On a long ride over the weekend mind was wandering as usual and I came to think about rating IM finishing times. Came up with a classification system. Is very general and doesnt take account for different courses but based on my own obersvations of age-groupers I know and their ability, finishing times and training schedule. Just my thoughts, have a look and then dissect, analyze and as I know ST will criticize
Under 12:00 - Solid
Under 11:00 - Good
Under 10:00 - Very good
Under 9:30 - Excellent
Under 9:00 - Elite
Under 8:30 - Professional
Under 8:00 - World Champion
This wouldn’t work for IMLP '09, though. From what I’m seeing, no one went under 8:30, only 5 people were under 9 hours and nearly 1,500 people were slower than 12 hours. Guess you’re assuming a perfect course with good weather… Even then, I’m betting a LOT of people would not break 12 hours.
All is good, and I would agree with you with the 9-hour and under times. However, anything beyond Elite or Professional is a self assessment. You never know the situation to label “Solid”, “Good” or anything else. What about those athletes from Operation Rebound, what about someone that decided that this was going to be their first triathlon, or what about someone who just isn’t that strong (like me)? There are so many things that go into this race that it’s hard to say what’s good. It’s like assigning a category to an annual salary, a commute, a respectable vehicle, etc. I know for me what would be “Very Good”, but that may not be the same for you.
For me:
17:00 - Solid
Before the sun goes down - Good
12:00 - Very Good
11:00 - Excellent
Everything else the same
This wouldn’t work for IMLP '09, though. From what I’m seeing, no one went under 8:30, only 5 people were under 9 hours and nearly 1,500 people were slower than 12 hours. Guess you’re assuming a perfect course with good weather…
Really, you would rate slower than 12 hours as a solid IM? (assuming male and under 45).
I think the mean times will go down as people enter just to do one, much like the mean marathon times fell from the heydays of the 1980’s.
so many variables to consider and all you look at is time. your ride must not have been that long. i’ve solved the healthcare debate, the economice crisis and several geopolitical issues on my long rides. :@
“For me:
17:00 - Solid
Before the sun goes down - Good
12:00 - Very Good
11:00 - Excellent”
Have you thought this through really? For IM AZ in 2009, the sun will set at 17:22, so a 10:15 finish under your metric is both good and excellent, while a 10:30 finish is excellent and solid but not quite good. Hmmmmm. You’re right - not the same for me.
Ahh good catch. As mentioned by another poster there are many variables. This was mine for Coeur d’Alene. I’m doing IM Louisville this year and I haven’t yet set my timing goals. But my guess it that my first goal would be to beat my IM CdA time. I typically set A, B and C goals for each race that I do. For an Ironman, the C goal is always 17 hours (for Louisville this will probably be 17:20 or whatever the slack is). I don’t really think about it until a few weeks prior to the race. At that point I can analyze how I feel and try to make a good estimate on what would make me happy.
Isn’t this the point where someone is supposed to jump in and say, “If you are finishing in over 13 hours then you have no business being out there, and you are simply RUINING the sport and you are lessening the pride that I feel in my sub-11 hour finish.”
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Sorry if I am deflating some balloons but for some of the Ironman and Iron distance races in the world 17 hours does not cut it!!!
Roth: 15 hours
Ironman Germany: 16 hours time limit
comes to mind right away.
Besides every Ironman race even the same courses are different from year to year. Weather and course profile plays a huge role in times.
Most or maybe all of the people who finishes 10 to 11 hours in Florida can hardly break 12 hours in Lanzorette.
Man,are you going to cop some shit now?!!!Brace yourself.
Thanks for the advice. I have been here long enough that I do not take this very seriously. But these are the facts. If you do the Roth and you come in 15:00:01 you are not a Iron distance finisher.
That is why you don’t see (fill in the blank) people doing the Roth or Lanzorette(never sells out) for that matter.
And Lake Placid was 13:05 which just goes to show that Ironman in Nth America is now tending to attract slower and slower people who just want to amble along to the finish line(the average worldwide used to be 11:4x).That’s fine if you just want to be part of it and there is nothing wrong with that but it’s not for me.
My slowest Ironman was 12:36 which was really slow(for me) and my fastest was 9:52 which was not fast by the standard of my mates who were in that race.It’s all about what you are striving for.
I just can’t get my head around someone telling me that a 12hr Ironman is fast when the winners finished three and a half hours(or more) earlier.As I said,I’m all about the overall and not special groups.
