It amazes me when I look over the results of the big IM races and look at the times. So many more people competing and taking part( That’s great news!), but at a number of levels, the race times are getting slower and at the top end of the field it would appear to be less competitive.
45 year old Scott Molina was mixing it up with the “pros” and threatening the top 10 overall.
There were only 7 men under 9:00. With a winning time of 8:25, all things considered there should have been more - 10 plus, possibly. Same for the women with only 4 under 10:00
Part of the explanation for the above is that with all these IM races now the elite fields are getting spead thin at just about all IM races with the exception of IMH - and even at IMH these days we really don’t see the true best-of-the-best on the starting line.
Did not crunch the overall numbers, but the average finish time appears to be getting slower all the time. This despite all the, huge participation surge, current training knowledge, technical gear and aero-dyanmic advantages on the bike.
Just some casual observations for a slow Monday morning.
You are quite right. I know many people who say “I am doing an IronMan if it takes me 16 hours 59 minutes” - then they will go around town (and have) proclaiming “I am an IronMan”…every t-shirt they wear has IM on it, they get a tattoo, hat, jacket and on and on and on…one who was a one time IM idiot (almost 16 hour) even gave a speech on “competition”…LOL…
You people with the elite attitudes make me want to puke. I am a BOP, and I am proud of it. I got lazy out of college, got fat, and started smoking. Winning any kind of running or tri event is not even close to my goal. Participating is. I want to finish only. That is a huge success to me. I am no 6’2" 150 lbs. I am short, fat, and built like a brick shit house. I am NOT built for distance. To me, an Iron Man is absolutely absurd. I have a RIDICULOUS amount of respect anyone that completes one. Be it 9 hours or 17, they are incredible individuals.
The pain you feel over running 26 miles is the same kind of mental battle it takes for a fat ass like myself to do a 10K. Stop being a elitest, and just be proud of your accomplishments, and at least be a bit happy for someone else who does it too. These aren’t races for everyone. For some of us, they are accomplishments that might change our lives. To me that is pretty impressive.
The overall times might be slower but the top times in the 18-24 age group (my age group and frankly the only one that I care about) were INSANE! Some freak of a kid went 9:37:00. The second place came in at 9:50. Given that there were only 30 participants in that age group, I’m sure there were only 2 Kona spots. Sub 10 JUST to get a Kona spot for this age group is un-heard of. 10:30 has done it in every other IM. The only explanation is that the parents of these kids must be slipping EPO into their cereal. I’m certain of it.
Someone is on a soap box - and it is not me. I did not say to not be proud of IM…I tell you what, I am about a 10-12 hour IM idiot, no pro by a long shot. I dont expect press, stories, fame or anything, I do IM for me and only me. What drives me crazy like I said is the idiot (no matter what their time) who does one race and the rest of thier life all they can talk about is their IM (time ommited) to everyone they meet. Make IM a hobby that is great - dont make it your identity (unless you are pro or really damn fast - I sure dont make it mine) - flame away. I only speak the sentiment that many others are to kind to say.
Right on, Newbie…Go to hell Fleck & Record. I am usually a frontrunner in my age group, and HATE pricks like Fleck & Record who think they can take something away from anyone else’s accomplishment. If they want the t-shirt, tattoos, etc. let them have it. They have done what few have. Good for them. You should embrace & welcome newcomers to the sport, and be proud of it. If you indeed are a frontrunner (as you make it sound from your posts), you should be proud, and help pass on your knowledge to those that may be lacking, not chastising them because you think you are better.
I completed IM AZ Saturday. My time wasn’t great, but when I finished, I knew there were more than half the field out there, still gutting it out in (what I considered) horrible conditions (crappy course, dusty run, etc.). These people are the true athletes. If you had half the heart they had, you wouldn’t be making moronic posts such as yours.
As a sport becomes more popular it naturally becomes more of a “lifestyle” sport rather than a competitive sport. Average times will likely drop because more and more people are “enjoying” the race rather than “competing” with others.
On the top end as the sport “matures” it becomes more about stratedgy rather than “fastest time”. If the leader off the bike has a huge gap their likely not going to push their guts out for the fastest time but simply to win. I’d say the same goes for 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc etc.
I think as “Irondistance” becomes more mainstream the average’s will continue to drop. Races will fill in nano seconds with a larger portion of one timers looking for a “life experiance”. These people will also likely be a bit farther back in the pack than someone who moved up from sprint, oly, 1/2 etc and plan on doing another one next year.
You can see a similar trend in Marathons where the average time has been dropping for several years now. The caveat here is that marathon times at the top end are dropping. This, IMO, Is mainly due to the huge dollar incentive and “prestige” that goes along with the fastest marathon time. These dollars are not available in IM and the prestige is for winning not having the fastest time and winning.
