So it seems like all of the big names in endurance sports are naturally gifted. We all know Lance was born a freak, but I’ve also read about other tops pros who won their first race (whether it be tris or running or whatever) without any training and using half assed equipment. I listened to Josh Cox this weekend (American 50K record holder) talk about how he ran a 6:05 mile when he was 10 and ran a 2:19 marathon accidentally. I think Macca won or almost won his first tri, which he entered just for the hell of it.
What I want to hear are stories of people who used to run 12 minute miles or could barely finish a 5K and now are tearing it up. You don’t necessarily need to be winning every race—I’ll even take top 20. Motivate me folks!
I entered Ultraman Canada in 1994 30hrs before it started.
The distances then were… Day one:11.8k swim(previous longest swim 3.8k) in 2hrs 42min
Day two: 320k ride(previous longest ride 180k) in 10hrs 33min
Day three: 84k run(previous longest run 42K) in 8hrs 48min
I won day one and day two and came third on day three behind two Canadian national 100k runners.
I was first overall by 37 minutes.
I set four race records and was out drinking after both stage one and two.
Still don’t know how that happened so I figure if I can,anyone can.
I’m probably not the FOP you are looking for, but I’ll share anyway.
5 years ago I was much heavier and never ran a race in my life (or swam or cycled other than as a kid for fun). I ran a 4:10 marathon in 2004 as my first race and couldn’t walk for most of the week after even though I trained for 5 months for it. Survived my first tri in 2006 by swimming from life gaurd to life guard and resting for a second at each one… it was a 1:3X sprint.
With major changes in my lifestyle and 5 years of training I was fortunate to earn a Clearwater and a Kona spot in 2009. Just keep at it, my key to success has been consistancy year after year.
Avg PER MILE Pace off the bike:
1st sprint triathlon (4mi): 8:01
8yrs later at IMF (26.2mi): 7:33
There’s always hope regardless of natural ability & a quote which I kept in mind: *‘The will to win is nothing without the will to train.’ *Enjoy the road!
Pretty interesting question considering the “w/o God’s Help” part. Hard work can only make up for so much over genetics, it’s just a case of unlocking what you’ve got and making the most of it.
I know plenty of people who have remarkable stories of improvement through hard training and weight loss, but very few who’d I call elites although they’ve been FOP on any given day. You never know who’ll show up so it’s a tough comparison
Looking back at race results, in 2005-2007 my run pace was ten± min per mile for 5k races, in 2008 I was running half-marathons (and longer distances) at low to mid sixes per mile. And I’m in my late thirties. It’s been enough for AG placing in some suburban races, but far from it in our NYC races.
It’s really all about having fun and doing the best you can. You’ll really never know until you try, so go for it!
I’m probably not the FOP you are looking for, but I’ll share anyway.
5 years ago I was much heavier and never ran a race in my life (or swam or cycled other than as a kid for fun). I ran a 4:10 marathon in 2004 as my first race and couldn’t walk for most of the week after even though I trained for 5 months for it. Survived my first tri in 2006 by swimming from life gaurd to life guard and resting for a second at each one… it was a 1:3X sprint.
With major changes in my lifestyle and 5 years of training I was fortunate to earn a Clearwater and a Kona spot in 2009. Just keep at it, my key to success has been consistancy year after year.
Depends on how you term FOP. One of the beauties of endurance sports is that hard work can take you FAR… given enough training time.
I started with no run background 4 years ago, (3:59 marathoner, 23m 5k, 51m 10k), mountain biked what I thought was a lot back then (3 hrs a week… HAHA) and no swimming. Last year a won a small race outright, won a local 5 race series and won my AG at 2 big local races. Time and hard work has done well to put me FOP at local events. I’ll be going to CDA this year to race for a kona slot and I think have a decent chance at it. As Bevan and John say: Train hard, Train smart.
Keys:
Consistency
Have a long term goal mindset (think years out, not months)
Get your body composition in line (loose excess weight, build muscle)
Eat and fuel well
I couldn’t do anything through high school and most of college because my asthma was so bad. I still have it but with the advance in pharmaceuticals it is now very well controlled. I’m in my 40’s so there were no inhalers or anything like that. It was all pills. If things got real bad…suppositories! At least 3x/month I was in the ER for epi shot. Nearly killed me at least 3X in my teens with multiple weeks in ICU.
Started doing tris 6 years ago. IM times went from just shy of 13hrs to just over 10 and a Kona slot.
It can be done. There are no secrets. No easy ways. Just consistency over time.
I think my first 5k a few years back was around 27 min. Now I am around low 20’s. Not fast, I know, I know.
I didn’t even bike a few years ago- now I average 21-22 mph. Not fast, I know, I know.
I couldn’t even swim- literally- 14 months ago. Now I am around 1:50/ 100. Not fast, I know, I know.
I know plenty of people who have remarkable stories of improvement through hard training and weight loss, but very few who’d I call elites although they’ve been FOP on any given day. You never know who’ll show up so it’s a tough comparison
Good point. The key thing here is where do you want to draw the line in the sand on this. My feeling is that many people can go a very long way in any endurance sport just by doing the basics and the fundamentals. Some want to make this way more complicated and involved than it really is.
I agree that to move from that, into the “upper echelon”, if you will, is going to be left up to genetic factors - both physical and mental.
I’m probably not the FOP you are looking for, but I’ll share anyway.
5 years ago I was much heavier and never ran a race in my life (or swam or cycled other than as a kid for fun). I ran a 4:10 marathon in 2004 as my first race and couldn’t walk for most of the week after even though I trained for 5 months for it. Survived my first tri in 2006 by swimming from life gaurd to life guard and resting for a second at each one… it was a 1:3X sprint.
With major changes in my lifestyle and 5 years of training I was fortunate to earn a Clearwater and a Kona spot in 2009. Just keep at it, my key to success has been consistancy year after year.
pretty sure that you can safely be considered FOP with the winning your ag at Moo and all…
