The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training Program has taken a lot of heat on this forum during the last week. Some of the criticism was constructive and well-justified, others less so.
A customer just left my store who became a TNT’er in 2002. Prior to that he was not an endurance athlete at all. He went through a difficult divorce and was looking for a constructive outlet and diversion and a new direction. A friend on his suggested TNT. It was good advice.
He brought his bike in to have modifications done for the Ultra-Man Canada race, a triathlon done in three stages over three days totalling roughly double Ironman distance. He is an experienced and proficient endurance athlete who has now completed difficult ultra-distance running races and adventure races.
Before TNT he was not an athlete. Now he is an extreme endurance athlete with substantial experience.
Perhaps more significantly, this man was born in 1954, making him 51 years old. He is an automotive engineer and a soft spoken, polite, intelligent character. A pleasant man. His life changed significantly when he went through his divorce. It was not the “script” or path he saw his life taking. The TNT program provided him with a ready-made, constructive way to benefit himself and others and exert a positive change fro a difficult challenge in his life.
I see no down side to this. None. This is a success story.
Nothing is 100% perfect. But every week I see TNT people, new to the sport, come in our store looking for stuff and for advice and we always extend information and hard work to their cause. They are a good group as far as I am concerned. They are good customers and good students of the sport in general.
Again, maybe TNT is not perfect. Maybe their numbers and enthusiasm are intrusive and abrasive at some events for some participants. But the question I think it is fair to answer is, what other organization has stepped up to the plate to bring people into the sport and benefit a major charity to the degree TNT has?
I can’t agree with your sentiments more. Thanks to you and others like you, TNT athletes are encouraged about their decision to take on the challenge of an endurance event while raising money to support blood cancer research.
Hey, I’m the same way. I joined TNT for the coaching because I wanted to get into triathlons but I probably wouldn’t be as prepared as I am today for my first race without TNT. I mean, I would have been able to train, but the coaching has unlocked my potential so much more than I thought possible. It’s a good cause and has definitely made me a triathlete for a few years anyways.
My TNT experience has made at least two people on this board very happy. Myself because I received some awesome coaching as well as austintricyclst because I bought my Cervelo Dual from Don.
Tom,
I usually don’t reply to these type of topics, but I really had to here.
I am thrilled to pieces that TNT exists. A wonderful idea that benefits many, and brings many to triathlon and sport in genreral…who wouldn’t agree that is an amazing thing?
That being said, when it comes to my personal safety, I become selfish I guess. I rarely (if ever) have encountered a TNT group riding safely, not only with regard to other riders but to each other! Swirving, passing each other recklessly, not signaling when moving around, no regard for cars or other riders around them etc…
In essence it is like riding near a family of four out on a Sunday joy ride. Nice idea for the family, but they have no idea of the rules of the road.
I don’t blame the participants, I blame the organizers and the coaches of the TNT groups. The riders I am sure would want to be safe…
It is plain and simple, I go into high alert and treat the TNT cyclists as I would a swerving automobile on the road. I stay either way behind them or make a grand effort to go way in front of them.
Yes, it is too bad this situation exists, but it does …at least it does from my experience here in San Diego.
Personally, I think it should be like wearing a helmet. I rather doubt the TNT organization lets people ride in the groups without one, how about a person cannot ride in TNT without going through a rules of the road class?
You’re right Trisha. And this does point to one of the improvements that TNT does need to make.
I’m a TNT fan for a long list of business and personal reasons. But I am realistic about the shortcomings of the current format. Hopefully as the program continues to remain successful and grow they will incoporate a higher degree of rider responsibility traiing into the curriculum and develope a more ecclectic and complete preparation program.
While I don’t consider your post to this thread as disparaging, I am reminded of the cliche’ that “No good deed goes unpunished.”
That seems to be the case for TNT sometimes. That negativity (but not your justified observation) strikes me as less than constructive.
If people have a beef about TNT’ers then they ought volunteer to coach the local chapter and make some improvement. Lead, follow, or get out of the way.
snip -"If people have a beef about TNT’ers then they ought volunteer to coach the local chapter and make some improvement. Lead, follow, or get out of the way. "
I couldn’t agree more… and in fact, I did just that. It was, by and large, a good experience.
… but I still have to bit my tongue HARD when the TST running group takes over the entire damn bike/run trail every weekend morning all summer…
Kiwipat: both. I have coached both. The person who got me involved with TNT is a survivor, and currently undergoing chemo again. Just a few weeks ago, in between his first and second sessions, he did the City Run 10K here in Louisville. One woman did the Disney tri with us 2 years ago. She got divorced in Nov, diagnosed with breast cancer in December, double masectomy in Feb, and did the tri in Sept. Last official finisher, but for some reason her speed (or lack thereof) to some on this forum makes her unworthy for this sport. She is one of the most courageous people I have ever met. It is now moved to her brain, and she is fighting that, and planning on doing Disney with us again this year. Most though, are healthy and have had family members affected, or friends, or just want to do some good. Believe me, TNT has its problems. But all in all, it does great work.
Tom: thanks for the kind words. I have bitten my tongue over the past couple weeks with the threads going on here on this subject. You are right, if you don’t like what TNT is doing, volunteer and change it. I wonder how many on here who have complained about charity groups have ever done anything for someone they don’t know, and who may never know that you have done something for them. I am sure every complainer will come up with some story to say they have.
Tom - thanks for this post - I think you are right on - not everything is great with TNT but there is a lot that is great. I am a marathon coach for them and have gotten over 80 runners to the finish line healthy and safe.
I have held back a lot of comments toward the folks who do not like TNT because they have had a bad experience or two - I also sent that negative thread that was going around a couple weeks ago to the local TNT office so they can hear the things that are being said and continue to make changes for the better.
Fredly - careful what you say - every action has a reaction - my local group runs on a bike/run trail and we have to move off the trail every time our local cycling club comes riding by 3-4 wide - they seem to think they are the sole owners of the trail and we are in their way. By the way - my teams never runs more than 2 wide and goes single file when bikes or bladers approach.
I (sheepishly) admit to being a part of that (I mean cyclists crowding out paths…Not necessarily your path). I started a bike ride down here to get relative newbies on their bike to mingle with the racer types in a non-aggressive atmosphere. The thing was we needed to use a bike trail to get from our central location to quieter country roads. It was great at first, but then it got…Popular. And we’d have to squeeze a ride of 30+ riders on a bike path…With intersections open to traffic.
Needless to say we were a danger to ourselves and everyone around us.
Luckily, I had something akin to a nervous breakdown and pretty much stopped riding by mid-late summer that year. I had no further part in the ride, and thankfully no one got hurt. I think the ride got relocated to a more “innocent bystander”-friendly location.
Anyway, as a bike racer, I apologize for my failure to control the monster I created.
Don’t train on the trails. Use the trails to get to where you want to train.
Fredly - careful what you say - every action has a reaction - my local group runs on a bike/run trail and we have to move off the trail every time our local cycling club comes riding by 3-4 wide - they seem to think they are the sole owners of the trail and we are in their way. By the way - my teams never runs more than 2 wide and goes single file when bikes or bladers approach.