That’s one of the responses that I got from a co-worker after I sent out an email asking people to support my Ironwishes fund-raising campaign.
It is an interesting insight back into the civilian world, from whence I came. I have spent so much of the past couple of years immersed in triathlon training, triathlon study, and this forum, that even though I still consider myself to be a relative newbie, I am consumed and surrounded by all things triathlon. I just assume that people know what an Ironman is. I cringe when they say, “Hey, Ironman!” because I am not an Ironman yet.
So I told her what the Ironman was, and she indicated that she wouldn’t be doing anything like that any time soon. That was the response I got from one of the few people I work with who actually goes to the gym every day.
We’re crazy, people! Crazy!
Speaking of Ironwishes, you are welcome to support me, or any of the other Ironwishes team members, at http://www.ironwishes.org/ . All donations are tax-deductible and 100% of them goes directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Well, kind of typical- but it only puts into perspective the extraordinary nature of what you are doing, both physically (Ironman) and as a nice person (raising money for a worthwhile charity).
I thought about trying to raise money through an IM but one thing that stopped me was feeling like I was showing off by telling everyone I was training for an IM. It sounds silly and selfish (because I didn’t raise money for anything) but I’ve tried to make up for that by contributing to other people’s funds. Last year, I gave to some guy featured on IMLive who was doing an IM and raising money for greyhound rescues. Anything with helping animals really gets me.
Good luck to you.
Oh yeah. It’s gone around my work that I did “a full triathlon” (aka Ironman) and people are amazed that (1) it’s done in one day, (2) that I was at work on Monday after the race on Saturday, and (3) I’m walking without problem. And this even from the runners and cyclists we have. The couch potatoes and smokers just shake their heads.
So when people donate through your organization, do they donate a flat fee. Or do you set up some 50c per mile type of thing, or based on finish time. You know, to make it interesting…
You know, it’s funny, because I thought about mentioning that. I consider myself to be a little arrogant, but apparently it’s the humble kind of arrogant, because I too feel uncomfortable talking about it. After working my ass off for years to get my bachelor’s degree, I had difficulty accepting accolades and kudos for all the work I did, and I find triathlon to be the same. It’s interesting how many people accept criticism so readily, yet do not handle praise very well at all.
Frankly, I really didn’t want to send out an email to my entire department at work, but, to briefly summarize, a very self-absorbed person here gave me crap because she felt that I should have given her one of my fund-raising letters but didn’t(never mind that the letters have been on my desk for weeks, and that she goes by my desk daily.) One day she saw the letter on the department head’s desk, and must have been feeling left out of the cool crowd(She actually said I was treating her “like a second class citizen” by not giving her a letter). So I sent an email out to everybody, so no one else felt left out.
Sorry to get side-tracked there. It’s amazing how such a simple thing can get twisted by office politics.
Basically, I had all of your concerns as well, but it occurred to me that if I could turn something that I do for myself into something that helps other people, without compromising what I am getting out of it, then why not do it? No, I am not comfortable asking people for money, and no, I don’t like being put under a microscope, or held up to public scrutiny, but I guess I can stand a little of that if it helps a good cause. And it is a good cause. (Make-A-Wish and the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind are my two favorite charities.)
And if I crash and burn, well, I guess I’d better make it spectacular, because a lot of people will be watching. ;p
Oh yeah. It’s gone around my work that I did “a full triathlon” (aka Ironman) and people are amazed that (1) it’s done in one day, (2) that I was at work on Monday after the race on Saturday, and (3) I’m walking without problem. And this even from the runners and cyclists we have. The couch potatoes and smokers just shake their heads.
clm
Im amazed that you went back to work on Monday! I had to take 3 days off and had a hard time walking for a week. Congrats! Must be the Cervelo?
My Family still is confused between marathons, triathlons and ironmans. i dont answer or correct them anymore, I just nod. My wife thinks im nuts for all the training and doing the longer races and she is triathlete. But when people tell me im nuts or crazy its more of complement that anything.
I had that happen to me today. I was asked if I was doing a “full triathlon.” I answered yes, and much joking and sarcasm ensued. The best one was, “Wow! I can’t even watch three sports in one day!”
Minny expat:
People can donate any amount that they wish, or they can sponsor by the mile, or pledge an amount based on finishing time, as they choose. But the donations are made straight up, so if someone says they’re going to give me $100 if I finish under twelve hours, it’s up to them to follow through when I tell them to pay up(assuming, of course, that I didn’t smack them for burdening me with unrealistic goals.)
So far, most people have given flat amounts, while one friend, a former triathlete, has pledged a dollar per mile. The coolest one so far has been a friend who got her gift matched through her employer, thereby doubling her gift(take advantage of this if your employer offers it.)
That’s pretty interesting. My GF is trying to gather $2000 for a 3day breast cancer walk. If they don’t hit the $2,000 minimum, they don’t get to participate in the event, but the organization keeps whatever donations were recieved.
But really I was thinking what a great thing to do. I would just rather pick my charity (not that there is anything wrong with the one you are affiliated with). So I was wondering how the mechanics of it works. Sounds pretty interesing, I think I’ll have to do some research.
Ahh, see, that is the beauty of Ironwishes! The fund-raising is really completely divorced from the race. I am doing Ironman Lake Placid, and I am raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Nominally, I am racing to raise money for Make-A-Wish, but I approached them, and am simply acting as a fund-raising event organizer. I do not have any minimum amount to raise, I just raise as much as I can for a charity that I like. Thanks to Ironstevie for coming up with this idea! More charities should do this. Ironwishes acts as a liaison between you, the athlete, and Make-A-Wish, until you get everything lined up, and then helps you out once you’ve gotten started.
