Racing Ironman? Respect the Distance

A few years ago The Queen and I ran into an acquaintance while picking up our race packets for the St. Luke's Half Marathon. Let's call him Mike because, well, that's his name. Mike was "getting ready" to race Ironman St. George, and was just 6 weeks out from his race. He went on and on about how ready he was because, you know, he had "done" all three distances before. And by done them, he meant he has swam a 1.5 mile swim, rode his bike 80 miles one day, and has completed many a marathon. I reminded him that the Ironman swim was 2.4 miles and the 112 mile bike was a bit more than the 80 he said he had previously completed. To be fair, Mike had completed a good number of standalone marathons.

Now Mike is not the leanest person you would ever meet. And in case you know nothing about the Ironman St. George race course, all you need to know is the race is now an Ironman 70.3 because the long course was just too much of a challenge (becuase Ironman should be easy?). To say the course was hilly is an understatement. Put these two facts together and race day would be a challenge for Mike.

I wished Mike luck and went on my way ...

OK, that last sentence is bullshit.

Truth be told, I don't remember the exact wording, but I basically told Mike there was no way he would be hearing Mike Riley at the finish line calling him an Ironman. No, he would be finishing his race by handing his timing chip to a volunteer, not crossing the finish line after a 26.2 mile run. Not a matter of if he would fail, but a matter of how far he would make it before calling it a day.

Mike made it to mile 30-ish on the bike. I am sure he heard my voice in his head when he handed over the timing chip and sat down in the support van. That must have really sucked.

As hard as it may be to believe, I'm pretty sure Mike doesn't like me anymore.

Now I know what some of you are thinking right now - Jon's a real f'in a$$hole for saying such a thing. You need to support people in their efforts; Everyone can't be fast; He paid his money and can do what he wants; And on, and on, and on ...

I admit, I could have handled the situation differently. I COULD have wished him luck, told him he would be fine, make sure you properly fuel your body, etc. Yes, I could have said any and all of those things without upsetting my acquaintance. I would have come off as the supportive friend. It's what people do, right?

No. Not in my world anyway.

I said what I said for one very important reason (at least to me) - respect for the distance. See, I have no problem with someone racing a long distance endurance event and either completing the distance in a "slow" time or having something happen and not completing the course. Not only am I fine with it, but in my little side training business I have worked with people who's goal was to simply complete the Ironman distance in the 17 hour allotted time. And when they do it, it is pure awesomeness. Everyone has their own goals, their own desires. Whatever it is YOU want to do, I'm cool with it.

What I am NOT cool with at all is thinking you can just half-ass your training and muddle through the day. One hundred and forty point six miles is a long day. Heck, just running 26.2 miles or riding a century is a long day. And don't get me started on long swims. I did the 3 mile distance at Steelman OWS one year and wanted to quit somewhere between miles 2 and 3. Problem was I happened to be in the middle of the lake so walking off the course wasn't an option at the time. Never doing that again.

Preparing for an Ironman is no joke. My first full Ironman was at Lake Placid in July 2005. I started training for the race on January 2 of that year. I remember sitting down with Bill and getting that first week of training and thinking he was crazy. The amount of work he had me doing is what I expected to see during peak weeks, not the first week of January. Funny thing is, everything I did those first three months were more about getting fit enough to train for the training I would need to do for the main event. Come race day I was ready (Thanks again Bill!!!).

You just can't wake up one morning and decide you will go out and go 140.6 miles on Saturday. It takes time and dedication. It takes focus and determination. It takes patience and persistence.

Now let's say you signed up for an event that you had all good intention of completing. Because of the popularity of the Ironman you need to sign up for most events in North America a year in advance. Sometimes you can do it online, but for other events you are better off going to the event and volunteering the year prior to make sure you get a spot for the following year. I've done that twice myself.

The problem is, a lot can happen in a year's time. You can suffer a major injury for example. I have experience with this as I had to back out of Ironman Coure D'Alene last year due to injury. Didn't take much for me to realize that I just had to skip the race and move on.

The other thing that can happen is you simply lose your motivation to properly prepare. I totally get it. The IDEA of becoming and Ironman is much different than the day-to-day reality of doing the necessary work to complete the Ironman. 

There are times you are going to give up social activities to ride your bike. There will be times you just don't want to swim, let alone do a 3 x 1k main set. And I don't know anyone who craves a 2 hour run off the bike. The body will hurt and you will get tired. Real tired. All of this is part of the Ironman experience. This is what is necessary to do it right.

Do it the right was and there is a very high probability you will successfully complete the distance. At the end you will either be a one and done, checking the Ironman box, or you will fall in love with long course racing.

When I crossed the finish line in Lake Placid at the end of Ironman #1 my family and friends were there to meet me. The Queen, knowing me as she does, looked at me and said "this isn't done, is it?" I looked at my feet and squirmed like a child caught with his had in a cookie jar. Nine years later the flame is still lit.

I know I am not the fastest, but I have a respect for the distance. I enjoy the process, I crave the work. I love the feeling of being Ironfit.  If the drive to go long - the drive to put in the necessary work to race long - leaves me I'll call it a day. I have too much respect for the sport, for the distance, to have it any other way.

