why do triathletes wear so much useless stuff?

ckcic just got burrrned. Ouch.

Tell me whether you put in this amount of workload in one day.

what about the typical trail runner? I love running trails, but LMAO at these dudes who show up for a 2 hour run with a belt that has 4 bottles attached + multiple gels. WTF? You can't run for a couple hours without constantly eating & drinking?

I tried on a belt 1 time. it was hot as hell & I thought it might be handy on a long run. I had it on for 5 seconds when I said 'Nope'. Never again.

Now if you're gonna run 25 miles or whatever, then have at it, but if you're jogging 10 minute miles & getting in 10-15 miles, give it a f'n rest.

e1mr wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy-8NeoTfeI

Tell me whether you put in this amount of workload in one day.

I'm sure I don't put in that workload in one day. I'm also not a professional athlete. I also don't run world class marathoner mileage, either.

The other guy/girl's original point was that triathletes train 3x as much as runners. That is false. Jan Frodeno doesn't train 3x as much as top marathoners. That is all I was getting at.

I'm sure top triathletes spend more time working out than top runners. Since you're using different muscle groups for the different events, and swimming and biking don't put you through the pounding that running does, your body can handle more. 3 hours on the bike isn't nearly as taxing as 3 hours of running is.

agip wrote:

not reading this thread but keep in mind sports are very tribal and highly marketing based -

I was in the alps recently and took a look at the trail running gear in stores - it is very different than normal road running gear - sleeves, zippers, different look entirely.

this despite there is essentially zero difference between what you need from a shirt when you are running on a trail or a road.

triathlon has its own look - those zip up shirts and bright yellow shoes.

Point is, part of this is tribal - people want to look like their subgroup, and part of it is marketing - just trying to sell stuff.

Not to say that marketing doesn't play a significant role, but the zip up shirts are functional. Good cycling jerseys are virtually all zippered because one tends to generate a lot of heat climbing and then suffer from windchill descending. Triathlon clothing is largely optimized for the demands of cycling. The characteristics are probably there for similar reasons in the trail running gear, particularly on alpine trails. I would think anyone who has run in freezing weather has fiddled with their running jacket zipper depending on apparent wind direction.

Judging from what I saw of the IAAF WC, brightly colored shoes are trendy in running as well.

i'm beginning to think most people don't read previous posts before commenting on these threads...

anyway, i couldn't have said it better myself, college kid. spot on.

Jeffrey D. Boomhauer wrote:

what about the typical trail runner? I love running trails, but LMAO at these dudes who show up for a 2 hour run with a belt that has 4 bottles attached + multiple gels. WTF? You can't run for a couple hours without constantly eating & drinking?

I tried on a belt 1 time. it was hot as hell & I thought it might be handy on a long run. I had it on for 5 seconds when I said 'Nope'. Never again.

Now if you're gonna run 25 miles or whatever, then have at it, but if you're jogging 10 minute miles & getting in 10-15 miles, give it a f'n rest.

I run trails mostly and most runners do if they live near trails (right out my backyard, in my case) and have a choice. I do wear a small waist pack for many of my trail or mountain runs. I use it to carry my camera because I like photography, and I like being able to get cool photos of wildlife, views from mountain ridges, etc. My GF also has a waistpack that she uses to carry bear spray, camera, dog treats, and her Garmin Astro (GPS dog tracker). I also sometimes have a windbreaker tied around my waist and maybe a hat or gloves in the waistpack if the weather is iffy. Neither of us carries water for runs of even 4+ hours, though sometimes I'll take a can of Coke if its going to several hours. She doesn't bring food unless it's going to be 4+ hours. I bonk more readily, and will sometimes bring that Coke, and occasionally some food for 3+ hours. Are we dorks too? I don't think so, but I don't really care.

Jeffrey D. Boomhauer wrote:

what about the typical trail runner? I love running trails,...

Now if you're gonna run 25 miles or whatever, then have at it, but if you're jogging 10 minute miles & getting in 10-15 miles, give it a f'n rest.

