I was watching my wife at a tri today. Good god, the # of tri tools who strut around thinking they are some sort of super hero in their wet suits and on their bikes was almost too much for me to take. I know runners have their own quirks about them, but man if you've never been to a triathlon in person, you are missing out on some drama.
don't forget the ironman tattoos.
And zoot shoes
Q: If you are at a party how can you tell who the triathlete in the room is?
A: You don't have they will tell you
_______
I agree triathletes are a bunch of dorks and fattys Oh you just finished a sprint tiathlon, well here is a medal for finishing that grueling 200 m swim, 10 km bike and 2 km run
Yeah, I've noticed that too. Runners are strange birds, for sure, but triathletes are on a whole different level of douchebaggery. To be quite honest, every triathlete I've ever met was quite unpleasant to be around.
Yes, I see have seen them. Get chatting to them and they think they are God's gift to the sporting world.
Living in a city where recreation space is at a premium, it's all too noticeable that triathletes and other bicyclists don't seem to appreciate the fact that at high speed, they can kill folks with those things.
Track Fan wrote:
I was watching my wife at a tri today. Good god, the # of tri tools who strut around thinking they are some sort of super hero in their wet suits and on their bikes was almost too much for me to take. I know runners have their own quirks about them, but man if you've never been to a triathlon in person, you are missing out on some drama.
I just adore their darling little transition bags that keeps all their gear safe and sound.
i actually met a triathlete, our friendship only lasted 6 months. the guy was always talking about himself and his training, very egotistical.
“You’re not the only athlete here at Jeff Davis. I happen to be training for a Triathlon right now. Well, you know all about that.”
“No, actually I don’t. I play real sports. I’m not trying to be the best at exercising.”
--Kenny Powers (2009)
I did a triathlon today and it was hard. But holy crap can I agree with you. They spend 8000 dollars on their bikes, 200 0n their wetsuits and they had these gay running shoes. This was my first one ever, actually a pretty decent sized one, the swim went alright, top 1/3 I would say, the biking (which I used to do a lot) was real windy so these geeked out tools were doing pretty well while my runner body was completely being blown around, but then the run came. Ha Ha I had never laughed so hard, these people went from pros to children. I swear they dont run they waddle with their cute tri suits. I must have passed thirty of them. I actually passed my top (or was the top) age group dude about 50 meters from the finish, he was limping with a cramp. Oh and I saw this one dude with a shirt that said, "Real men shave their legs"... this guy was fat pushing a kid in a baby jogger and had this 'sweet' livestrong hat on. I had never been so proud to call myself a collegiate distance runner.
The triathletes I've talked to/been friends with were actually pretty humble. The weren't at the top of the triathlon chain, but had competed in Hawaii. Two of them went under 10 hours in Ironman Hawaii, which I understand is pretty good. Anyways, they weren't full of themselves, and 90% of the runners I know don't appear full of themselves either. There are a lot of people on this board that seem to think running is superior to triathlons, which baffles me. Both sports require talent and commitment to be successful. I can't imagine trying to be competetive in triathlons, but a big part of that is $$$$.
I have a friend who takes almost an hour to get out of his wetsuit, but he's like almost 45 so maybe it's age-related. ;-)
I think cyclists are worse than triathletes. I've worked as a volunteer at bike races and triathlons, the cyclists are for the most parts, pricks!
I'm a manager for a group of specialty running stores and one of them is a "tri/running store". The Triathletes we have here are for the most part pretty normal people, even the ones with the Ironman Tats!
I also coach a group of runners here and one of the "quirkier" tri guys does our long runs and speed sessions each week. He paid the runners a great compliment this week when he said our workouts kick his ass!
I think the thing about triathletes that irks most people is that their sport is one of those niche sports where there is not much depth and you kind of have to be rich to compete. It is the opposite of running: cheap, simple and anyone can do it. To be a top runner, you have to be faster than a huge pool of competitors. To be a top triathlete, you have to be pretty good at three different sports and have the expendable income to purchase high end gear. We, as runners, feel that we have more to brag about with our accomplishments - after all, our sport is more competitive and doesn't depend heavily on the size of our wallets.
Triathletes interpret the miniscule participation in their sport to mean that other people are too weak to compete with them. They do not stop to consider that it could be due instead to a lack of interest. It is the same with ultra-marathoners. You, me and your cousin could probably walk-jog 100 miles, but we have better things to do with our time. We don't do ultra-marathons because we don't want to, not because we can't.
This is an important distinction and I think there would be much less animosity between triathletes/ultra-runners and normal runners if the former group understood this a little better.
Anyway, just my two cents.
very true, you also have to include race fees and traveling fees.
How many people can afford a wet suit, 2 thousand dollar tri bike, racing shoes, training shoes, and all the other gear.
On top of that, you usually have to travel far away to go to these races.
Funny coincidence, because I was just at a triathlon in northern NJ yesterday. Any chance that was the one you're referring to? I hadn't noticed what the OP referred to, but on reflection, I guess there were some competitors who fit that description. Regarding cyclists, I frequently smile watching them go by when I recall a thread someone started a couple of years ago titled something like, "Why do bicyclists always have to dress up like super heroes to go out for a ride?" Thank you to whoever posted that, because it always cracks me up.
youre a premature ejaculator!
Hate the game, not the players.
Just because I like to shave my sack and wear spandex lycra does not mean I am a poseur.
I love these social studies. It gets even more complex when you throw in other countries.
As a former elite cyclist, pro triathlete and now runner I agree with many of the postings. You guys should try cycling or triathlon though. It might losen you up a little when you look in the mirror.
I watched a run race today and must say that there were quite some "not so good looking guys" at the front. It's definitely easier to get laid if you look like the average triathlete. As always in life, it's all about priorities.
But don't get me started about these Newtons shoes or Garmin or SRM or BentoBoxes or BehindTheSeatBottleLaunchers or ...!