Hell’s yeah did that at Steelhead last year. Was injured and doc’s orders not to run till L-Ville so Swim/Bike/Chill on the beach w a 6 pack of bud light lime it was!
BTW - I should caution that I was fucking miserable walking that entire marathon. It gets long, real long. Even if you can run a mile here and there its worth it. I would NEVER go into an IM with the intention of not running at all. Can it be done? yes and quite easily from a time perspective. Would I ever intentionally do it? Not a chance in hell. It may take more fitness to run, but it takes something else to walk that far mentally. It was awful and I cannot even imagine getting off my bike knowing I was about to walk for 8+ hours. And its still going to hurt, your feet will be especially angry!
…may take more fitness to run, but it takes something else to walk that far mentally…
I am going to have call BS on this one. Once you start walking it is 99% mental whether you start running again. I agree that walking for 8 hours is not fun, but if you choose to walk, mentally you have given up and taken the easier, not harder option.
“IMO there is only one reason that the cut-off is 16+ hours; to sell out.”
So, you discount the performance of the older crowd? Interesting…Aging fit is part of what I think the sport is all about.
Sure, if you have a bad day or if you need to walk a minute then run 10. I can understand that. But where is the achievement in “planning” on walking the “run”.
IMO there is only one reason that the cut-off is 16+ hours; to sell out.
x2
I am 42 years old and have been competing in triathlon since I was 18. I was diagnosed with arthritis in my hip when I was 34, and I had to decide whether to quit this sport or “walk” the “run”. I love this sport too much to quit so I decided it would be better to walk. Walking the Ironman marathon is a long day but in my opinion it is better than not racing at all.
Then why not go into swimming or cycling? Triathlon is a swim/bike/run and if you can’t run, it’s not really a triathlon. I had to stop running because of back problems and would never think of going into a TRIATHLON because that involves running.
You can do mountain biking, hiking, swimming etc., but if you don’t run, you are not doing a triathlon.
And no, I’m not an elitist or looking down on anyone who walks but when you intentionally set out to walk, it’s not a triathlon (unless of course the triathlon is swim/bike/hike).
I didn’t see the rule which stated that you weren’t allowed to walk a triathlon.
Most triathletes have to be elitist, because to the average non triathlete, a 16 hour and an 11 hour finishing time are the same. So the 11 hour finisher needs to make himself superior to those he has beaten. It’s not enough to do it for yourself. The 11 hour finisher must say it’s not really an ironman triathlon if you walked. Only he is the real ironman. And oh yeah, he should blog about it, talk about and make it the only thing that matters in his life.
Call BS all you want. I’ve done it and I can tell you I will never ever walk another marathon in my life, it was the single worst experience I have ever had in any sport in my lifetime. And walking isn’t giving up. Giving up is quitting when you can still walk. I struggle to understand why some people see walking as a “choice”, for some it may have been, for others there is no other option. When I did it, it was not a choice. I had cramps in both hamstrings and a calf. Everytime I took a step to run something would seize up. I had to walk up hills backwards to prevent cramps. Eating, drinking, salt nothing helped it was all too little too late. It was also shameful for me, I hated people looking at me walking.
Dude, bad shit can happen to your body out there, especially if mother nature offers you a sucker punch.
Sorry man, I am sick and tired of people telling me it was a mental choice to walk that marathon. Bullshit, you have no idea what I was going through and knowing this I am sure others have had similar problems.
I totally agree. And agree with your earlier post about how miserable it is. Seeing the Mile 5 marker and knowing I couldn’t run sucked huge! But I did. not. quit!
I wouldn’t go into a race planning to walk that far, but sometimes shit happens.
**Sorry man, I am sick and tired of people telling me it was a mental choice to walk that marathon. Bullshit, you have no idea what I was going through and knowing this I am sure others have had similar problems. **
But you didn’t plan on walking which is quite different than someone going into the race with the intent to walk the marathon.
My comment was directed at those who have absolutely no intention of running (through injury or other reason). At that point, you have to question why go into a triathlon at all.
Yeah, that old jackass Bill Bell has no business being out there walking the IM run. loser
Sure. Due to bad IT bands, I ran 4 and walked 22 at Florida. Run time was 5:55. One hour swim, six hour bike, walked marathon and was done in 13:09.
I tore my medial meniscus 3 weeks before IM Western Australia in 2005. I was unable to run more than about 100 yards without intense pain. However, I seemed to be able to walk ok.
This was to be my son’s first IM and we had everything booked (from Philadelphia) so we went. I decided to bring my stuff and do it anyways (i was in great shape). I walked the course in 6:32 (and probably could have done 6;15) and ended up with a 13 and change.
