Been there, done that, got the T-shirt: now that I’ve done the Ironman, what’s the next thing to do? I had a great conversation with my coach: he warns me against getting on what he calls the “Ironman Treadmill”: keeping on going plugging away at Ironman and always feeling much the same when you finish i.e always thinking you could have gone an hour quicker and being slightly disappointed every time. There’s also the impact on family to consider: its asking a lot of them to make a habit of Ironman. He suggests trying other events that might “get me going” such as the Escape from Alcatraz or the Great Wall marathon: something else to bore your grandchildren with. At least when you complete an Ironman you have proved you can plan out and train for any event. I’m thinking I still want to nail that Ironman run, but I’m very partial to a bit of sports tourism as well. So, I’m looking for advice from you: what are some really cool events that would get you going? Doesn’t matter where it is: Living in New Zealand everything is far away.
Hmmm, I must admit that the iron treadmill sounds pretty good to me! 
How about some 24 hour solo mtb races? I’ve always liked the idea of those. Or maybe something like the Pikes Peak Marathon? Some ridiculous run in the stratosphere? That’d be pretty cool. Adventure races look pretty neat, but they usually involve orienteering, so I’m out.
Or, if you are really into sports tourism, there is the option of going someplace to see le tour. They have the event, I can’t remember the name (I also don’t speak french, so that could be part of it), where something like 7000 people ride one of the harder stages the day before the pros do. That would be cool.
If you are into swimming, read “Swimming to Antarctica”, by Lynne Cox. That will get you out the door, training to swim the channel, in no time.
-Colin
What about the Coast to Coast in your own backyard ? Personally I would love to have a crack the Trans Alps or Rockies MTB races. Dunno about 24 hour races, anyhting that requires sleep deprivation is no longer a race for me.
How about the Norseman ?- the same extreme distances but over hardcore terrain (I think Bjorns doing it). Alternatively seek out interesting locations. How about the RAAM ?
I’ve done Marathon des Sables which was brilliant. Planning to do that again. It’s a multi-day event though which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. For other ultramarathons you could consider Desert Cup.
Any one of the endurance races in NZ would be a good bet - I plan to do Coast to Coast when I finally return to NZ.
I’ve also done some of the ‘signature’ races - did Escape from Alcatraz last year (flew from Japan) and Wildflower the year before (flew from UK). They are great events and are also good to build a holiday around - since you are only going to be spending a few hours racing and registering, you have time to explore with the family. My GF appreciated the holiday in SF!
You could also go to Laguna Phuket Triathlon. Not much longer than an Olympic but another great place for the family. And they want the tourists back in that part of the world.
Thanks for the info. I should have added that an IM is far enough Thank You, I don’t want to go any further. The signature events sound good, but I’m thinking you have to be pretty organised to get your entry in on time.
Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa - 90kms from Durban to Pietermaritzburg or vice versa, June 16.
Argus Cycle Tour - biggest timed cycle race in the world, 107km in March, just before Ironman South Africa in fact!!
Anything in South Africa, great country to visit - and live in most of the time!!!
There’s the Inferno Man Triathlon. Incredible scenery, lots of climbing, but you will require a second bike for the mtn bike descent. Easily rented in the immediate area. The run is a mere 13 miles – but with with 8000’ of vertical gain. You finish at the top of the Schilthorn at 3000m above sea level.
Much less than IM distance, in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland looking out at the massif of the Eiger, Jungfrau and Mönch, with scenic swimming, tough cycling, and a nice jog up the mountain, with Swiss perfectionist organization.
You can enter Phuket anytime, not sure if it is considered a ‘signature event’, I’ve done Phuket twice great race and cost effective from down under. I would love to do some X-Terra racing in the USA but it would cost a fortune. And no X-Terra in Australia, at least you have one in NZ. You have to like mountain biking though, seems to scare most triathletes.
Wow ! I like the look of the Inferno Man. I wonder if I could tie that in with the Trans Alps Challenge ! If could rent a road bike I would love a crack at that.
You’re selling it so well !!! What makes the place so great ?
Did you enjoy the experience ? If yes, then why not doing it again ?
Plus there are many different Ironman races in the world, and they are great opportunities to visit different places and do different races. You can’t compare your time from IM to IM anyway, not only with a different course, but even from year to year on the same course, so forget about that “fear” of your coach, trying to do 1 hour less or whatever. The goal is to do your best under the day’s conditions.
