Yes: He showed the guts, strength and determination not to give up on a day when paid professionals did. This will serve as a catalyst for the sport and motivation for thousands who battle against seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve their dream.
No: When Julie Moss’s meltdown was featured in the 1982 coverage, Ironman was just one of three segments on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. People discovered Ironman when they weren’t looking for it. Those who watched Chris walk his bike in and struggle to make the Midnight deadline, already are triathletes, already knew the story and the outcome.
I’ve got a devil’s advocate perspective, but I’m afraid I’d be skewered so bad by some on this forum I won’t give my thoughs on that, other than to say “no” he’s definitely not like Julie Moss.
She came to the point of exahaustion and collapse and still managed to gather up the strength to finish. While what he did was very gutsy, walking your bike 10k is not the same as crawling to the finish.
Taking nothing away from Chris’ accomplishment and determination, BUT Julie’s finish was an enduring TV/Sports dramatic moment, AND she was an elite leading the race at the time of her physical meltdown. It’s very hard to top that.
She came to the point of exahaustion and collapse and still managed to gather up the strength to finish. While what he did was very gutsy, walking your bike 10k is not the same as crawling to the finish.
It’s not? How do you come to that conclusion? Have you experienced either?
She wasn’t “exhaust(ed)” and he didn’t “walk (his) bike”.
Julie Moss began to struggle in the last 5 miles of the marathon. Finally in glycogen debt she fell 20 meters from the finish line. She crawled the 20 meters to finish, but was feeling no pain. Her mind was fine, but her muscles were on empty.
Christian was hit by a motorcycle, crashed his bike and fell to the pavement. He then carried twenty pounds of bike on his one shoulder (with all that weight concentrated on a small area of his top tube) with an arm out in front of him to balance it 9-or-so miles to T2. After walking in that awkard position with that concentrated weight on one shoulder for 9 miles he ran a marathon.
Julie felt no pain… Christian not only felt it, he looked pain in the face and didn’t even flinch.
I’ve got to say Yes. Who among us, if we have a bad crash on the bike, and we’re still able to walk and have a chance to make the cut-off won’t think of Chris and be inspired? Who among us won’t think of Chris, do a quick mental gut check, and start walking? Who won’t think, “If Chris could do it in his socks…”
Julie Moss’s effort was the foundation for our sport. Chris’s effort is no less remarkable.
Taking nothing away from Chris’ accomplishment and determination, BUT Julie’s finish was an enduring TV/Sports dramatic moment, AND she was an elite leading the race at the time of her physical meltdown. It’s very hard to top that.
Since it was just shown, Chris’ “walk” hasn’t had a chance to be “enduring”. Only time will tell.
dudes crash all the time. he wasn’t badly hurt, and he walked 6 miles. “carried his bike on a tiny area of his shoulder” ?? good lord. i watched a dozen little kids do that at the cyclocross races while sprinting up steep-ass hills for close to an hour yesterday. anyway, he had the time, and then he went and finished off an event he paid thousands of dollars to experience.
did all the overly-dramatic NBC music/imagery get to some of you, or what?
Also, not to take away from him, but it’s my understanding (I could be wrong) he was offered a replacement bike by the official bike support crew. He refused to take it saying HE would consider it outside assistance. The fact is, it would be no more outside assistance than accepting Gatorade at an aid station. Outside assistance isn’t allowed by other racers or non-race personnel. It’s totally allowed by the official bike support people. He chose to walk (okay, carry) his bike when he could have ridden a replacement bike in (again, that’s my understanding and I could be wrong). He obviously didn’t choose to get hit by the motorcycle, but he did make things more “dramatic” than they needed to be by carrying his bike in while being followed by NBC cameras the whole way. I have nothing against Chris and am not trying to be a troll. In fact, I give him tremendous credit for finishing the race at all when I’m sure plenty of people would have quit. I’m just sort of sick of media hype trying to turn everything into some incredible human interest “against all odds” story. Okay, flame away . . .
Whether he is or he isn’t doesn’t really matter (not that it isn’t a owrthy discssion). He deserves respect for doing something that 99% of people (despite their claims) would not have done. I appreciate his humbleness. I doubt he’s on the internet talking about lowering the IM cutoff, who is or isn’t an ironman, what color the ribbons should be, etc … nor is he likely talking about how courageous he is. He was presented with a situation that could have been an “honorable discharge” and he refused it.
I don’t think peopple will see Chris’s actions and rush out and try a triathlon … but if they wreck their bike, they will now be more inclined to “keep going” … just like Chris.
IMO, Moss’s and Sadowski’s situations are similar, but not identical … so I don’t see calling him the “Moss of the 21st Century” would be accurate.
For me, the most inspirational stories are the still the Hoyt’s and the guy (Mark H-something) that was paralyzed when he was hit by a car … only to return as a wheelchair athlete.
“For me, the most inspirational stories are the still the Hoyt’s and the guy (Mark H-something) that was paralyzed when he was hit by a car … only to return as a wheelchair athlete.”
Marc Herremans. He is an inspiration to me too. Did he race this year?
No, what Chris did was great, but it doesn’t compare. I remember 4 years or so back at the Gulf Coast Half in Panama City there was a guy in T2 that had either forgotten his shoes or someone had stolen them. This guy decided instead of quitting that he would just run the 13.1 miles with only socks and at mile 11.5 there was a guy that had finished the half marathon and ran back to him to give him his shoes to finish the race. I tried to find the link in the newspaper archives, but I couldn’t get to the site. He was a local dentist there in Panama City. Clay something?
My lasting image of watching my first Ironman was of Herremans (not the Hoyts). It was Marc sitting there lumped over in his wheelchair at the bike/run transition. You could almost hear the debate in his head regarding whether to continue or not.