TNT'ers

Triathlon Forum
1

While I’m on a rant against the creeping judgementalism on this forum…

I had the pleasure of riding up on a huge group of DC area TNT’ers who were riding here at Quantico aboard the Marine Base yesterday. As I rode in, among, and past them while they weaved on the road and struggled to climb even the slightest inclines on their low end road bikes with pancake clusters and grocery bags full of food hanging off of various parts of the bike and bodies…I was reminded of the huge rants I’ve seen against them on this forum…some quite recently…My riding partner and I stopped several times to assist with mundane cycling tasks like changing tires and putting the chain back on. It was a great chance to talk to some of them and find out who they were, what they were doing, and even why they were doing it. The ones we talked to were training for Gulf Coast…

At the end of the day I couldn’t help thinking what a judgmental bunch of bastards those folks are that rail against the TNTers here and elsewhere. Its a crappy, elitist attitude that needs to change. These are genuine people with their own goals and reasons for doing what they’re doing…often not much different than you or me with our years and decades of experience.

I’m through with this post, but certainly not done ranting against the anti-TNTers…

2

I don’t remember anying posting that they’re anti-TNT. I’ve only read posts, and made some, that complained about the the behavior of some TNTers at past events. I think it’s great that TNT gets so many folks involved in running and triathlon, not to mention the fact that they also raise cash for a great cause.

3

I think TNT is a wonderful opportunity for people. Not only because it raises money for a good cause but because it gives people who would never get there on their own the training, tools and support to accomplish what for some of them will be the greatest physical feat ever. They could never do that without TNT. Also, out of every TNT group there will be a few who will “catch the bug” and become regular racers. Therefore it promote the sport, and anything that promotes the sport is good.

I have a former student, female in her mid 40s, who was not very physical. She made it to Black belt with us but I started training the same time she did and was a 2nd degree Instructor beffore she was able to make blackbelt. She never really learned how to push herself, it took the pushing of some of her fellow students to get her there. That and the head instructor told her “your blackbelt test will occur on 00/00/0000” giving her no choice, or she would still trying to put it off. Anyway, in the manner of most adults in a martial art program she eventually moved on to other things.

I ran into Mary last year, she had just run the Crim 10 mile road race and was ecstatic. She and a friend had joined TNT, she lost 30 lbs during the training and was already looking forward to bettering her time next year. This was the women I tried for a couple of years to put forth the effort to achieve a goal (albeit not an easy one) and now she had done what for her was a momentous physical accomplishment, I was so proud of her. TNT can be a life bettering expierience for some people. For those of you that complain, do you remember finishing your first really challenging race goal? Don’t take that expirience away from someone else.

4

Thank you!!! I’m a TNT’er, and proud of it. I didn’t get my start in triathlon through them. I’ve been in the sport for over 20 years, but I love the program. This is my 3rd season of doing events with them. I know people stick their nose up in the air when they see this massive sea of purple in the BOP of big triathlons and marathons. Maybe the snobs would like to see those spots designated for TNT in popular races such as Saint Anthony’s go to “real triathletes”. A lot of them are slow, and this is a big challenge for them, but whether one finishes FOP, MOP, or BOP, he or she is a triathlete.

In that sea of purple are a number of athletes who place high in their age group, and do well in the overall standings. There are others who it’s very clear that they’ve never done anything athletic in their life, but they’re out there. Is that such a terrible thing to get out of shape people off the couch and doing triathlons and marathons? Or do the snobs feel that if you can’t run the whole thing you shouldn’t be out there?

Those of us who do events with Team in Training believe strongly in the mission of trying to find a cure. When I did my first race with TNT, I figured I do it once, and that would be it. However it has been such an enriching experience, that I just keep going back for more. I’ll be part of the sea of purple at Saint Anthony’s on April 24th, and after I finish my race, I’ll go back out and cheer for my BOP team mates.

If you’d like to help me out, and read more about what I’m doing, check out my website.

http://www.active.com/donate/tntwhv/NYtrigal

5

Don’t make me go dig up the posts, Pooks…That’s a bit of wishfull thinking on your part. Yes, some was complaining about what you spoke of…but the threads devolved into general vitriol against the whole idea…like somehow these folks didn’t rate to be out there…like somehow you are required to know the difference between Shimano and Campy or Cervelo and Trek or Nike and Asics in order to rate entering a triathlon.

7

I’m not trying to make you do anything!! You may be right about a thread on the whole topic a while ago. I don’t recall anything recent that was elitest like you mentioned.

8

Round these here parts the standard complaints see to be;

  1. TNT get preferential treatment when it comes to the allotment of entries into popular races like Wildflower and Pacific Grove and folks who have been participating in the sport for a long time get shut out.

I’d have to say there is probably a legitimate gripe here.

