I know this is a “Who cares?” situation but I was notciing that Gordo Byrn, author of “Going Long” and everyman turned IM pro hero was one place in front of me at Ironman Canada back in the late '90’s, I think it was '97.
It was the year that I believe inspired him to become serious about the sport after finishing in 10:43:something. I was the next guy to cross the line about 45 seconds later.
Interesting (to me at least). Gordo went on to become a top pro Ironman competitior. I, on the other hand, sit at a desk and type and measure inseams…
But both of you contribute greatly to the education of new athletes and the growth of the sport. Gordo on his website and books, you in your shop, on the net and in seminars.
Not to turn this into a Gordo praise thread (but I will anyway)
I really like his story… About how if you set your mind to something, you can do it… Let’s not forget that he didn’t start swimming until he was 30. I like his forum as a polite alternative to slowtwitch. Fun to lurk over there and get different takes on things.
P.S. have you seen the picture of his sweetie at XTRI??? Whoaa momma! (Gordo, if you’re reading… I don’t mind it when guys make a fuss about my girlfriend so I figure it’s fair game )
Tom, both you and Gordo have huge value to the endurance sport world in different ways. You can’t fight the genetics you were born with. While Gordo may train harder than you, he likely has a better set of parents (for endurance sport) and started off with better Genetics for this stuff. You could likely string together several years of averaging 800-1000 hours of training and you would likely never get to the same level.
While I am impressed by the performance of pros, I am often more impressed by the day to day performance of your rank and file age grouper. Managing businesses, dealing with customers, putting kids on the bus, coaching baseball, mowing the lawn and somehow finding time to squeeze in 15 hours of training.
So don’t sell yourself short. Measuring inseams is as studly as standing on the podium in Ironmans, for if there are no people who buy bikes and finish in 500th place, there is no podium for the top guys to stand on
<< I, on the other hand, sit at a desk and type and measure inseams… >>
Yes, but HOW do you measure inseams? A la the “Friends” episode where Chandler goes to Joey’s tailor, and the tailor runs the tape up his inseam and then moves his boys to the side to get an accurate measurement?
NOT that there’s anything wrong with that.
I bet Gordo can’t hold a candle to yer 10,000+++ posts however.
in his three years of IM training, the guy probably put out more miles than most people do in a lifetime, so I guess this was coming sooner or later. It’s interesting in light of the ‘McCormack vs. Byrn’ training philosophy discussion on Gordo’s forum.
Anyway, I think it was you who commented on Gordo’s biggest strength being the mental aspect some time ago. I keep wondering how he keeps his head on straight with all those monster swim sets on top of the miles he puts out running and riding.
No wonder venture capital looks good – a LOT more money, shorter hours, and you’re on the Caymans!
Never know what tidbit you will pick up in a thread, thanks for the post. Not a bad place to be… back to making big money in Grand Cayman or continue a great racing career. Choices…
Looking at this, I think the most interesting aspect is the concept of perspective.
In 1999 I went to Ironman Canada with my girlfriend Susy. We had a nice trip, raced go carts, went to the batting cage, floated down the river in inner tubes, had bonfires on the beach, went to the petting zoo and rented kayaks for paddling on the lake. It was a lot of fun. I wanted to have a decent race there and give my medal to my girlfriend at the finish since she really helped a lot during training by riding along side me on long runs on here mountain bike and being a rolling aid station, making food for me at home and generally being supportive.
I figured I could go 10:15 but for some reason didn’t have that race that day, so 11:07 was it. It was an OK race and I was happy with it. When I crossed the line I felt great, gave her the medal and went out for Pizza while watching other finishers come in. All in all, a nice day in the sport.
Now, on the other hand, the fella who crossed the line about 17 seconds in front of me, the famous Gordo Byrn, looked at his results and saw… possibilities. He went back home and made himself into a new athlete. Then he went on to win Ironman.
Two races close together in time but very different in actual result. Since then I’ve gone 11:16 in New Zealand and think I can go faster in Australia in November. We’ll see…
Has Gordo won an Ironman yet? Not as of yet has he? Tom, if Gordo pulls out IMC this year, i’m reviving this thread and saying “Not only is Tom D. a great contributor to the forum and knowledgeable about gear and bike fit… He’s Psychic !!!”
If it was '97, I was ahead of Gordo in 10.37…that will never happen again…of course you and I are about 10 years older than he! I still consider those to be the good ole days!
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