Nothing beats hard work, patience and discipline!! "On race day, Oct. 12, with his coach cheering him on, Mr. Blumencranz finished in 13 hours 19 minutes 56 seconds"
I can't believe they let guys like that into the race. I love that IM offers Legacy spots for the people who have committed their lives to triathlon training for years. I can accept them offering a few spots for people with large amounts of money that can be funneled to charitable causes... But really... Two rich DB's networking a spot... Ridiculous... Insult to the guys I see Killing it each day here in the hopes of getting there one day.
Money has always been a PED, to say nothing about the access $ provides. Nothing new about it. My 1300 EN fee in 2015 bought me 40minutes off IM Austin and access to IMAZ via lottery, not to mention however many years of wisdom I got from you Al! He is just spending at a different decimal point!
First world problem for sure. He could've done so much more with that money and still finished the race
"... (He) also hired a private chef to prepare his meals, then flew to Hawaii and housed not only his wife and daughter, but also his coach, massage therapist and physical therapist."
I think I bought Patrick a medium shave ice when I was in Kona.
But after reading that, im feeling more smug than ever about being such a cheap bastard.
$50K to buy your way into a charity slot. I suppose he flew to Kona on a Gulfstream G6. Whatever.
I don't like how the author bought into the spin that they were philanthropically motivated. They're rich people who bought their way into Kona. If you really want to help youth organizations in Hawaii then donate directly without Ironman Foundation taking their chunk of it.
It's his money to do with as he wishes. Although most of us would probably choose differently, I am not going to fault someone if he feels it was worth it. Nor will I fault WTC on granting a spot...it is their race to do as they choose. We either play their game or go to someone else's game; and there are other choices.
I was curious as to how much overhead their charity has ... so did some research. They're not a bad charity (at least compared to some that hardly give anything back to the community). Here are some data points: --GuideStar gives them a Silver rating --IF paid $1.17M in grants on $2.13M in revenue in 2014 --Executive Director David Deschenes was paid about $115K in 2014 (seems reasonable) --They give a lot in the communities where their races are held (of course) --They're sitting on a ton of money ($5.4 million net assets from the 2014 Form 990)
Overall I wouldn't feel too guilty about donating to them. Now if I could just find that extra 50 grand laying around...
Not really that surprising. While this is a passion for some of us, this is about maximising shareholder value for IM; and guys like this and many more are willing to continue to give.
I'd hope that he also does some good with his money but when I think about it I'd like my kid(s) to have financial freedom to pursue some goals hopefully being more modest/practical about it. Just thinking about my past with grandparents on both sides being farmers living through the great depression in the 30's, blue collar parents (nurse and a mechanic), now me university educated with a government job. I'd sure like to think I could set up my next generation even better. Also if I look back at some of the kids I grew up with I had the $ and the PED compared to them. Its all relative as there were not any millionaire's in the trailer park growing up, at least that I knew of.
So yes it seems he went a little over the top bringing all those people and spending a 100K. I guess if he has the cash all the power to him. As for $ being the next PED it can definitely get you a certain distance but having the drive and motivation to compete at the top level are needed to move his time down to the 10H, 9H, 8H range. If I won the lottery I'm sure I'd consider being in Hawaii. For me at least he respected the race, trained and came in raced and got a decent time of 13H 19'. Which given my last IM time of 16h 5X minutes I can't say anything about.
$ are the new PED in another way. Money buys time. Those who are wealthy enough already to work half time or less surely have the ability to spend the time it can take to really make it to the pointy end. I may not like it that much, but this is the way of the world.
Same with the prices on IM races in general. It sucks that they charge so much, but the seem to be able to get it pretty easily. I'm glad that they have generally responded with more races, rather than higher prices.
The rules of the game are pretty clear. The WTC is for profit concern operating as an event promoter. That's it. It's not really like any league in the country.
$ are the new PED in another way. Money buys time. Those who are wealthy enough already to work half time or less surely have the ability to spend the time it can take to really make it to the pointy end. I may not like it that much, but this is the way of the world.
