There are lots of reasons I race, but I think the two biggest reasons are that (1) I really like the long distance training, and a race motivates me to train, and (2) I like to see new places, and there is no better way to see a new place than to swim, bike, and run there. I take the sport very seriously, but its a hobby - its not my job - I don’t get paid to be a triathlete.
I’ve done 2 Ironmans - Lake Placid and Austria, and they were both fantastic experiences that I would not trade.
I raced South Africa the first year it was in Port Elizabeth when it was a 1/2 Ironman, and it was the best vacation my wife and I have ever had. I think the location had a lot to do with that, but so did the fact that the race was only a half. Because South Africa was only a half, I was not overly torqued up and was able to relax and enjoy being in a new place. I was sore after the half IM, but not too bad, and I was able to climb Table Mountain in Cape Town a few days post-race. I also enjoyed the entire race. IM Austria was not a great vacation - I could not relax, I was nervous for the race, every decision was not about enjoying myself, but about preparing for the race. Plus, after the race, I was shot.
I did decent at IM Austria (11:40) and Lake Placid (12:20), but I ended up feeling really bad about myself after both races. I was not able to run the entire run, I vomitted during the last 13-miles of the run in both. Was I weak mentally, was my training wrong, my nutrition? Looking back, I don’t think it was necessarily any of those things. I think it is a simple math problem. My body can only absorb about 300 calories per hour without my digestion shutting down. If I start with 2000 calories, and ingest 300 calories per hour, but burn 600-800 calories per hour, I’m out of calories by the 9-10 hour mark or sooner. No calories means I start to feel sick. It also activates negative thoughts which makes the race really unpleasant. Combine that with the fact that your bones swell and feel like they want out of your body by the last 8 miles of the run, and you wonder why we do this stuff.
Combine the above with the fact that after an IM you feel horrible for a month or two, and you really wonder why we do this stuff. Plus, what is the long term damage you do to your body, when you do something to it that takes so long to recover from? Is this really healthy? I know a guy who was a tremendously good Kona qualifying IM athlete, who is now in his mid 40’s and has no cartilege left in his knees so he can’t run anymore, and someone said that he now needs a hip-replacement. Is IM worth this? Dan Empfield posted about healthy people dying!
Now an average triathlete like me, who finishes an IM in the 11-14 hour range, will probably have the problems I described above. We are also so far away from contending for a Kona slot, that it is probably never a reality. For the really fast triathletes who can finish in 8-10 hours, they may be able to actually race the distance, and what I concluded about IM does not apply. But for the average triathlete, is it worth doing multiple Ironmans so you can say you improved your time from 12:30 to 11:55?
How about the travel locations for IM’s? Are Tuscon, Idaho, Kentucky, and Wisconsin really destination races? I’d love to go to New Zealand (the Queenstown race sounds better than Taupo), but I can’t really be in shape for a March Ironman. Same with South Africa now that it is a full IM or Australia. Nice sounds like a great race, but it sounds better as a “Nice” distance race.
Last year, I thought the 70.3 series was the answer, but I wanted to wait and see how the Clearwater race was before trying to qualify. After watching on-line and seeing a race on a Florida highway with SUV’s two feet away from the bikers, I think I’ll pass on ever wanting to go to Clearwater. The 70.3 races are great races on their own (I’ve done Eagleman and St. Croix and they were fantastic), but the 70.3’s in destination locations like Belgium, Switzerland, and the U.K. don’t seem to be that travel friendly - there are no travel agencies on the web sites. Also, while I love the half IM distance, I would like to have a race that was a bit longer if I am going to travel such a long way.
I posted in the summer time hoping someone would put together a Nice distance race, and then along comes the 101 series. I asked some people who have been to Halifax if it was a good vacation and my responses ranged from, “fantastic” to “I want to move there some day.” I signed up for Halifax within 24-hours of the race’s announcement. If there are going to be 20 races next year, there are some great locations that do not have travel friendly long course races - Italy, Spain, how about a race in Capetown?, Portugal, Scotland, Ireland, the Carribean, Dubai. How about incorporating existing races like the Queenstown Challenge or Pucon?
I hope this series really takes off. I think IM is a great one or two time experience for an average or below average triathlete. It might be an okay race for the fast guys that can actually race the distance. But I think doing multiple IM’s is not a recipe for remaing in the sport for a long time.