How hard is an ironman?

I don't care who you are, you can't just go out and finish an ironman. You can, quite easily I might add, go out and finish a marathon (walk it).

Unless you're a world class swimmer, you're going to need to train hard to swim 2.4 miles. Not everyone can do that.

And the bike is definitely the hardest part. Along with nutrition.

A lot goes into Ironman races. Definitely not easy.

But I do believe that a normal person, with proper training, can finish one. Do a proper 30-week training program and you'll cross the line.

Horse sized cucumber wrote:

You wouldn't make it to the end of the bike

guaranteed

Pretty Much wrote:

If you're a decent runner, you can pretty much walk out the door and do an Ironman any day of the year with no training.

Dude, it's a bike ride.

VA Guy wrote:

Done 20 of them. Took it seriously; fairly high level (Kona qualifier). The diversity of training is enjoyable, but the long rides for bike bike training get to be a drag. One nice thing is that because intensity is lower and you're mixing up the training, lower injury rate. Good luck.

Curious who you felt running off the bike. I too stopped doing triathlon and didn't enjoy sitting on the bike for long periods of time. I always felt running off the bike was the best feeling ever just because I could stretch my legs and wasn't sitting. I really improved my running efficiency from brick sessions.

Totally agree with you. Began looking forward to the run 1/2 way through the bike! Anything to use different muscles.

wheels and a crank wrote:

Horse sized cucumber wrote:

You wouldn't make it to the end of the bike

guaranteed

Dude, it's a bike ride.

Dude, its a 100+ mile bike ride. Bonk on the run and you walk. Bonk on a bike ride and ???? Having bonked on a few rides, its a horrible feeling, working so hard and going nowhere.

You know the friends who always say they dont like to drive that far when you mention a 20 mile run or marathon? Tell them about your 100 mile rides and they can't really phathom that, because they dont drive 100 miles.

Fe wrote:

As hard as iron.

You don't want to do a triathlon if you're an ironman because

a) you'll sink

b) you'll rust

Layman's terms: Kinda hard. But not that hard.

If you're an experienced runner, and have run some marathons, then it should be quite doable. The swim can be tough. Some adult onset swimmers pick it up fairly well, but others are in a perpetual state of struggle. But still, even for a lousy, thrashing type swimmer the 2:20 or whatever cutoff is generous.

The bike requires that you train hard, and with a measure of discipline. If you do 5 or 6 100 mile rides, along with other shorter rides during the week (some very hard), you'll be okay. If you do just one or two 70 or 80 mile rides in training and think you'll be able to bluff your way through 112 miles on race day, well, you won't.

As a runner, the run will be relatively easy. I've done 9 IM's and my tenth (and final) is coming up in a few months. A good friend is at number 32 or 33. They're silly and self-indulgent for sure. But they can be as challenging as you want them to be. Go for it!

I've done 11marathons. I have no problem swimming a mile or two in the pool one per week. I swim in the ocean regularly too. I don't bike much. Only when I have running injuries which hasn't been for years. When I did bike I did 50-60 mike rides no problem. Biking training would be the biggest obstacle. It takes so long to get these rides in. 100 mile ride is what.. 5 hrs at least???

Finishing under the cut-off is not that difficult. Racing and actually running the entire marathon is a different story. If you don't train enough on the bike (or keep up with nutrition on race day), you'll be cooked once you get to the run and no matter what your run fitness is, you'll suffer and most likely walk most of it.

The swim isn't that bad and the 2:20 cut-off is a bit of a joke (unless you're doing a rough water race). It only takes a few swims a week and some longer open water work. Wetsuits make it pretty easy to float / paddle through it. Just another thing to drain the tank before starting the run.

T BONE wrote:

Unless you're a world class swimmer, you're going to need to train hard to swim 2.4 miles. Not everyone can do that.

The swim is the easiest part. I finished an ironman in 2013 and I hadn't swam at all for 4 months before the race. My time for the swim was sh1t (1:15 for the swim or so) but I finished just fine, feeling fresh.

Ive completed several and was an swimming olympic trials qualifier in '84. IMHO an open ocean 2+ mile swim is no easy task.

Randy Rhodes Guitar Licks wrote:

I grew up thinking IM competitors were super-duper athletes. Then I went to hang out with a buddy that was competing and to watch. Sure, the elite up front were chiseled and able to hammer but seemingly (at the event I attended) everyone else was retired or doctor-lawyer-Indian-chief-types that can afford the entry fees, high priced bikes and time away from work to train. I was not impressed.

Exactly. There are great athletes at the front of the pack, but all throughout rest of them is a mix of some fit people making it work on fitness and minimal prep, and many not-so-fit people (the main 40-60y/o males with $$$) who've learned the secrets, paid for the right gear and trained a lot to nail down the nuances. A fast wetsuit, a fast bike, a dialed nutrition system (that's taken time to test, refine and stabilize) and flexibility to train goes a long long ways when you're out for 10-15hrs. Sure, you can pull it off with fitness, but you have a much higher chance of missing the mark.

* Me: a former collegiate runner and LRC diehard who worked at a triathlon store for a few years. I did shorter Sprints/Olympics, no long stuff.

I just finished Iron War and started Iron Will, so I'll let you know in a few days.

Well for me, the third leg is the hardest.

Quick response.... I'm a 2:40 marathon for reference. I did boulder ironman 2014. 6 months of 15-20 hours a week training and I barely broke 11hrs. Definitely not something you can get off the couch can do or even something a good runner could just do. Maybe if you wanted to finish, but most want to compete. Cycling for 5+ hours takes a lot out of your legs.

Jogger to be wrote:

Quick response.... I'm a 2:40 marathon for reference. I did boulder ironman 2014. 6 months of 15-20 hours a week training and I barely broke 11hrs. Definitely not something you can get off the couch can do or even something a good runner could just do. Maybe if you wanted to finish, but most want to compete. Cycling for 5+ hours takes a lot out of your legs.

yeah, pretty much case in point for what I've seen a lot of:

tri guyzzz wrote:

Exactly. There are great athletes at the front of the pack, but all throughout rest of them is a mix of some fit people making it work on fitness and minimal prep, and many not-so-fit people (the main 40-60y/o males with $$$) who've learned the secrets, paid for the right gear and trained a lot to nail down the nuances.

Lotsa guys would be stoked for 11hrs, but 11hrs isn't a performance on-par with 2:40. Plenty of guys less fit than a 2:40 marathoner in the 11-12hr range of an Ironman.

Why are most of the top dudes in the world swimmers originally?

Lotsa guys would be stoked for 11hrs, but 11hrs isn't a performance on-par with 2:40. Plenty of guys less fit than a 2:40 marathoner in the 11-12hr range of an Ironman.

I KNOW. I relied too much on my running background and the bike segment beat my legs up much more than expected. I was trashed for the second half of the run due to the bike.

Hence most on these boards would have the same problems I had.

Chow hound wrote:

wheels and a crank wrote:

Dude, it's a bike ride.

Dude, its a 100+ mile bike ride. Bonk on the run and you walk. Bonk on a bike ride and ???? Having bonked on a few rides, its a horrible feeling, working so hard and going nowhere.

You know the friends who always say they dont like to drive that far when you mention a 20 mile run or marathon? Tell them about your 100 mile rides and they can't really phathom that, because they dont drive 100 miles.

Have you even ridden a bike before. Bonk on a bike ride and coast or just push the pedal down. It's a bike. 10 miles or 100 miles, so what. You're sitting on your butt, with all those gears.