host Toughman Indiana. I’ll have the bike chained up there, ready to go.
The bike and run will be self-supported, using my house as T2 and gas stations as aid stations. I haven’t picked the destination for the bike yet, but I’m contemplating riding the MTB to a couple of nearby trails and doing a lap or two around each trail to make the mileage. It might be difficult to do it as a MTB event if the trails are closed due to water, so I’ll have a plan B for the tri bike.
I hope to finish it up using a variation of the Noblesville Mini Marathon course, which I like because it showcases the best features of the town. The finish line will be my mailbox.
Why? I don’t know. Just because.
Good luck to you on doing this!
Multi loop run course from your backyard is smart. I’ve done a couple DIY IMs and staying fueled on the run is the most difficult part if you don’t have someone handing you fluids every mile. I also think 112 miles on the trainer is insane. Staying motivated to finish an IM distance session on your own is difficult enough without the added mental fatigue of doing the ride on the trainer.
I think it depends on if you can race yourself or not or if racing an IM matters to you. I have done plenty of century rides by myself or with my friends, but centuries aren’t races. I am not FOP, so when I do a half or a full IM I am basically racing myself. But something about being in the event allows me to push myself much harder than if I did the same course the following weekend. I guess what I pay for is to overcome my lack of self motivation. If I don’t pay, I increase the chance I won’t put in the proper training, I increase the chance I’ll just pull out half way though and I won’t push myself as hard during the event. If somehow I did do it by myself on a real course and got a PR, I would say that “counts”.
But I will say that 112 miles on a trainer would be tough (unless you don’t put resistance on your back wheel, then it can go by really quick.)