I must respectfully disagree with your assessment. In my experience, many high income earners do not work "half time." To the contrary, many work many more than a 40 hour week, but are very disciplined in their time management and make the most out of what little extra time they have. Maybe your statement would be appropriate for a trust fund baby, but the news story referenced above indicates that he is a managing director for a "privately held insurance broker and wealth management company." While I do not know his exact circumstances, I know people in that field who earn a lot, but certainly do not work "half time."
As to much of the rest of this thread, I do not understand holding it against someone who had the financial resources to take advantage of the situation presented. Ironman set the rules. This guys just played by them. That's neither his fault nor something that should be held against him.
I do think time is money, not from a "work part time" perspective, but some convenience things- being able to afford child care/dog walkers, cleaning service, etc, can make it easier. Some jobs also just have more flexibility. But at the end of the day, the choice of how to spend your time and money is yours alone (given the constraints of your circumstances).
I think it failed the stink test for me at the 'networking your way to a slot' revelation. I know its a business and its sports entertainment, but following that reasoning, it shouldn't be held out as anything more than that.
What he did does, in my mind, debase the efforts of those who followed the rules to get a spot. He didn't follow the rules as much as he did ignore the legitimate rules, find an alternate set of rules that suited his means instead of his abilities, and followed those. And knowingly to co-opt same benefits of finishing, status, accomplishment and everything else. If you've identified something as important because it represents a certain body of Work, and you say "don't want to do the hard yards. Can I get it another way?" that's a hard turn at the intrinsic and honourable value of "work works," and a detour to "playing the system works, too."
And Al's thread title is coy ... these sound a lot like the characteristics of the "classic" PED!
I may have a Kona experience and perspective unique to EN. In early 1989, a good Tri friend of mine who had moved to Hawaii called and asked if I was still interested in doing Ironman Hawaii? Hell Yes! My friend was the top person in Hawaii for P&G. Duncan Hines Chocolate Chip Cookies, a P&G product, was a sponsor of Ironman Hawaii and served during the race. A couple of days after my friend called I received a letter from Valerie Silk inviting me to do the Ironman. For those who remember and those who have since learned, Valerie was the owner of Ironman Hawaii. At the time, I think there were only three Ironman races, Hawaii, Canada (in Penticton) and New Zealand. Many races were qualifiers, some just the Olympic distance, then called the International distance. To validate my spot, I was required to finish a triathlon of at least the International distance that summer, which of course I did. I paid the regular entry fee of $300. There was no lottery and no charity spots. You either qualified or were invited. A few years before, my Tri friend had merely entered the race, there was no requirement to qualify or be invited. Over the years, especially more recently as it becomes harder to qualify, some triathletes have given me a bit of a cold shoulder. I think I understand. The lure of Kona was strong then and certainly no less today. Who among us would decline? Even though it has been more than a quarter century since I ran down Ali'i Drive, I remember it vividly and would not trade the experiences of that day for anything. I can't criticize anyone for legally entering this race. I spent far less to bring my family than the triathlete who is the subject of this topic, but to me that is a separate discussion. I don't begrudge him wanting to do the Hawaii Ironman, but then I did it without qualifying, so my opinion may be clouded. I'd love to do Kona again, but I'm not sure these old joints can survive the training. Good luck to all my teammates who aspire to Kona.
The thing that caught my eye in this story was the statement from WTC about the *average* annual household income for IM participants. That's what got me thinking about the connection between financial resources and the ability to maximize one's potential in that race.
It also got me reflecting on something I told myself 20 years ago when I made a career shift. I was 47 y/o, and thinking about how I wanted to spend the rest of my working years. I concluded that where I was, which was quite rewarding, was getting to be more and more about the $ and the ego strokes, and not the value of my work per se to myself or to others, and that didn't feel right. Same thing has been happening to me, in a slightly different way, with Ironman in the past few years. I began thinking about how to buy speed (get a new bike, spend 3-4 weeks in Hawaii in advance of the race, etc.) and how my performances would appear to others, rather than the simple fun of just training and racing. So now I and trying to re-focus more on building and having fun with my fitness, rather than just keep collecting (?buying) trophies.
PEDs are bad for two main reasons: they cheat others out of the value of their ("clean") work and they are dangerous to one's health. I see spending maximum $ on racing IM in that light. I think the insane amount of money in our sport is soul-sapping in some ways.
