Went to the Tent sale and bought some generic Ironman apparel. One of them was a pretty awesome water/wind resistant jacket that says World Ironman Championships on it. It does not say finisher or make any reference to participation. Would it be faux pas to wear? I solely intend to wear this thing riding on those rare cold mornings here in Florida.
ughh!! i totally forgot about this sale, i wanted to go
Yeah, I think just the fact that the jacket has a reference to a specific race sort of implies that you did said race. I wouldn’t wear it…
Uh oh. This is going to be good. Let the F-bombs fly.
I say wear whatever you want.
Judging from your LR posts, I’m stunned you would be worried about what other people think ;).
It’s cool to wear clearly labelled volunteer gear if you were a volunteer
Otherwise, I would only wear branded gear if you were a finisher
Or, just try it - you will soon get tired of people approaching you to talk about it, which sure is nice, if you were a finisher, and if that is what you want
Also, definitely not cool to were tri gear at a run or among roadies.
I still have a great respect for the game, the culture, and those who earned the title. I wouldn’t have even touched if it wasn’t such a cool deal. A buddy of mine talked me into it because it didn’t say finisher. Eitherway, it is an awesome jacket without the event label. It says that on the breast and has an M-Dot on the back. Keeping and wearing it is a foregone conclusion. I’m just trying to avoid looking like a total tool. If the consensus is no, I’ll just cover it with another patch. I’ve got tons of cool ones from my three-gun days that will easly cover it. At the price I bought it for, I’m not concerned about altering the jacket. Heck, it was cheaper then getting a C9 Champion jacket of similar style at target.
But you are right, I generally don’t give a shit what people think, but I’m active in the local tri community and I actually do care what they think to a certain extent. I certainly wouldn’t have a problem rolling with one of the many roadie groups I ride with wearing try gear. They know me, and they know I don’t give a shit.
By the way, it ain’t like getting a tattoo before finishing right?
DON’T WEAR IT! The triathlon gods will strike you down with lightning. Guaranteed.
It’s cool to wear clearly labelled volunteer gear if you were a volunteer
Otherwise, I would only wear branded gear if you were a finisher
Or, just try it - you will soon get tired of people approaching you to talk about it, which sure is nice, if you were a finisher, and if that is what you want
Also, definitely not cool to were tri gear at a run or among roadies
Interesting thing. I volunteered at the Florida 70.3 and they gave us clearly marked volunteer shirts, but they also gave us head sweats hats, not marked volunteer.
You brought up an interesting idea though. I could always iron on a patch that says “FAN” or “I didn’t participate, but I did watch it on TV”. Or better yet. "I didn’t race it, but I did stay in a Holliday Inn Express last night.
Wear what your comfortable in and who cares about what other people think.
bad juju
.
wear it who cares… it doesn’t say “I finished ironman world championships” so jus wear it. I wear a few tshirts that have the m-dot on them n the only m-dot event ive competed in was 70.3 NO. I would just rather wear things that involve wat I like to do than some other name brand clothing. Who cares wat others assume!?
I would not even consider wearing it.
…are you saying that someone like Dave scott and PNF will strike him down if they see it ?
Once my dad gave me a half IM shirt he didnt want. The first day I wore it biking I got hit by a car and got skin grafts and 6 weeks in hospital … no kidding
Jeez, this isn’t a green blazer from the Masters. We want triathlon to become more popular, for there to be a larger fan/participant base, for there to be more money, etc., and then we act like elitist pricks and say you cannot wear any Ironman branded gear unless you have finished an Ironman. Does the NBA require you to be an NBA player to wear a Spurs jacket? A Jersey gasp!?! Does NASCAR prohibit non-drivers from wearing team gear? Of course not! They know that this is one of the most important forms of appreciation that admirers of the sport and athletes can show.
We should be more inclusive and we should also be self-interested and not shoot ourselves in the foot! If he wears the jacket and someone asks if he raced in it and says no, I’m inspired by the race, what is wrong with that? Why should anyone be ashamed of that?
Edit: Why is it so bad to wear triathlon gear among roadies, etc? Does it insult them in some way? Are you insulted when you go out on a training ride with your triathlon buddy and he wears a cycling-specific jersey?
We want triathlon to become more popular, for there to be a larger fan/participant base
We do?
We want triathlon to become more popular, for there to be a larger fan/participant base
We do?
Well, a lot of people do… I should not speak for everyone. But in general I would say most would want the sport to grow, not shrink, right?
As a person who has never raced long course, the only M Dot item I wear is a Timex Ironman watch (to workouts) and my IMOO volunteer shirt around the house.
Everyone will have different philosophies about this topic I think.
It is a brand…like Harley, NBA teams, cycling teams etc.
Wear it with pride!
No, roadies do not care what you wear…sometimes amused but do not care.
Celebrate your health, your brand and put on whatever makes u feel good.
I was using Ironman Timex watches for 20 years before I did my first Ironman. Wear it.