Zen and the art of race selection
Written by: Dan Empfield
Date: Mon Nov 12 2007
Eight days are what it takes, start to finish, to contest Ironman Florida and Clearwater 70.3. Our sport's Superweek, our annual "eight days in Florida," is over. Whew. My congratulations to both organizations for producing two fabulous races. Acknowledgements to Miranda Carfrae, Andy Potts, Oscar Galindez, and all the marvelous racing. That established, let's talk about the obvious.
Pro triathlete and strong cyclist Amanda Lovato (Duathlete of the Year, St. Croix champ), concerning her race at Ironman Florida, writes in her blog:
"At mile 60, a peloton of about 20-25 guys caught up to me. My friend Alex was in the pack. We chatted a bit and I realized that there were other pro women in the pack. The decision was go with the pack or get left behind. The last time I decided to let the pack go, I was bitter. I was bitter because I felt like you had to play the game in order to compete. So I joined the pack. By mile 80, there were about 70 people in the pack."
What happened to her was predictable, indeed, the same thing happened to her the previous year. I sympathize with her plight. Were I in her place, I'd have done the same.
I have found myself in that situation, or I should say my significant other did, fifteen years ago. She was in the pro race in Roth, when it was Ironman Germany, and like Amanda's prior Ironman Florida experience, she let the packs go by. We came to understand the culture attending that sort of race, and that the culture was unlikely to change.
While our situation was similar to Amanda's, our response was different. We chose not to go back. Amanda can choose likewise, and there are many more options now than there were for us 15 years ago. Should Amanda return to Ironman Florida, knowing what she knows, she risks the same frustration.
I don't mean to criticize how the organizers of events like IM Florida and 70.3 Clearwater run their triathlons. That's racing in Florida. It's not that Floridians are ethically challenged. Their state is altitude challenged. When you ask an awful lot of very fit athletes to inhabit the same real estate at the same time, this will happen. Were 2500 competitors to take part in Ironman Iowa, we'd see the same dynamic.
It might be instructive to remember that in the early 1990s the pro long course women took a beating from the age group men during the swim in the Hawaiian Ironman. Erin Baker — maybe the best female all 'rounder in our sport's history — and top long courser Sue Latshaw basically said, "Call us up when you fix that problem. Otherwise, knock yourselves out, pun intended, but do so without us." They stopped racing in Kona.
WTC did eventually fix that problem, to its credit. But the Ironman World Championship was going to do fine whether or not it acknowledge the difficulties attending the pro women's race. Ironman Florida will do fine as well, and it should, because a lot of people tolerate its bike leg dynamic. Floridians cannot change the topography of their state, and they can live and race with that.
That does not mean we all have to live with it.
A minister of the gospel once asked me, several decades ago, whether I wanted to know how to stop being a sinner. His secret? Stop sinning. While I did not apply his advice in the way he intended, I recognized his remedy as an engine for change whenever I found myself caught in an unfortunate or circular habit.
Want to know how to escape repeated frustration at races you attend? Stop attending.
Pro triathlete and strong cyclist Amanda Lovato (Duathlete of the Year, St. Croix champ), concerning her race at Ironman Florida, writes in her blog:
"At mile 60, a peloton of about 20-25 guys caught up to me. My friend Alex was in the pack. We chatted a bit and I realized that there were other pro women in the pack. The decision was go with the pack or get left behind. The last time I decided to let the pack go, I was bitter. I was bitter because I felt like you had to play the game in order to compete. So I joined the pack. By mile 80, there were about 70 people in the pack."
What happened to her was predictable, indeed, the same thing happened to her the previous year. I sympathize with her plight. Were I in her place, I'd have done the same.
I have found myself in that situation, or I should say my significant other did, fifteen years ago. She was in the pro race in Roth, when it was Ironman Germany, and like Amanda's prior Ironman Florida experience, she let the packs go by. We came to understand the culture attending that sort of race, and that the culture was unlikely to change.
While our situation was similar to Amanda's, our response was different. We chose not to go back. Amanda can choose likewise, and there are many more options now than there were for us 15 years ago. Should Amanda return to Ironman Florida, knowing what she knows, she risks the same frustration.
I don't mean to criticize how the organizers of events like IM Florida and 70.3 Clearwater run their triathlons. That's racing in Florida. It's not that Floridians are ethically challenged. Their state is altitude challenged. When you ask an awful lot of very fit athletes to inhabit the same real estate at the same time, this will happen. Were 2500 competitors to take part in Ironman Iowa, we'd see the same dynamic.