  1. TNT participants are not well versed in race etiquette and often get in the way of people racing as opposed to people merely participating.

Not so sure there’s anything to this one. Most TNT participants are well coached and are probably better aware of how to behave on race day than most rookies. They are just easy to identify and point fingers at.

  1. TNT groups can be aloof and exclusionary…private post race parties etc. I think this is bogus. They are no more exclusionary than any other club, training group, or collegiate team…just better funded.

  2. Then there are those who think they are shit hot and just like to complain about anyone slower than them to pad their fragile egos. There will always be folks like this and they are better left alone.

9

I’m wasn’t really calling you out Pooks…but there has been a LOT of vitriol here on the forum…to wit:

(this poster couldn’t even get the acronym right…but goes on to rant…)

Are the rest of you sick and tired of the Team In Training Cult? I know that they raise a s*** load of money for cancer research, which is great, don’t get me wrong, but I am fed up with mass e-mails from co-workers trying to hit up the office for ducats so that they can not only raise money for a worthwhile cause, but so they can also help fund a fabulous endurance vacation to Bermuda or Hawaii, or San Diego.

None of the inter office e-mails seem to mention the free travel.

But that’s really not the thing about the TIT Cult that raises my dander. If you have the brass clangers to hit friends, family and office-mates up for dough, fine, maybe you do deserve a nice trip. What gets me is the TIT Cult’s attitude towards mere participants who train for and compete in races for the sheer love of the sport.

On more than one occasion I’ve come across a gaggle of TIT Cult members who look at me and others incredulously when we say we’re not interested in joining their secret society. I’ve been in and watched races where the Tank-Topped Moonies only encourage each other, leaving the other athletes (many of whom are racing for reasons that are just as meaningful) to feel like sweaty, self-indulgent drones in a sea of Purple-Shirted Fanaticism.

Everyone needs a rallying point to motivate oneself, and perhaps I am over generalizing. But it seems to me that the TIT Cult is like a foreign invader in our fragile multisport eco system that is choking off the other forms of life around it. Is the 50-year-old mother of three who is doing her first sprint race any less important than the TIT Cult member who finishes next to her?

To my eyes in ears, the TIT Cult seems to marginalize other athletes, which isn’t really why we do this.

Another…

Well folks, the sport of triathlon got what it wanted. Inclusion in the Olympics and lots of growth. For the “hardcore” who miss the way things were “back in the day,” too bad-it’s over. I saw the same thing happen to the sport of climbing in the late Eighties and early Nineties. Lot’s of newbies, yuppies, people without a clue to etiquette, slow climbers, rap-bolters (die scum!), crowded routes, litter, accidents, deaths, closures, fees, bitching, etc.

Sadly, nothing is going to happen to triathlon as far as newbies, TNT, lack of etiquette, blocking, drafting etc. Why? 'Cause there is too much money to be made right now to worry.

Apparently it was WAY better back in the day when NONE of us knew what in the hell we were doing…

And another…

People in this country have lost sight of what is meant by the word “Race”. Triathlon was meant to be taken seriously and not just something that is on a list of things to do before someone dies. The greedy people have successfully marketed it to the masses as the “cool” thing to do, just like they did with Marathons. I am not saying that there should not be any beginners, I am just saying you should probably think about taking those swim lessons before signing up for an Ironman during your first year of triathlon. (which I have seen people do, more then once.) Common sense people!!! Where did it go? I will tell you where it went…….It went out the window after people read the T&T broacher that said they could do anything, even a triathlon with as little as 3 months training. Oh ya…and I get to go to Florida while feeling guilt free because it is for a good cause. (which it is in my view. ) I don’t think sporting events are the right platform to raise money for a charity. (Kind of like mixing church in the classroom.) Just because you are collecting for a charity does not give you the right to ignore safety regulations and other rules. Why can’t we have triathlons in the form of “Race for the Cure” in D.C., where the whole race is a charity and the people who sign up for it know what they are in for up front.(i.e. 5k walk instead of a 5Krun)

These are just a few…(and by no means the most offensive)…But the basic gist is that these folks somehow think TNTers don’t belong in the same race as we “serious” triathletes…

10

I have always been a huge supporter of non-athlete athletes – those of us who are (or ride bikes that are) too old, too slow or too heavy to finish in a time most would consider respectable. TNT helps get people moving. It gives them confidence to push themselves harder than they would on their own. That’s definitely something I support.

What I don’t support about TNT is their “group think.” TNTers may think the rest of us are snobs, but I can’t help feeling it’s the other way around when I’m struggling to finish a triathlon or marathon and all I hear are shouts of support for the TNTer in front of me. What happened to cheering for ALL athletes? When I finish an event, I go back out to cheer, too – not just for a certain group of racers, but for everyone.