A group of us watch IM-LP this weekend (BTW - congratulations again to all who competed). Several of us tried to define the difference between someone who is an Ironman (as Mike Reilly says “John Smith, you’re an Ironman”) as opposed to an Ironman finisher. Is there a difference? If there is, how would you define the difference?
For me, an Ironman is one who enjoys the journey through training, the prep for the race and the event, who lives the lifestyle. An Ironman finisher is someone who has it on their “bucket list” and wants to finish it and move on.
Ironman finisher refers to a person and Ironman refers to any of the races of that distance.
I’ve never heard the term Ironman refer to a person, just the generic term for a race of that distance as in “I’m racing an Ironman this weekend”. I really hope people don’t go around saying “I’m an Ironman” after crossing the finish line.
been discussed here tons already, and as a yet-to-IM triathlon’er, all I can say is that there is NO difference, and people who perceive a difference are obnoxious. You can distinguish gladly between elite-IM’er, Kona’er, FOP’er, etc if you want to distinguish yourself from joe-ironman with the girls at the bar, or at the tattoo parlor getting your ink, but anyone who finishes an ironman in 15 hours as used just as much energy as someone who finished in 8 and is therefore equally an ironman. Just as people don’t distinguish between Phi Betta Kappa grads and 2.0’ers when wearing their college’s hoodies, respect for those who finish an ironman event should be dealt equally to all (who do so fairly).
Can someone explain to me the difference between Charmin and toilet paper?
Ironman is the cash cow M dot trademark owned by the WTC, and Ironman finisher is one who finishes a 140.6 mile race that is directed by the cash cow in under 17 hours.
Ironman is the cash cow M dot trademark owned by the WTC, and Ironman finisher is one who finishes a 140.6 mile race that is directed by the cash cow in under 17 hours.
Close but no cigar!!!
If you finish Ironman Germany in 16:00:01 you are not an Ironman or Roth which was an Ironman race has a time limit of 15 hours.
Hey c’mon let’s not split heirs here. Generally it’s 7am to 12am. Roth must have been trying to be sensible so Ironman kicked them to the curb. Germany must have just figured no one would take that long to ride a bike so they cut an hour off the bike course limit thus resulting in a 16 hr. limit.
Otherwise it sounds like you were agreeable with everything else I said about the cash cow etc…
Any explanation in the difference between Charmin V.S toilet paper?
Hey c’mon let’s not split heirs here. Generally it’s 7am to 12am. Roth must have been trying to be sensible so Ironman kicked them to the curb. Germany must have just figured no one would take that long to ride a bike so they cut an hour off the bike course limit thus resulting in a 16 hr. limit.
Otherwise it sounds like you were agreeable with everything else I said about the cash cow etc…
I agree with the cash cow comment totally…
However Roth is a kick ass race and actually they kicked Ironman brand away because of money issues. Every year they sell out. Try that here in the USA with a 15 hour time limit…
I was going to pose that exact question because I started a thread concerning a comment made to me at a party to the effect how hard can ironman be if a 70 year old nun does it. The thread had some good discussion about “just doing an ironman” ( the marathon walkathon) versus racing an ironman. Lots of folks felt that ironman is ironman and the 17 hour IM may embody the true spirit of IM more than the 10 hour finisher. I disagreed and was thinking about how to separate the bucket list participants from those folks who consistenly training for IM. I ultimately decided that if i never did another IM after my first IM, then I would not feel that I was an IM- I did an IM- but was not an IM. Now that I am training in my third year for a third IM- I feel like an IM…my schedule revolves around the need to swim, bike and run in prep for IM. If your last marathon was 5 years ago would you refer to yourself as a marathoner? Certainly it is correct to say you have done marathons but are you a marathoner? When I am talking to someone about training who has done 8 IMs I feel like I am talking to an IM. When I talk to the guy at my gym who managed a 16 hour IM ( and capable with training and dedication to a much lower time) I feel like I am talking to someone who “did” an IM. I am not suggesting that a person who consistently trains and does 17 hours is not an IM-he or she is…anyone, no matter their finishing time, who dedicates the time and effort necessary for that person to reasonably perfom well. What I am grappling with is the number of people who enter IM way undertrained-walk the mary- put a check mark next to IM on their list of things and run around with an M-Dot tattoo. For me, and I suggest for many other who post here, there is something more to IM then completing the event once. That something more, I suspect, is what makes someone an IM…
According to John Collins, the Ironman is someone who finishes first. Collins said, “Whoever finishes first, we’ll call him the Iron Man.” If you stand by the originator’s definition, everyone who finishes within the qualifying time is an Ironman finisher. Only the winner can be called an Ironman.
For me, an Ironman is one who enjoys the journey through training, the prep for the race and the event, who lives the lifestyle. An Ironman finisher is someone who has it on their “bucket list” and wants to finish it and move on
I am just wondering how you determine someone’s motivation or enjoyment to categorize him differently. Or do you self declare what group you belong to before the start? People have different abilities and who are you to decide which ones “enjoy” the journey.
If someone joins a commercial guided ascent up Everest and makes it with a lot of help and O2, do we say they didn’t really summit because they didn’t climb without O2 and had a lot of help?
get to the finish you’re an IM–binary
now what Macca or Pete Reid did is alot more impressive than what I did–even though we are both IM…
In the end we are all triathletes or multisport athletes if you prefer. Some of us are fast and it’s a lifesltyle. It’s what we do when we aren’t working etc… Then there are slow athletes that train a lot but are just slow. It’s still a lifestyle for them though. Not all human beings move fast, that’s all there is too it. Then there are those who sign up for Ironman train for a year or 2 and you never see their name again. They move through the water for 2.4 miles with a stroke that can’t be identified as anything else other than moving foward. Then they fight with their bike for 112 miles and squeak through the cutoff…somehow? Then they walk 26.2 miles thus proving the 17 hour cutoff is too generous. Those are the ones I have the least amount of respect for. But they still get to strut around and talk to anyone that will listen about being an Ironman. They are the ones that walk 26.2 miles in 5.5 hrs and call themselves a marathoner as you were saying. I think there should be an age graded cut off time for Ironman similar to the system set up for Boston Marathon qualifying times.
For the most part I have long since stopped caring about that group. The first 2 groups have a passion for a hobby and probably life in general. They are usually interesting human beings and are a blast to sit around with over a beer. Not everyone can be fast, faster yes, fast, no. Some of us chose our parents more wisely and at least have a small gift of athletic ability. The rest is sorted out in how hard we train.
As for the 78 year old nun. She’s been at it a while and puts up some suprisingly fast times for her age and stature. The funny thing is she would probably beat a lot of these people that ask you "How hard can it be if a 78 year old nun could do it? She still regularly goes sub 3:15 in Oly tri’s and went 6:40 ish 2 years ago at Clearwater. Here is a pretty good race result bio of her. It’s pretty impressive actually. http://www.athlinks.com/myresults.aspx?rid=38847572
If we are going to split heirs, I’ll take Nicky, you can have Paris. Normally I wouldn’t hassle about grammer, but I’m in the mood to split hairs today.
Not to answer to anyone but please do not throw that 17 hour time limit out there like it is set in stone. There are a lot of Iron distance races and some Ironman brand races which has lower time limits.
As a matter of fact I am thinking of starting an Iron distance race with a time limit of 24 hours( like the original) on a very easy course to be inclusive to even more people. So more people can call themselves Iron Distance finisher.
The whole thing is a joke anyway.