It might be instructive to remember that in the early 1990s the pro long course women took a beating from the age group men during the swim in the Hawaiian Ironman. Erin Baker — maybe the best female all 'rounder in our sport's history — and top long courser Sue Latshaw basically said, "Call us up when you fix that problem. Otherwise, knock yourselves out, pun intended, but do so without us." They stopped racing in Kona.
WTC did eventually fix that problem, to its credit. But the Ironman World Championship was going to do fine whether or not it acknowledge the difficulties attending the pro women's race. Ironman Florida will do fine as well, and it should, because a lot of people tolerate its bike leg dynamic. Floridians cannot change the topography of their state, and they can live and race with that.
That does not mean we all have to live with it.
A minister of the gospel once asked me, several decades ago, whether I wanted to know how to stop being a sinner. His secret? Stop sinning. While I did not apply his advice in the way he intended, I recognized his remedy as an engine for change whenever I found myself caught in an unfortunate or circular habit.
Want to know how to escape repeated frustration at races you attend? Stop attending.
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Comments
Going with the FLOW in Florida
Reviewed by: Joe, Nov 16 2007 10:19AM
Nice article. maybe the refs should stop the pack and hand out penalties until the athletes police themselves.
Eight Days of Florida
Reviewed by: Jerry Gisclair, Nov 15 2007 2:06AM
Dan - Great points, but not accurate about the terrain near IM Florida. The route can be altered just slightly to incorporate a lot more rolling terrain. The course selection is simply poor. Clearwater is a different story, just no where to go, but there are a number of great up and down hills just north of the Hwy 20 tun on the IM Florida course. Keep in mind the Great Floridian Course in Clermont is know cup cake either. Totally different part of Florida, but the reality is the IM Florida course could be on much more scenic roads which offer terrain for more attrition amongst the athletes. The present course does not present the best the area has to offer on behalf of the community nor for the benefit of the athletes.
refereeing in clearwater 70.3
Reviewed by: Nate Helming, Nov 12 2007 11:20PM
Hi dan,
You're right. I competed in clearwater on saturday and yes, there was lots of drafting. And yes, it was the result of a pancake flat course featuring some of the world's fittest triathletes--none of which (save Bjorne Andersson) could realistically ride away from anyone else. So should we be surprised that drafting occurred? No. However, did anyone explain this to the race referees and the unfortunate minority who paid for the majority's indiscretion of drafting (i.e. those few of us flagged w/ 4 minute drafting penalties)? If this is supposed to be a legitimate world championships, then how can we allow drafting to occur? Can it be policed at all given the courses' flatness? And if it can't be policed or discouraged, is it fair to throw a few sacrificial lambs into the penalty tent all in the name of the image of legitimacy? As one of the unfortunate few who were penalized, what are the lessons learned for next year? Don't compete in florida (as you say)? Draft all the same and hope to not get caught the next time? Let the packs go by and bike frustrated?
I worked HARD on my bike in september and october--all in the name of preparing for this event. So I was discouraged and disillusioned to realize that all my 300 watt gut wrenching intervals didn't mean anything when riders could coast along in the back at 180 or 200 watts. To add insult to injury...after doing a lot of the work (in a somewhat trite effort to ride honestly) I was one of the few flagged for drafting.
So what can be done to help this in the future? I'm not sure and would love to hear your ideas for a young triathlete who would like to compete again in florida but would like to compete honestly and legally....
You're right. I competed in clearwater on saturday and yes, there was lots of drafting. And yes, it was the result of a pancake flat course featuring some of the world's fittest triathletes--none of which (save Bjorne Andersson) could realistically ride away from anyone else. So should we be surprised that drafting occurred? No. However, did anyone explain this to the race referees and the unfortunate minority who paid for the majority's indiscretion of drafting (i.e. those few of us flagged w/ 4 minute drafting penalties)? If this is supposed to be a legitimate world championships, then how can we allow drafting to occur? Can it be policed at all given the courses' flatness? And if it can't be policed or discouraged, is it fair to throw a few sacrificial lambs into the penalty tent all in the name of the image of legitimacy? As one of the unfortunate few who were penalized, what are the lessons learned for next year? Don't compete in florida (as you say)? Draft all the same and hope to not get caught the next time? Let the packs go by and bike frustrated?
I worked HARD on my bike in september and october--all in the name of preparing for this event. So I was discouraged and disillusioned to realize that all my 300 watt gut wrenching intervals didn't mean anything when riders could coast along in the back at 180 or 200 watts. To add insult to injury...after doing a lot of the work (in a somewhat trite effort to ride honestly) I was one of the few flagged for drafting.
So what can be done to help this in the future? I'm not sure and would love to hear your ideas for a young triathlete who would like to compete again in florida but would like to compete honestly and legally....