I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have to it. I had the weirdest blisters and I felt more beat up than when i run them. Everyone along the course encourages you to get going so you have to deal with that…it’s definitely doable.
I’m fortunate enough to still be able to race them but if I could only walk then I could see doing them from time to time–especially with a gourp of friends–this would be just an experience and not a race. I recently climbed a couple of big =mountains and it strikes me that walking an IM marathon would be somewhat akin to that…it’s all about finishing safely, not how fast you go.
Yeah, I hear you FJB, I didn’t think you were directing the comment towards me. I don’t see myself ever intentionally walking it. I won’t discourage others from doing so, but its not my cup o tea and I just wanted to give the OP my perspective. I have talked to 6-7 people that have had similar experiences and I have yet to meet someone that ever wants to do it again. If that was the only option I had before the start of the race, I am not getting out of bed.
My .02 cents, it fucking sucks way worse than running, even if you are running an 11-12 minute/mile pace.
**Yeah, that old jackass Bill Bell has no business being out there walking the IM run. loser **
Why do people always take the extreme examples to make a point?
I trained with a group when I did my last IM and there were one lady that never ran a step simply because she didn’t want to train that much (she didn’t want to train much but was doing an IM !!!) and hated running. She only biked and did the occasional swim. She set off on the marathon to walk and walked every step finishing about 9 minutes under the cutoff time (she was a very good cyclist and decent swimmer).
I asked her why she bothered doing triathlons (particularly IM’s) if she hated running so much, why not just become a cyclist and her response was “because I always wanted to do an IM.”
Now you obviously support her but I think it’s ridiculous.
**Yeah, that old jackass Bill Bell has no business being out there walking the IM run. loser **
Why do people always take the extreme examples to make a point?
I trained with a group when I did my last IM and there were one lady that never ran a step simply because she didn’t want to train that much (she didn’t want to train much but was doing an IM !!!) and hated running. She only biked and did the occasional swim. She set off on the marathon to walk and walked every step finishing about 9 minutes under the cutoff time (she was a very good cyclist and decent swimmer).
I asked her why she bothered doing triathlons (particularly IM’s) if she hated running so much, why not just become a cyclist and her response was “because I always wanted to do an IM.”
Now you obviously support her but I think it’s ridiculous.
OK, Sorry, I must have misread your opinion that you should not go into an IM if you intend to walk. Apparently you only believe that if they don’t live up to some other standard of yours. What’s the difference between Bill Bell at IMAZ 2008 (he knew he wasn’t going to run, and I believe DNF’d) and the woman in your example?
Yes, I support anyone who’s got the $550 and who wants to do an IM. Unlike others, I tend not to judge other people’s reasons for doing things. Someone finishing in 16:51 is just as much an ironman as I was at 12:45, or bryancd at 9:30, whether they walked or ran. I am entitled to believe that, and you are entitled to believe it’s ridiculous.
Don’t take up the slots for the people that actually want to do an IM…this is why they fill and people who are more serious about it, or want to make more of a commitment to the sport, can’t get into races. It’s a race, maybe against yourself, and sometimes you do have to walk because it is HARD. But to go into it planning on walking means you should find something more aligned with your goals.
If the people that ‘actually want to do an IM…’ are actually committed, then they should to make the tiny little effort to get on the internet when registration opens and beat out all of those worthless AG’ers, non-elites, and generally useless people that diminish the entire sport by their very participation in it. It’s a shame all of the committed super jocks ‘can’t get into races’ by registering whenever they damn well please after they finish recovering on the couch from their 200-mile training rides. What my Dad told me is true: Life Isn’t Fair. I am sorry for all of those guys, no really, I am…
Greg
There are several legitimate reasons why people walk during an IM
- Injury/distress during the event does not allow them to run
- Injury prior to the event but they trained hard and want to do it anyway
- Plan to walk 1 minute - run 10 minutes (that’s how they train)
- Physical handicap that prevents running
Those are all legitimate reason for walking the marathon (or portions of it) and I don’t think anyone is saying that it deminishes the achievement of the athlete. My hat is off to you for persevering. IMO you are an IM. Completing any tri, whether it is a sprint or an IM, is an accomplishment.
But, going into a tri planning to walk the run leg is different, it is a fraud. A triathlon is Swim-Bike-Run NOT Swim-Bike-Walk. If you want to go around telling people that you completed a tri, you are a liar. You did not. You completed two legs of the tri and went for a long walk afterwards.
Go ahead and flame all you want. You are not fooling anyone but yourself (and perhaps those that you try to impress by telling them you are an IM).
FJB - not directed at you
.
A triathlon is Swim-Bike-Run NOT Swim-Bike-Walk.
USAT seems to disagree with you–“**6.1 Permitted Conduct. **A participant must run or walk the entire portion of the run course.”