This said, I think it’s good to mix with different things lîke Alcatraz, or any other event.
i think this needs to go right back to you. what do you want to do?
for a long time after marathoning–and even during, I felt obligated to the distance. Like somehow if I ran less than 26.2, or choose some “small” event, that I wasn’t justified as an athlete…in other words I needed the distance in order to count.
this thinking is hard to talk about because it’s very personal, and at the same time quite flawed. I see it in bodybuilders that I know…some of them have been going and going for years. None of them are going to go pro, or anywhere near it. yet, they plug on and on, despite their age and slipping placings in contests. The reason is that bodybuilding is their identity–without it, who are they? if they stopped competing, what would they do, who would they be? from an outsider’s perspective I feel bad for these people…and have seen alot through years of process while they train, then diet, then compete and feel let down. i mean it’s one thing to do it for sport, but these people I’m referring to are doing it for other reasons…reasons that won’t allow them to let go.
so, I’m bringing this up to say–don’t feel obligated to distance, or certain levels of events. You did an ironman, and that’s incredible. don’t ever water that down or challenge how great of an achievement that is.
from here on out, do what you want. if you want to do another ironman, then do it–but don’t do it out of obligation. if you want to focus on 5K, then do it and love it. if you want to do a 24 hour event, then do it. whatever it is, just do it because you really want to–not for any other reason. take your time and research–find something you can get passionate about.
kc
Ultramarathon, Ultraman?
I’d have to agree with kittycat, the fun is in the journey, not necessarily in the destination. I’ve been doing tri’s since the mid 80s so I’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt many times over. But I still love the training and participating, maybe even more so than ever.
I’d highly recommend the Boston marathon. Quite honestly, I thought the event was much more fun (crowd support, etc) than the IM (FL) I did. The hype is amazing and you can’t imagine how “into it” everyone gets (maybe because the locals get the day off to drink and grill out). The expo is top notch, and the area is great to play tourist in…Ken.
Give an ultramarathon a shot. Start at 50, and see if you can build to a 100-miler.
Here’s a nice bit of fun, and no plane ride either. It’s in New Zealand.
http://www.keplerchallenge.co.nz/
Sounded like agreat race to me, however please note my tagline.
If Ironman is just a “checkmark” with respect to a life long list of things to do, then move on. If you do it for the love of participating, no problem going back regardless of the outcome (faster or slower). Too often, people get caught up in performance and times and “nailing the run” (or bike for that matter), than really appreciating that we can do what 99.999999% of the world’s population cannot.
You mentioned impact on family life. Many of the suggesting on this board have more of an impact that your local Ironman. I’d suggest trying to get fast at Olympic tri or 10K or marathon. Things that don’t take a whole whack of time, but which can be fairly rewarding, with multiple opportunities a year to post PB’s.
First off, as we (especially Americans) all learned on 9/11/2001 the world is a very small place and nothing is far away.
It is funny how people see Ironman as this huge accomplishment and then have “Buzz Aldrin Syndrome” after the race.
Some of this goes into the personal reasons/motivations people have for doing the race. For those who doe it because they love the sport there seems to be few problems.
Then there is the group that is trying to prove something, validate something, run away from something or run to something. I think nowadays that constitutes 60% of the field. Frankly, therapy would be less expensive, less painful and more effective. I’m not suggesting that is the case in your instance Marky.
For that crowd, not you- Ironman will never be enough. The deficiency or “missing” thing they are trying to fill with Ironman is a missing part of their character, development, self esteem or, in the words of the great behaviorist/psychologist Maslow, their need for self-actualization.
Anyway. There is always some new challenge. Some new place to explore, both internally in your character and persona (the greatest forntier) and externally in our environment.
Try the Marathon Des Sables, the Gobi March or one of the other ultra-distance desert running/adventure races. They are awesome and huge fun. Ironman is good training for them. Basically, you will be doing Ironman everyday, unsipported, in the toughest deserts in the world (Sahara and Gobi) for a week. Awesome. You live the life of a Mongol nomad or of a Saharan Beduoin, it is an incredible cultural insight into another the world. You live and die by the sun and water and navigation. It is primal. I would recommend that as a next step.
Also, high altitude mountaineering. It is a fun sport but be prepared to suffer like never before. On summit day on the big mountains you are doing 2 Ironmans with 40 pounds on your back, a screaming headache and no food. It can be a living hell. On every high altitude expedition I have been on I have told myself during the climb, “I am giving up this sport when I get home.” But I never do.
Another thing you can do, and God knows you’ve earned it, is get a cute little travel companion and rent a grass shack on the beach in Belize, Costa Rica, Fiji or Mexico. Lay on the beach, swim in the water, feel the wind on your skin and have sex under the stars. It’s a nice break from the routine. A buddy of mine and I went to the Domincan Republic last year and did just that. We had a great time, she had never been out of the U.S. before and thought it was just the greatest thing she ever did. Me too.