Ok, we’ve all heard them. People ask us what we do, and we say swim, bike, run. When we mention “how far”, 2.4/112/26.2, some give such stupid analagies it’s quite comical. For example, one person said " You’re just like my brother, he runs 3 miles EVERY DAY"! or, “I could do the bike and run, but the swim would kill me” Get the message? Let’s hear them!!!
“I could do the bike and run, but the swim would kill me”
Geez… I couldn’t count the times I said that about one tri or another!
ditto.
It’s the run that kills me. Every single time.
I don’t know if this qualifies but one of the few people at my job who knows I do tris asked me if I had ever done an Ironman before (this was just before my first IM). I replied “No, but I’ve done several 1/2 Ironmans”. She answered “Do you think you’ll ever finish one?”.
I like the comparisons I get to in-law family members. So and so does road races, so and so does marathons. Followed by, you do something do you? Triathlons? The little ones, right? Not the FULL triathlons.
By this time I am usually supressing a laugh and if they are family I kindly explain the subtleties of triathlon to them. If they are not family, I smile and say that yes, I do triathlons, and yes, I have done a FULL triathlon.
Not a comparison, but I have been asked more than once ‘‘All in one day???’’ after describing the Ironman distances. The second most common question I get is - ‘‘Why???’’
The second most common question I get is - ‘‘Why???’’
Answer: Because I can
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When i say ‘I rode 110kms on my bike’ - most of the smart asses I know will answer ‘I hope you mean motor.’
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The use of the verb “triathaloning” is always good.
Or the ever present “when are you going to do a REAL one?”
I also like the people who think the speed on the “LifeCycles” is close to what they could ride on the road.
Triathlons? The little ones, right? Not the FULL triathlons.
I so don’t get the “full” triathlon thing. I hear that a lot. Do people think the only triathlon distance is Kona? Speaking of, this is the conversation if someone finds out that I did an IM:
Random: “You did an IM? The one in Hawaii? The one on TV?”
Tri1016: “No, I did IMFL in Panama City.”
Random: “Oh. Maybe you’ll do the real one someday.”
Yeah, maybe. Dumbass. 
That is the THIRD most common question.
Oh, you did an IM? The one in HI?
No, I will never do that one.
Why not?
You have to qualify and I am not fast enough.
Oh, too bad. Do you feel bad?
Uh, no. (and then I usually laugh)
I don’t expect anyone to really understand anymore why I do what I do. My father shakes his head but has been to the last two that I have done and both required several days of driving.
My wife, her friends, and most of her family think I am nuts. Which I have long believed one needs to be a little of to keep going back for more IM training and racing.
In any case, I enjoy it and like Eric said, the answer to ‘‘Why?’’ is most certainly ‘‘Because I can.’’
" but the swim…"
A thousand times. Ya’ just gotta bite your tongue and say “Wanna ride tomorrow?”
Them: “I hear your one of those extreme athloetes, a triathloner…?”
Me: “Yup.”
Them: That thing they do, you guys… A bike, a run, then swimming or something…?"
Me: “Yup”.
Them: “Is that all in one day, or over a series of days?”
Me: “Yup, all in one day…”
Them: “I couldn’t do that.”
Me: “Yup.”
In Germany if you say you do triathlons, people say: “Oh, that’s the cross country skiing and shooting thing, isn’t it?” Hehe:)
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After I told my parents I had done an Olympic length triathlon, I later heard them talking to somebody, and they mentioned that their son had done a “mini-triathlon”…I guess anything less than IM distance is “mini” in their minds. That seems to be a regular theme, though…triathlon to many people means IM distance.
Spot
My Sister-in-law’s mother asked how much rest there was between each discipline, like, does it last all weekend? I said “Yeah, I eat lots of pasta on the Saturday and then do the swim bike run on Sunday”
What is that, like a marathon?
My mother-in-law constantly say’s shit like.
“Don’t you think your over doing it a little. Your body isn’t meant to do those things.”
I’ve gotten “How much time do they give you in between swimming and biking and running?” like it’s freaking hockey, with ten minutes between periods.
I haven’t done a FULL triathlon, but when I see neighbors after a run/ride and they ask how far I went, invariably I hear “I get tired driving that far”.
My mom sends me news articles about the danger of too much exercise (e.g. knee problems, dehydration, heart attacks during marathons). I send back stats about obesity and the recommendations of daily exercise.