triathletes........

I'll tell you what go for a long hard bike ride and then get right off that bike and go for a run an see how your legs feel. My hat is off to them!

I've done a sprint-tri before, and I tell you what...They have my respect. I cant imagine those guys like Mark Allen (I think thats his name) that run under 2:45 for a marathon after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112.

Its kinda like the decathalon in that you have to be pretty damn good in more than one discipline in order to compete.

Swim, Bike, Run! Darn it, do one or the other and quit combining them. We don't combine baseball, football,and basketball into the same event for those not talented enought to excel at one or the other.

I think that is the sport where AWebb has the best chance of getting an olympic medal. With his build/conditioning/background he would do some damage on that circuit.

Yeah, but could Webb beat Ritz in a tri?

I want to be upset by that post, but I can't stop laughing...

most amateur or part time tri's are incredibly annoying. all they are worried about is how fast can they cut down the transition, what new technology can they buy to improve something. When they come into my store I usally tell them to work on the run bike and swim first and then worry about that.

What do I think about them. I don't mind them, but I sure hate losing to them in a running race, especially when they run in the biker shorts.

I think that Webb takes Ritz in a tri. I can't see Ritz swimming any better than most runners, which is like a rock.

If Webb burns out and Ritz goes on it won't be the same. There will be no more ridiculous dilemas of who would beat who...

Anyways Webb would destroy Ritz. Ritz is built to run. Webb is built to do whatever the hell he pleases. It stands to reason that he is a better swimmer from past experience and a clearly stronger torso. Ritz doesn't appear to have the power it would take to spin a big gear in a time trial. With Webb's speed, and obviously leg development, he would take the TT hands down as well. Running is a business for both of them, even if it is in the developing stages. It is in Webb's best financial interest to take up triathlon. Snowboarding has blown by skiing in the past 10 years, all the money has or is shifting to the snowboarding side. With the introduction into the Olympics of 2000 triathlon got a big shot in the arm in exposure. I say by 2008, definitely by 2012, there will be significantly more sponsorship money than in running. There is more drama in it and that is what people pay to support.

the triathlon will never be a viable sport due to the speedos that the dudes wear on the run. wear some baggy knee length arkansas hoop shorts. seeing dave scott or whoever is the tri guy now running 2:54 in a speedo is awful. yeah, i'm sure that transition time is key, but for crissakes dont make the race into " Cruising...the sequel in Hawaii."

plus there is something weird about rewarding folks for changing clothes faster than the other guy. the whole deal seems very contrived. i'd prefer to see a track 10k, 18 hole mini golf score, and finally stand-up routine at a comedy club with the laughometer settling the score.

speedo's can only help the sport. your way of thinking, that the body should be covered up at the expense of it's own function will be considered outdated eventually, sooner the better. the speedo is much more functional than what most runners on this board wear, though women seem to wear strictly functional clothing more often in track and field. another beauty of wearing a speedo is that there is no need for a race of clothes changing as you remarked, it can be worn in all three disciplines.

You all are crazy! Webb would never compete in a tri due to contract disputes and indecisions on where to train and who's training to follow. I'd say Torres would gun down Ritz in the last 50 meters and beat him every single time by a second!

I agree it is a tough sport.

However, I don't think the level of competition is up to par with running.

By that I mean that the ones I have watched (and I have been to many following my girlfriend around) do not appear to be as competitive as your typical road race with the same number of competitors. Not that road races are always competitive.

I witnessed one Olympic distance (something like 3/4 mile swim, 30 bike, and 10k run) where the top 2 or 3 guys hit 32 minute 10ks, and was very impressed with that. The top guys looked like good endurance athletes (and they clearly were).

However, I have witnessed many others where the top guys were running 10k in 37-39, and looked like weightlifters. I saw one where one guy came off the bike in about 10th place, probably 2 minutes down to the leader (this was a shorter race). He ran a blazing 17:30 5k and won the race.

Lance Armstrong could be the best if he cared to.

You guys know little...

I used to run in division I and was somewhat of an accomplished distance runner. I have recently moved onto triathlons and the big names are in the Ironman and Xterra competitions.

I recently competed in the Xterra Central Championships and i totally respect a guy who ran (trail run) right around 32 minutes at 9000 feet...after a 1000 meter swim at 9000 feet...OH! and after a 16 mile mountain bike with a climb up to 11,000 feet.

With regard to being equal to running...these guys are much more athhletic(only steeple guys compare). But triathlons are an up and coming sport. Don't knock it until you try it.

In my experience Triathletes typically have 10k pr's that are run on short courses and talk about them as if they were run on the track. Given that they typically won't show up at the track to work out or race, they get tremendously defensive when you question the accuracy of the courses. Most are hastily measured by some dude on a bike.

Secondly, I run in cotton t-shirts that I carefully age for a minimum of 6 years before working out in. To that end I think that people who spend $1000 on a titanium seat-binder bolt are idiotic. You don't need a ton of fancy shit to be an athlete- and that is what the sport caters to.

Some are cool, no doubt. I work out with a couple of guys who are great athletes. The majority of the crowd is a bunch of Gallowalkers with too much money.

I was thinking the same thing. I recall a tri-dude running a 15:00 5k once, and in his interview he was "pumped" about his new PR, this same guy could never break 16:00 in a road 5k, guess he just needed a swim and a ride to warm up properly. Tri runs are notorious for being less than accurate.

I still, however, think triathletes are pretty hard core with their training. For that they have my respect.

I certainly respect the work ethic and dedication of triathletes. Triathlons do take the aerobic and commitment elements of our great sport, but miss the wonderful egalitarian element.

The large amount money (and to some extent leisure time) it takes to be a good cyclist reminds me of a phenomenon that seems to apply sports like racquetball, squash, X-games stuff, even the increasingly popular NASCAR: These "games" are by definition limited to a certain privileged sub-population of people who can afford access to the equipment/arena, so championships in them are not as impressive to me.

When kids from the Bronx ghetto or East Africa or an Asian slum can get an equal shot at being the best triathlete in the world, then I will accord that title more respect. That equal access to the "tools" of the trade of running is what makes our sport great.

I agree. The demographics of triathlon and distance-running are quite different. USA Triathlon has collected demographic information about its members. On average, their individual incomes are about the equivalent of the gross domestic product of five Kenyan villages.

As a former runner who was probably better than most dumbasses on this message board, i respect triathletes greatly. It is not that expensive. Sure a bike cost some money, but you can get good used bikes for under $500. I am not dissing running. I love running. But a triathlon takes more athletic ability, stamina, and strength, than running around the track. I am suprised to hear so many runners trashing a sport which demands most of the same mental and physical aspects it takes to be good at running. Trash baseball or something...you can be fat and good at baseball.