Getting back to Mike, my problem wasn't with his desire to race the race. My problem was with the lax attitude he had towards proper prep for the race. Back to what I said earlier, the idea of being able to call yourself an Ironman is much different than the reality of the work needed to cross the finish line. I find it rather arrogant to think that you can just half-ass it and expect to muddle your way through. I have much more respect for someone who says they can't do it and gracefully backs out than shows up thinking they can fake it enough to succeed.

My point is a simple one - if you decide you want to do an Ironman, respect the distance and put in the proper training to complete the Ironman. If you can't or won't do the work, don't do the race.

Thanks for reading.

Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon

Competitor Group Decision to Cut off Elite Funding

"Running and Triathlon are sports with a connect between the amateurs and professionals. They are community sports." Source



On August 30, 2013 Competitor Group*, promoters of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, announced that effective immediately they would no longer be supporting elite athletes in North America. The group would no longer pay appearance fees, travel and lodging expenses for elite athletes, although modest prize money will continue to be offered at events. The $475k in yearly savings will be used in other areas of the business venture. This weekend's Philly Distance Run - err, the ING Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon - will be the first race affected by the decision. You can find the original report here.


In making this decision, Competitor Group has clearly indicated that the front of the race is of little importance to management, and they believe the people who run their races could care less about who wins.

Implied in that decision is also the idea that those at the pointy end of the race do not care about the masses. Being around the running community for almost 20 years and the triathlon community for 10 years I find these ideas to be bogus.

My problem with this decision comes down to the following issues:

Show Me the Money!!! Competitor Group is owned by Celera Capital, a private equity firm. The purpose of private equity is to make as much money as possible for the investors in a the private equity firm. It is very fair to ask as simple question: will the $475k in "savings" go back into the race, the experience, the amenities for the runners or will the money simply go into the deep pockets of the private equity ownership of Competitor Group?

To say I am skeptical that the money will be recycled back into my experience would be a huge understatement. Competitor Group has grown their events to ridiculously large fields of participants that make race day logistics a challenge. They have done this while substantially increasing the fees one pays to enter their events. The good news irony is you can give them more money to get special VIP toilets, special drop areas for your dry clothes, etc. that were unnecessary before they oversold their events. Up to this point, the changes made to races have only increased revenues (and profits) for the company so why should I believe they will now use the new found money to make my experience any better?

Assuming Competitor Group plans on enhancing the race day experience, how would they do it? Beats the hell out of me is the short answer. Put more bands out on the race course? More volunteers on race day? Better catering of the post-race food line? Bigger finishers medals? If anything, they overproduce their events now. They could reduce the entry fees ... yea, like that's going to happen.

And what About the Legacy of the Races Competitor Group Purchased? When I race I want to race. I'm not the fastest, but I want to be able to run MY fastest on that given day. The race experience for myself and many more just like me, is about going out and running my hardest (or swim/bike/run in a triathlon) without someone shooting colored cornstarch at me, chasing me with zombies, or running through mud and man-made obstacles. I also don't need a band playing at every mile. If you want to put one there, whatever, I cannot control that.

With a race like the Philly Distance Run, which was first run in 1978, you have an event with great history and some incredible running. In 2005, for example, Deena Kastor broke the woman's U.S. 1/2 marathon record that had stood for 20 years on those Philadelphia streets. I remember it because I was there running on that day. I also remember being there a few days after 9/11 happened in 2001. The Philly Distance Run was the only sporting event that day anywhere in the USA. You take away a robust elite field and you take away the possibility of greatness occurring out on the race course, making it just another race.

What About the Affect on Elite Running and Triathlon?  Running and triathlon are niche sports. But they are sports that I, and many, many others follow, and actually care about who is at the front of the race. Maybe they think of running as a sport people only care about every four years when the Olympics roll around, but that is simply not true. One of the reasons I like doing a big city race is you are out there with these amazing athletes giving it their all, showing what can be done. More important than me, the elite runners and triathletes have lost a source of funding, which is not easy for all but the very best. The long term affect on athlete development is not helped any by this decision.


If Competitor Group won't support the elite athletes it is obvious that they don't care about the sport. If they don't really care about the sport, it makes sense that they are simply in it for the money. If they are in it for the money, everyone suffers ... except, of course, the executives and shareholders of Competitor Group. See, it's about the money so they will continue to oversell events, continue increasing entry fees, and making the experience more like Wal Mart and less like your local retailer.

As for me, I will be running the Philly Distance Run ... excuse me, the RnR 1/2 Marathon ... this weekend as I have for many, many years. It doesn't really fit in my schedule but I have always liked the race so I make it fit. Next year, I'm not so sure. The Gap Gallop has moved to the same weekend and Rev3 Pocono Mountains will be the same weekend as well in 2014. So with such nice options available from both my local bike club and a group that really cares about its athletes and their experience, Sunday may be my last trip down to Philly on the second Sunday in September.


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* Competitor Group is the publisher of books and magazines related to athletes and athletics, including Velo Press. Many of you receive their magazines which include Inside Triathlon, Triathlete, Velo Magazine and Women's Running. They have also become big in the events arena with the TriRock Series of triathlons, the Muddy Buddy Adventure Series, and a newer women's running series. Some of the events they have developed on their own, but many have been purchased from other organizers. The owner is a Celara Capital, a private equity firm and NOT an athlete owned entity.