My lovely bride did the MS Challenge last year, and it was a freaking nightmare for her)and me). They were calling, and sending letter and emails telling her she hadn’t raised enough yet, she was asking everybody she had ever met, etc, etc. I ended up pledging her $100 up front, and another $100 on the back end so that she’d make it, and she only needed to raise $1,500. She later found out that a few people who did not meet the minimum were still allowed to do the walk.
I really don’t know why so many organizations don’t embrace the Ironwishes model. I think a lot more people would participate in fund-raising efforts if they didn’t have a huge amount to raise. In fact, I bet that if you approached the Event Coordinator for the charity you want to support and told them what you have in mind, they would help you out. Once Steve Fried directed me to Make-A-Wish of Greater Boston, I pretty much did everything directly with them. Steve provided the encouragement.
When the subject of ironman comes up, most people say, “Did you do the one in Hawaii?”.
I think the general public is not that impressed with ironman because they don’t really understand what’s involved. I think someone who works out on a regular basis has a better understand of what it takes to get to the starting line.
Oh, and my mom still pronounces the sport using 4 syllables “tri-ath-a-lon”. I gave up correcting her after a couple of years.
That’s pretty interesting. My GF is trying to gather $2000 for a 3day breast cancer walk. If they don’t hit the $2,000 minimum, they don’t get to participate in the event, but the organization keeps whatever donations were recieved.
I was talking to someone else about this same situation. The marketing strategies of some charities can complete spoilers and make you not want to contribute at all no matter how good you feel the cause is. My reward for increased generosity is an exponential increase in solicitation. The “thank you” notes always come with another donation card. Some of the pledge drives do everything they can discourage “mail in” donations. They want a credit card number on the spot.
I contribute to numerous charities but sometimes they wear me thin. Maybe that’s a good thing.
One of the approaches I always took was “hey, I’m making the commitment to train for 1000 hours this year, how about writing a check?”. In most cases, my sponsors tried to inflict the maximum suffering on me, which was fine. I do probably 90% of my fundraising as a flat donation up front, with some upside 'bonuses" for extra miles in 100+ degree weather or fast times or something. Basically, the whole thing is an excuse to harass my friends and colleagues to do the right thing…very rewarding so far.
I’ve found that the most significant thing the ignorant masses fail to understand is that I prepare for Ironman with months of specific training, and with an all-around healthy lifestyle. It’s like they think I get out of bed that morning and just decide to do it. Part of the reason “you’ll never see (me) doing that” is because they can’t fathom stringing together more than three days of a regular workout routine.
So I tell my coworkers, to put it into perspective, that doing an Ironman is like being a smoker (or being addicted to junk food or the state lottery). Not a moment goes by where you’re not thinking about cigarettes, just like I think about Ironman a lot. And IN the same way that (you) have to go outside two or three times this morning to puff away with the other hackers, I have to get outside a couple of times a day to train. Such a “real world” example begins to put it all in perspective for them.
“they can’t fathom stringing together more than three days of a regular workout routine”
This is going a little far afield, but I think that this is a huge problem in Western culture in general. Most of us do not plan anything. We just take life as it comes. Which is fine in theory, but I have found, through years of painful experience, that if you want to be successful at anything, you have to plan for it.
When I was dragging myself from the pit of misery and failure that so many of us seem to find ourselves in at some point in our lives, I put together a list of my goals for each facet of my life(personal, professional, financial) and posted it on the refrigerator. I then got a notebook and sketched out in detail how I was going to achieve them. Then I set about doing them.
While I have not achieved all of my goals, because they change over time, I did achieve most of them, and I am now more or less where I wanted to be when I started writing this stuff down. It makes it worth all the “Dude, that’s totally gay!” remarks I suffered when people came over and saw my list.
Anyway, all this experience has gotten me to the point where my standard response to anyone who says they can’t do this, or that, or whatever, whether it be love, education, or athletics, is, “It’s never too late…until you’re dead. Then it’s too late.”
Without sounding like a commercial, I know that for me, doing Ironman was a life-changing event. Not the race, but the process. The IMNA motto is “anything is possible” and as long as you sign up within 24 hours, they are right. 2 and a half years ago, I was a couch potato. My first run was 8 minutes long. At that stage, if you had told me I could do Ironman, I would have laughed in your face. But you know what, a week of training turns into a month turns into a season turns into a good base for the next year. Completing the training and the race gave me insight that I (or anyone else for that matter) could really do whatever they want (“If you set your mind to it, you can accomplish anything” Marty McFly). I don’t know much Chinese, but I’ll tell you what, if I committed as much time to learning Chinese as I did to getting in shape, I can do it. Same goes to flying a helicopter, knitting a doggie sweater or whatever. Success in many aspects of life is about the ability to commit to making something happen, sticking to a plan and focusing. I’ve learned a lot so far with much more to go. What a long, strange trip it’s been.
You should just say, “You bet. I smoked the field.” ;p It’s not like they’d know.
I usually get “Well, how did you do?” And I’ll say, “Oh, I came in 327th.” And they’ll say, “Er, um, that’s not too bad.” Well, if it’s 327th out of 950, I don’t think it’s too bad at all.