10 minute miles is race pace plus or minus for many trails in the mountains, at least where I live.

e1mr wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy-8NeoTfeI

Tell me whether you put in this amount of workload in one day.

what a slacker, get a job hippie!

In the Olympic race, gold medalist Alistair Brownlee didn't wear shades. 90% of the triathletes who finished behind him did. How did they have time to put shades on?

What about the real athletes wrote:

My greatest dilemma is why guys that are clearly out of shape ride their bikes around with these singlets that have fake sponsors all over them. Do they think people are buying that they're part of an elite team? Please cyclists, for your own good, lose that mentality. You are being continually laughed at and mocked by the same people you think you're impressing.

cyclists wear kits with sponsors because that's what is sold 90% of the time. all of my cycling jerseys are like that, and i'm no pretender. now, if you're wearing a one-piece uniform with sponsors from head to toe, then it's different ad those dudes may be trying to show off. but runner show off too with bright colors and stuff. same deal. who cares

Citizen Runner wrote:

Your observation is biased. If the typical triathlete were wearing typical runner clothes when running (which is the case in my experience) you wouldn't identify them as a triathletes.

You can spot triathletes from far away. They run like ducks. Or like they've got an eel up their a$$ while they swam.

yes, i've noticed this as well.

most triathletes have terrible form and legs that are far too thick for serious running.

sharpener wrote:

yes, i've noticed this as well.

most triathletes have terrible form and legs that are far too thick for serious running.

Simon Whitfield, Tim Don, Jarrod Shoemaker, and Hunter Kemper would all just LOVE to know your personal bests.

look again wrote:

typical triathlete:

- calve sleeves *****(shannon rowbury, chris solinsky)

- shorts/tights with ironman logo on it ****(NOP plastered on singlets. nike EVERYWHERE with massive swooshes.)

- shirt with ironman logo on it (***see above)

- sunglasses (***mo farah, jason pyrah, steve scott)

- (less common) arm warmers (***tegenkamp, hall)

- ironman logo hat (***japanese in wc marathon)

- some kind of spandex top/shirt (***do you not watch int'l track and field?)

- hydration belt (***allergy mask anyone?)

- heart rate monitor (***get out with some elite cyclists sometime)

- big watch that connects with the heart rate monitor (***nike gps watch...galen and mo...garmin on the eritrean runner in wc marathon)

your "typical runner" is a falacy. educate yourself before you make idiotic posts.

to quote:

"moron. idiot."

-v^3

Thread should have ended here.

Typical runner:

1) Matching loop earing

2) ankle bracelets with peace logo

3) Special aero-dynamic hair braids

4) Arm warmers for indoor arena running

5) One arm warmer longer than the other ,for contrasting fashion

6) Multi layer/multi color finger nail paint

7) Calf sleeves

8) Compression suit

http://www.cbssports.com/olympics/blog/eye-on-olympics/19733154/sanya-richards-ross-wins-gold-for-the-us-in-womens-400-meters

run/bike wrote:

Simon Whitfield, Tim Don, Jarrod Shoemaker, and Hunter Kemper would all just LOVE to know your personal bests.

I guess they would.

OTOH Bekele et al. wouldn't give a rat's as$ about these clowns' personal bests.

run/bike wrote:

Simon Whitfield, Tim Don, Jarrod Shoemaker, and Hunter Kemper would all just LOVE to know your personal bests.

well, i'm not a professional runner. why would it matter if a professional triathlete's pr's are better/worse than mine?

why don't you comparable your dudes against haile, bekele, el g? oh right, they wouldn't even come close to touching their pr's in any event.

Brownlee Bros have 10000m PBs of 28:30 - Obviously, this isn't fast enough to compete against the likes of Bekele - but if it were, they'd be absolutely superhuman, being able to compete on a world class level in swimming, cycling and running. Moreover, it's faster than 99.99% of the posters on here.