The answer to why we’re seing slower averages is in your post. A “huge participation surge” is going to mean that the average participant looks more like the rest of humanity and less like the freaks of nature that top competitors are. Just take a look at average times and physiques in marathons over the last two decades.
That said, the increase in participation will also likely lead to faster winning times, more sponsorships for the pros, lower cost gear and a whole host of other benefits for those that actually compete to win.
Excuse me, I was merely commenting on what I observed from the results. Some casual statistical analysis, if you will. It was another poster who turned it around into a veiled assault against the rank and file. For the record:
I have been involved directly and indirectly with the sport of triathlon since the early 80’s. Retired/Quit competing in 1997 when my son was born - time for a different focus and phase. I now publish a small triathlon magazine on the side and coach/support my girlfriend to her triathlon dreams
I regularly contribute knowledge here and elsewhere, to all concerned and interested to help anyone better understand training and the sport - no strings attached. I was lucky, I had direct access to some of the very top athletes and coaches in the sport during my time. I am very happy to pay that forward these days.
Indeed, every finisher of an IM should be proud. It’s a huge undertaking that 99% of the population will never do.
I find it touching and moving, the applause and addulation that the last finishers at ALL IM races recieve. Indeed, it is these people who have perhaps endured the greatest challenges just to get to the start line. To finish is an added bonus.
The people who most often don’t bother to give you the time of day or a “Thanks”, or a “Hello” or seem to be these instant “experts” on everything are the super keen AG’rs who are so focussed, they have lost a sense of what it is all about.
Do ya’ll want some cheese with all that whining that you’re doing? Wah, wah, Fleck said times are getting slower…he’s elitist scum. Fleck made a simple point. Times are getting slower and races are getting bigger. That’s all…he even says, just some casual observations on a slow Monday morning.
Maybe the times are slow because we’re one of the fattest nations in the world…and laziest…
Maybe it’s because people would rather talk about whether or not the dimples on their wheels are going to save them 15 seconds over 112 miles when what they should be doing is putting that Coke down and getting on that bike a little more. Or whether or not they should get the latest xyz handlebar because it’s 30 grams lighter than their current one…yeah, that’s going to get you to the finish line faster. Or whether or not they should get powercranks because they’re the cure-all…I’m sure if you rode any cranks in a big gear for 2 hours a day at a cadence of 60rpm and then gradually built into faster cadence workouts you’d get faster!
So who would that “IM idiot” be? More importantly, why is he an “IM idiot”?
Why is it so hard for some people to accept the fact that there is more to an Ironman than the pros, age group champions, and IMH qualifiers? While, I am impressed with how fast some are able to do an ironman… especially with as windy as the day was on Saturday. I am equally impressed with anyone who has taken the time to train and has the courage to start an Ironman, regardless of how long it takes them to finish. From the number of people, including finisher who were still hanging around, who lined the finish loop at IMAZ at 2300 when my father crossed the finish line for his 5th IM finish tells me I’m not the only one who feels this way. My father will probably never break 15 hours, but he will continue to train (up to 20 hours a week) and enter Ironmans as long as he can. That determination that takes someone like my father to the finish of an ironman, that makes every one who crosses that line to become an Ironman, is what Ironman is about.
Saturday I completed my 2nd Ironman in 14:42, almost an hour faster than my first. I will do few other triathlons this year besides Ironmans. I love the atmosphere at Ironman events. I am always amazed at all the people I meet and listen to their stories and share their passion for a sport that I once forgot I loved and spent almost 10 years away from (another story all together). I believe it is the people that make an Ironman the extraordinary event that it is; it is the people that make an Ironman different than most triathlons. IMNA and the other promoters who put on Ironman distance events just give all of us a venue to congregate at.
I will continue to train and enter Ironmans as long as I have the drive to do so. If it takes me all 17 hours to finish so be it, if someday I am able to go faster that’d be great too (hey, 14 hours is a long time to workout in one day J ). It was great to meet a few of you this weekend, I am disapointed I didn’t get to meet more but look forward to meeting more of you at future events.
Fleck, this is a no brainer…you answererd your own question:
4. Did not crunch the overall numbers, but the average finish time appears to be getting slower all the time. This despite all the, huge participation surge, current training knowledge, technical gear and aero-dyanmic advantages on the bike.
Participation surge is the answer and the key word is participation. Over the past 5 years with the proliferation of IRonman races, your average fitness buff realizes that they CAN complete an Ironman. More power to them !
Another thing to take into account is that when you were racing, there were few options: IMC, Vineman, Esprit, GFT. That was about it. Aside from a few slots at Vineman, the only way to get to Kona by doing an Ironman in North America was at IMC. So IMC was relatively stacked in the age group ranks.