Having said all this, I recognize that the two sports I'm keenest on - downhill skiing, and Ironman triathlon - are geared primarily for rich white guys and their entourages. In both arenas, I have always found myself drawn more towards the young ski bums (and their IM analogs), the OFs who have been doing it for decades, replete with duct-tapped clothing and well-used equipment, and the women who have the courage to mix it up in that world.
Time is not a PED in the sense of being against the rules, but it is the MOST significant advantage within the rules. As more and more of my age cohort are already retired, I can see the benefit not only in additional training, but especially in time for proper recovery and sleep. The top legit old folks that I know are 1) former pros and current fulltime coaches, 2) a retired lawyer who is now a personal trainer, 3) a guy who sold his successful business and is a full time triathlete, and 4) a friend same age as me without any children who retired at 56 - his wife is still working - just so he could train more.
I've put 3 kids through college and still have one more in High School - it will be awhile before I can hang it up and focus exclusively on sport -- assuming I am still able. I would like more time, but I would not change a thing about my past to get it.
I actually know this guy.... Or said better, a guy just like him. He had a really great exit on a business he started. He is in his 30's and is basically retired. He day trades stocks. So, he has no work, plenty of liquidity, no kids and a hot girlfriend. I am not kidding. Rich knows who I am talking about.
He lives like a pro. Two big training sessions per day with a nap in the middle. A personal coach and all the bells and whistles. His results have been tremendous because he has DONE ALL the work. As much I would love to hate, I admire him. He is doing what he wants to do and making the most of his opportunities and advantages.
It is NOT a performance enhancing drug. It's the freedom to be that dedicated. Do you think Shawn White or Michele Kwan ever worked day jobs? No.
That's life. I look to get the best results I can based on the time/effort I invest. I must base my expectations on those realities.
This is simply a case of "Life's not fair". Like I tell my kids, don't complain...either accept the situation and manage within it or do something to change it.
The fact is we are all very blessed/fortunate here. Some of us make well above that average of $250K, some make well below. But all of us are better off than the guy in Africa that just spent 10 hours in a diamond mine to earn $2.
Just like married guys may be jealous of their single friend who makes his own rules or a married couple who wishes they had the free time and $ that their childless friends have. We all make choices and those choices have consequences. I have no judgment against the guy. Would I spend $100K on a Kona trip...no...I'd rather take 4-5 epic vacations. But it's his money, he earned it, and he can spend it as he sees fit.
Many people look at us and judge us because we choose to spend 10/15/20 hours training instead of sleeping, partying, socializing, etc. We all make choices and need to worry less about the choices others make. And it's also important to remember the grass may appear greener, but it isn't always the case.
This point was really driven home to me last week. I had the chance to meet Randall Cobb, wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers and former Pro Bowler. He made a comment about sitting at his desk in high school and how he wishes he could go back to those days. Here is a guy that makes $10 million per year at age 25, is single, good looking, has the adoration of tens of thousands of fans and he wants to go back to being a middle class high school kid in Tennessee.
Collectively, the people in this thread have likely spent as much on triathlon as the guy in the article. It's his money to spend as he pleases and the WTC is a "for-profit" entity that has found a way to monetize part of a valuable asset to help the community that supports their biggest stage. Sounds like a win/win/win to me, but admittedly I'm a cold blooded capitalist at heart.
As far as buying his way in... It would be different in my book if the WTC simply auctioned off ALL of the Kona slots. That would effectively make it only about $$$. The reality is that the vast majority of people still earn there way into Kona the good ol' fashioned way, then there are some celebrities who get in through a different crack, then some corporate sponsors who get in through a different crack, then some locals who get in through a different crack, and some legacy folks who get in through a different crack, and some XC folks who get in through a different crack, and some auction bidders who get in through a different crack. Should we also count an old folk who was the only finisher in his/her AG in whatever IM they went to as getting in through a crack? When you really break it down, the Kona athletes are a pretty big melting pot of of really fit, fast, motivated individuals with much higher than average amounts of disposable $$ (maybe different proportions of each of those for each athlete, but they all have some of all of them) of all ages and genders.
