I have a problem - my 17 year old daughter has been bitten by the Ironman bug. Some of it is my fault. I have done 2 Ironman races. I have always encouraged her to dream big. I took her to watch IM New Zealand this year…I have told her it is possible that she complete IM New Zealand next year…I have told her that is she was to do IM New Zealand next year, she would probably be the youngest ever to do so (18 years and 10 days)…
Nearly all her drive and enthusaism comes from within. For example, to satisfy her curiosity, I suggested she start reading slowtwitch.com (alot cheaper and infintely better than the magazines)…Within 48 hours she is asking me if I have hear of a Julie Ann White and I say yes and my daughter then fills me in on their email conversations (it is a generous household that Slowtwitch house - Thanks Julie Ann)…
No doubt, I am a catalyst…but I can look anybody in the eye and say that I am not pushing her.
So here is the issue…Is it reasonable for an 18 year old to have a shot at an ironman…my daughter is not a gifted triathlete - our conversations have focussed on completion and “running the run”. Times and placings are not important. She has two years of consistent training under her belt and I believe we can provide a smart training program and environment that will cater for her mental and physical ability…
At this stage, I am happy to let my daughter pursue the IM dream…
I work teaching young people a different sport, Tae Kwon Do, (Martial arts) I have learned a lot in the last couple of years as some of my first students matured. I at first tended to expect too much, I tried to guage their progress against myself, and then other students. Both guages were wrong. Do I think a 17-18 yr old girl can complete an IM safely? yes. But, it will depend on the person and their phyisiology. I do not think that just anybody that age should attempt this. If you are interested in my outlook from observing what a young person is and is not capable of please contact me privately (see profile)
i am around the same age as your daughter. I completed Ironman Canada last summer @ the age of 19 (youngest male, there was an 18 year old female) on 4 weeks of training and little base.
It wasn’t pretty, and the run (or walk rather :P) was pretty brutal from lack of base training.
But, i crossed the line in just over 14 hours, and it was a wicked experience. I took a 30 minute massage in t2 and a 20 minute break on the bike to nurse some IT band problems, but other than that, i felt great.
I think she can do it, especially if she trains right. However, as you mentioned, i would suggest going into the first race and not having any specific goals other than have a great time and try her best.
The training required to ‘race’ an IM is pretty intense, and that would be the only concern on her joints/growth plates/etc, but training to finish (hell…even under 12 hours) seems pretty reasonable.
Young_Ironman, you sound like you have a good handle on your training. But I know from expierence that their is alot of difference in a 19 year old male who is hitting his prime, and a 17 yr old female/male who is just starting to grow into their body.
yes, there is a definite physiological difference between a 17 year old female and a 19 year old male; however, i was looking through the race results for IMC and there were actually 3 girls younger than myself (all 18) at the race this summer.
I still stand by my belief that anyone can complete an ironman, it is mostly mental…being able to force oneself to endure the long hours on the bike and run in the race.
On a side note, possibly talking to a physician to detemine if there is a potential for bodily harm may also be a wise choice.
Loke McMcMichael of Kona did her first Ironman at age 18 and has completed 8 of the last nine years. She is currently a successfull model, spokesperson for Nike, and is hosting a sports adventure television show. She has always view Ironman as fun, enjoyed her training, and it has led to some incredible opportunities in her young life. She has been on the cover of numerous magazines including Outside, Hers, Womens Sports Illustrated, and will on Vogue in the near future.
I also know several other young ladies who have done Ironman in their early 20’s and wish there were more. Females are still not encouraged to participate in sports and yet will starve themselves to wear size 2 pants. Loke was told that she had “too much muscle” to be a model. I always thought she was svelt and attractive, not muscular or manly.
Please support your daughter’s enthusiasm. She may fall in love with the sport and pursue a career in something sports related. She also may not enjoy the long distance training but excel in shorter events. She may turn out to be an incredible cyclists or swimmer. You both will never know until she tries.
he There once was a boy , named Thomas. At the age of 19, he entered the IM roth and finished 56th. The year later the dude came vback and took 6th spot orso. The dude’s name : Hellriegel !!
Supporting a child’s passion is a blessing. As a parent, we do what we can to guide them towards what is good for them. After years of my family (wife, 2 sons) treking to race after race to support me, my 7 year old son expressed his desire to race (this was last year). Down in FL, we have “Meek & Mighty” triathlons every so often for kids. The swim was in an olympic size pool, and my concern was the little guy would have a tough time making it across 1 length of the pool (and the swim distance was a 100yd), let alone 2. I was on a business trip in TX days before the event and was talking to him on the phone. I told him he was not quite ready for the swim yet. He told me “I can do it dad”. This was the first real stand he ever took with me. Geoff, my decision here parallels yours, just to a lesser degree: Do I let him do it and set him up for potential failure? Or support what he wants to do and let him go for it?.. He was the smallest kid doing it and the only part of his body above the water after he got half way across the pool was his little nose . He did it and I still quietly get tearful when thinking about it. Long story. In your shoes I would support her - absolutely, but would consider (I say consider because I no nothing about you two), letting her move towards her goal, provided that she completes a 1/2 IM distance event first. The end result will be you fulfilling your responsibility as a supporter of her passion, and at the same time guiding her down the right path so she can develop her own realistic expectations on what it is truly going to take to get there.
I know none of you but I am fairly confident that a bunch of you, like me, wish you would have start triathlon younger than you did. Wish your daughter the best of luck on her dream. From the sound of it, you have something to be quite proud of.
I’m with the camp who says let her try it. I don’t know her, but I do know you and know she will get lots of wonderful support, advice and love. Is she in Oz or in NZ? Either place, again she should get some great support and training opportunities. And as cheermom said, there is a fabulous role model out there in Lokelani McMichael.
At 17 or 18 most women are skeletally mature ie closed growth plates (likely a few years ago), so no concerns with affecting growth / development. There aren’t any physiologic issues here that probably can’t be overcome with an intelligent, long term training program. I don’t know whether there are body image issues, but this is an age where young female athletes are at a high risk for developing this - completely depends on what your daughter is like as a person.
There is a bit about this issue in The Lore of Running - worth reading since running distance is usually the limiting factor physiologically in someone this age. I once swam with a whole squad of young women this age or younger piling on well over 100 km a week of swimming - weren’t very many physiologic problems, but were a number of eating disorder / body image issues.
