I haven't written much lately. The training is going well, but the SD 100 is approaching too fast.
I had some friends race Ironman St. George a couple weekends ago. One didn't make the swim cut-off and the others that finished talked about what a hard race it was and their times reflected it, finishing an hour or two slower than I'm sure they would have on a faster course, or in better conditions. Ironman has had trouble with the conditions of St. George in the past...rain, heavy winds, heat, cold. I guess St. George in May is just unpredictable. It's a tough course, too. The bike course is one of the most difficult among Ironman-branded races, and the run, which was changed this year to an easier 3-loop course, used to be difficult as well. It's a tough race, worthy of the "Iron" name, or at least it was before the WTC decided that this year was the last year of Ironman St. George. Next year it will be a 70.3 (Half Ironman), and if that doesn't sell out, they will probably scrap the race all together.
Wait, isn't Ironman supposed to be hard? Wasn't the initial draw of Kona to test your mental and physical limits against the course, against trained and hardened competition, against the winds, the humidity, the heat and whatever nature decided to throw at you on race day?
You hear a lot of talk about fast courses, or great PR courses, and I really have no interest in doing one of these. If I'm going to do another Ironman, it would be something like St. George, or Silverman Triathlon in Nevada. Unfortunately, neither of these races exist anymore, probably due to the shift in the triathlon market from tough and gritty to shaved, carbonized, and fashionable. I have way more respect for someone who tried IM St. George and failed to make it out of the swim on time due to the wind and waves than for someone who threw down a fast time on a flat, multi-looped course. Is there anything worse than an Ironman race with a multi-looped marathon around city streets in the hopes of avoiding a steep grade or a remote area outside of town?
I get that Ironman is a brand run by a for profit corporation, and that they are doing what is best for their bottom line, but they will not be making any more money off of me. I'll stick to the races where 30-40 percent of the people will drop, and where I know I will have to train my ass off and fight some internal demons just in order to finish.
I had some friends race Ironman St. George a couple weekends ago. One didn't make the swim cut-off and the others that finished talked about what a hard race it was and their times reflected it, finishing an hour or two slower than I'm sure they would have on a faster course, or in better conditions. Ironman has had trouble with the conditions of St. George in the past...rain, heavy winds, heat, cold. I guess St. George in May is just unpredictable. It's a tough course, too. The bike course is one of the most difficult among Ironman-branded races, and the run, which was changed this year to an easier 3-loop course, used to be difficult as well. It's a tough race, worthy of the "Iron" name, or at least it was before the WTC decided that this year was the last year of Ironman St. George. Next year it will be a 70.3 (Half Ironman), and if that doesn't sell out, they will probably scrap the race all together.
You hear a lot of talk about fast courses, or great PR courses, and I really have no interest in doing one of these. If I'm going to do another Ironman, it would be something like St. George, or Silverman Triathlon in Nevada. Unfortunately, neither of these races exist anymore, probably due to the shift in the triathlon market from tough and gritty to shaved, carbonized, and fashionable. I have way more respect for someone who tried IM St. George and failed to make it out of the swim on time due to the wind and waves than for someone who threw down a fast time on a flat, multi-looped course. Is there anything worse than an Ironman race with a multi-looped marathon around city streets in the hopes of avoiding a steep grade or a remote area outside of town?
I get that Ironman is a brand run by a for profit corporation, and that they are doing what is best for their bottom line, but they will not be making any more money off of me. I'll stick to the races where 30-40 percent of the people will drop, and where I know I will have to train my ass off and fight some internal demons just in order to finish.
It's actually Ironman in Utah that is cursed, starting with Provo and now St. George. And, yes, you are right on that the ironman brand, just like the rock and roll marathon brand, is a for-profit business and operates as such.
ReplyDeleteIt's all about selling the illusion of an ego-filling accomplishment, but making everything as accessible as possible to the under-prepared rookie.
This sentiment will be the subject of my next post, thanks for the spark.
Looking forward to reading it.
DeleteI think Norseman Extreme Triathlon would be up your alley.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nxtri.com/
Escape from Mexicali. This is my dream race. Start in Mexicali, make an undocumented border cross and completely unguided, unmarked, self supported trek to a random gas station in El Cajon. Pretty much your basic 100 mile yog. Only rules are you can carry no documentation, are not allowed to say a single word to Border Patrol if stopped, and have to make it the entire way on foot under your own power. You down? If we can just get this thing started in 20 years it will be the only race anyone cares about.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking a long course XTerra would be cool and tough.
ReplyDeleteYES! THANK YOU!!!I also raced IMSG this year and while i had to dig way deeper and find a new level of mental stamina to keep going to conquer (ok--just to keep going)that course--that is EXACTLY what it should be. Im honored that i got to race that course and proud to say that despite it being my longest time by an hour, it was by far the best race i have ever had. Endurance races SHOULD be about finding your limits and pushing through them, finding courage to put it all on the line, and to never never giving up on yourself. If you can do that fast as well, great. I am the first to say that triathlon is a pretentious sport, filled with so many people that spend more time talking about being a triathlete, than being a triathlete. but perhaps thats also a test. can you stay true to the meaning of it all, why you train and race, and just let the rest of it go? I think you can. courses like IMSG help weed that crop. sad to see it go.
ReplyDelete"courses like IMSG help weed that crop." <- exactly. Congratulations on your finish.
DeleteThe thought of a flat, loopy Ironman makes me want to throw up a little bit. I think racing a flat and boring course for 10 hours might be more mentally taxing than racing somewhere "hard."
ReplyDeleteThat's true. The loops around a track or a city block are on another level of mental challenge...a level that I'm not willing to go to, yet. However, shoving a marathon into a 10-block area with multiple out and backs just because it is flat, easier logistically, and/or cheaper is not something that appeals to me at all.
DeleteGreat post, Dax. Although the allure of the Ironman has always been out there for me, I have never followed through because the thought of it does not shine as brightly as it once did. I, too, prefer the more difficult trail races (San Juan Solstice, 4 time finisher; Wasatch 100 x 1; El Vaquero Loco x 1; and this year, the Old Gabe 50k in Bozeman which is sure to be a doozy with 11,000ft of gain). Tough courses let me know that "I'm alive, and I survived" and are so much more rewarding.
ReplyDeleteGO Dax! I have seen the same money-making scheme at the USMC Mud Run. They try to get as many teams as possible and many of those participants are out of shape and overweight/obese and think the event is a "Thrill for FUN of it" when they can get seriously injured!
ReplyDeletePS - If you train for it, then go for it. If you haven't then, go forth with caution or risk serious injury.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a more general issue. In the mountains, many people care about the summit only, so they choose to go the easiest/ most standard route to tag it. On a "trophy peak" like Everest, Denali, or even Whitney or Half Dome, well over 90% of the traffic goes up the easy way. Other routes risk failure, and people want a sure thing. “It’s a lost, or it’s kind of an ignored idea, the idea of magnificent failure rather than a mediocre success.”- Peter Croft
ReplyDeleteAMEN - thank you for posting this - I had the same reaction to the news of making an Ironman race easier... very sad indeed..
ReplyDelete