Though it might be an interesting question? Does having more venues lesson the IM or simply feed a growing appetite since most of these sellout?
The new races-will they be on par with the existing ones??
Is there enought demand out there? IMAZ is still open for next year at last check
I think in the past year or so I’ve heard rumors about IM New Orleans (see current post), IM New York City, Ironman Dubai, Ironman China, IM Carolina etc etc etc
From the list of the 70.6 series, looks like all but the Baja Location is announce but the full IM’s seem to be floating around.
international races tend to have less participants-but, and i could be off, the North America races were all sold out-AZ sold out–CDA sold out first year
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I haven’t replied in a while, but it is good for WTC, not great for the sport in the long run.
At Lake Placid this past weekend only 25% finished under 12 hours. It’s wonderful that people are training and staying in shape, but Ironman competition is going the way that completing a sprint triathlon used to be. Finish one for the T-shirt and to show off at work the next day. I’d be interested in how many people finishing over 14 hours ever do another one.
WTC is doing wonderfully marketing themselves. I think they see that possibly their research shows that IM participation might be heading to a downhill trend and that is why they started the 70.3 series.
It won’t be long until they go to Olympic distance and sprint distance triathlon series also. They’ve done a great job of putting their races up against other events and bashing them into the ground. They will do the same with Olympic distance triathlons.
It’s great business sense. But it might not be great for the sport as a whole
Likley with in the next couple of years, we may be into a tipping point as they say, with the sport. There is still the impression that things are growing and certain markers would indicate this, but my feeling is that it can’t keep going on at this rate.
As for the WTC or IMNA or anyone else putting on races at this level, they are obviously doing a great job or people would stop going. Clearly the demand at present, for spots is higher than the supply - a good position for race managment to be in. However, I do wonder if in 5 years we will still have this phenomena of IM races filling up in 24 hours for the following year.
Overall the races are probably getting diluted, but it seems to me from looking at the results over the past 4-5 years, the qualifying times for the 3 main mens AGs 30-44) is getting tougher.
Here’s the times from IMLP from 1999 to this year for the 10th and 20th place M40-44 (all in the 10hrs): 99-37/53; 00-35/45; 01-25/42; 02-25/51; 03-32/47; 04-15/37; 05-21/35. It seems the trend is definitely downward (03 was the “rain” year). 10th-20th is the range of the last Kona slot for this AG.
It seems to me that, while the overall race may be going to the “purple menace” trend, the front end of the race is consistently getting faster and faster.
AZ is still open
CdA is still open with over half of the slots available
Look at how many posted in the IM LP 2006 thread who say it will be their first time.
As for Kona slots–x number of total slots, divided amongst more and more races means fewer slots per race, therefore per AG. In many of the women’s AGs there is only one slot. Even in the men’s AGs where there may be 10 slots now, more races might drop that to 5 or 6 slots, so perhaps harder to qualify?
"I’d be interested in how many people finishing over 14 hours ever do another one. "
Well, you can add me to this list. I finished in over 14 hours for my first IM ('04 Kona), and I’m signed up for my second ('06 IMAZ).
I’m not sure why you’d put a time constraint here, but I’d also be curious as to how many people do multiple IM’s in a season. Do all these races fill from new IM competitors, or mainly from the veterans with enough time and cash to do several events a year?
Personally, I’ll be doing as many as time, money, spouse, etc allow.
ADD ME TO THE LIST OF OVER 14 HOURS. I 'VE DONE 2 OVER 14 HOURS AND I AM SIGNING UP AGAIN FOR IM 06. IT DOESNT MAKE THE im PERSON ANY BETTER THAN ME IF THEY FINISH UNDER 14 HOURS. WE BOTH FINISHED. i CANT WAIT TO DO ANOTHER.
I tend to agree that whether someone finished faster or slower, it makes em no better. I spent my evening from 10:30 pm till 11:50 pm last night along Mirror lake drive after finishing Ironman LP at 5:33 pm. I walked, jogged and shuffled along the many souls trying to beat the cutoff and become part of the Ironman family. Their stories and determination were no different than those at the front end of the age group field. When I told one of them that he had 1.5 miles to go and if he walked the entire loop, starting at 11:30, he would never make it he mustered the courage and energy to jog the final stretch and squeek in under the cutoff. This is what it is all about…pushing your personal limits.
For most of them, all I needed to say was. “Can you believe it, in less than 10 minutes, you are going to be an Ironman”. In the depth of their collective exhaustion, each and every one put a huge smile on the face, as big as a full moon. The inspiration of watching these folks, many of whom are not as genetically blessed as most of the turbostuds that post on this page, really reminded me that we are all the same.
On Tuesday morning you go to work and your collegue has no clue that a 9:xx time is studlier than a 16:xx time. In fact, to the layperson, the 16:xx time may appear to be more of achievement. In some ways, I almost have to agree. Don’t get me wrong, I will train as much as possible and do anything to shave off every second (check out my transition times from Ironman LP), but whether we go faster or slower, we are just different members of the same family.
I’m not discounting by any means the dedication of any one who was able to get themselves across the finish line. I tip my hat to everyone.
But is Ironman a race, a survival march or a moment in time.
I always had the same problem organizing sprint events. I felt that there should be a time limit on the race. At some point, when people are doing backstroke 5 feet off shore and averaging 8 miles an hour on the bike, they should not be competing in a race, but going out for a family bike ride on Sunday.
To do an IM distance race well & be competitive requires a lot of training time, sacrifices and dedication (Of which of the normal population considers insane) . I think what the WTC is doing with the 70.3/half-Ironman series is smart. Most full time working people (which 98% of the competitors are) especially those with professional jobs or families are probably begining to realize it is hard to train year after year for ironman distance races with all their other obligations & be competitive. When training for a full IM distance race most weekends are usually dedicated to long hours of training & then you’re too tired to go out. The half ironman distance allows one to still race long without the extraordinary amount of training time required for ironman distance to be competitive & livea little bit more balanced life while training, too. The Full IM’s in NA will probably still all fiil up, but I think you might see a decline in the # of people doing multiple ironman’s in one year.
ADD ME TO THE LIST OF OVER 14 HOURS. I 'VE DONE 2 OVER 14 HOURS AND I AM SIGNING UP AGAIN FOR IM 06. IT DOESNT MAKE THE im PERSON ANY BETTER THAN ME IF THEY FINISH UNDER 14 HOURS. WE BOTH FINISHED. i CANT WAIT TO DO ANOTHER.
In case you forgot triathlons are a race. If someone finishes in less time than you in the arena of competition, then in fact yes, they are better than you. If the only point of a race was to finish, there would be no reason to record time and placing.
I think the previous comment was spot on, the top 10 to 15% of the race is getting even more competitve in most domestic ironmans, but I would be willing to be the median time is getting slower. This is neither good nor bad, but illustrates an interesting demographic split and that there really are two increasing different groups in this sport, the uber competitive and the finishers. There is a course some middle ground too, but the middle ground is never an interesting position to take in a conflict.
“But is Ironman a race, a survival march or a moment in time”
For those that believe running is necessary to be an Ironman its a race, and for those that believe in walking 26 miles, it’s a survival march. And they are both accomplishments, but not the same.
The Full IM’s in NA will probably still all fiil up, but I think you might see a decline in the # of people doing multiple ironman’s in one year.