The only way to really make Kona simply about being the fastest Ironman triathletes would be to eliminate AG's all together for qualifying purposes and simply give the 50 allocated Kona slots for any given race to the first 50 people (men or women of any age) who cross the finish line. I think most of us would agree that would be pretty absurd... But the 5th place finisher in the M35-39 AG who finishes in 9:25:00 but misses a Kona slot because there were 4 other REALLY fast 32 yr old men that showed up who were faster might think the current system is crazy... Especially if he was faster than all of the men below the age of 34 or AND all of the men 40 and above...
Now maybe I'm biased because I personally got in through one of the cracks in 2014 through the XC program... I certainly feel as though I earned my way in for winning my division in IMMT (and I definitely put in the training work that yr), but I would have missed the "regular" Kona AG Slot by ~10 finishing places. I am very proud that I finished in the top 55% of all competitors at the World Championships which is a higher % finish than I got in my first ever Olympic distance Triathlon... Regarding the guy from the NYT article, Marc Blumencranz, he beat ~22% of the other people in the 2013 race... If he didn't have a right to be there, what about the ~500 or so people he actually beat head to head? I do not for 1 second have any regrets about spending the time and money I did to qualify for and race in Kona, and I'm guessing Marc Blumencranz has no regrets about it either...
Jeremy, I'm totally with you on your comments but I'm scratching my head about why that adds up to "life's not fair".
Btw, Randall Cobb was bullshitting you (although maybe not intentionally). It's "mo money mo problems" as the Notorious B.I.G. said. Sure. We all yearn for the simple times. But if it was REALLY possible to go back to them, doubtful many of us would choose to do so. Randall Cobb included. Although kudos for some of those guys stepping away from the game earlier than they need to in life in recognition of the impact on their health. Sorry, way off topic I know...
Most importantly...bravo for weaving Biggie Smalls into this thread!
The comment on 'life isn't fair' is to anyone that would say this guys having all this money and using it to race in Kona isn't fair. He didn't break any rules...he just took advantage of opportunities and situations afforded to him.
And yes...I get it that Randall didn't mean he wanted to go back permanently but the fact that he wanted to go back at all (which I believe he was implying) speaks loudly. Most people would think that a multimillionaire 25 year old in his shoes would always have great days and no worries. To me it reaffirms how important it is for us to enjoy every day, experience and phase of our lives as much as possible. There may be times we feel like we didn't have much but when we do acquire more (material goods, career success, responsibility, financial liquidity, etc) those often come at the cost of less (time, flexibility, excitement, adventure, etc).
To JW - I am pretty much in agreement with your post, but I want to comment that the old guy who was #1 of 1 in his/her age group earned that slot more than any other AG in the 30s and 40s (IMHO). The way I see it, just getting to the starting line at that age (typically 70+ for women and 75+ for men) is far more statistically difficult than it is for the youngsters who only count the number of competitors and not the sheer difficulty of being able to complete the distance at that age. If it were so easy, then why were they the only one? The older I get the more impressed I am by the oldest competitors. When you are in your 30s and 40s you can't fathom how these distances can wear on you in the later years. After 50, you can watch the number of IM competitors fall by about 50% for each 5 year AG as they slip away for one reason or another. Long may you run, but the odds are not very good after about 55.
To JW - I am pretty much in agreement with your post, but I want to comment that the old guy who was #1 of 1 in his/her age group earned that slot more than any other AG in the 30s and 40s (IMHO). The way I see it, just getting to the starting line at that age (typically 70+ for women and 75+ for men) is far more statistically difficult than it is for the youngsters who only count the number of competitors and not the sheer difficulty of being able to complete the distance at that age. If it were so easy, then why were they the only one? The older I get the more impressed I am by the oldest competitors. When you are in your 30s and 40s you can't fathom how these distances can wear on you in the later years. After 50, you can watch the number of IM competitors fall by about 50% for each 5 year AG as they slip away for one reason or another. Long may you run, but the odds are not very good after about 55.
To be clear, I don't have any issues at all with ANY of the ways people qualify. Especially not with the 70+yr old who has the ability to train and recover enough to even make it to the start line, let alone make it to the finish an IM after 140.6 grueling miles. Just showing that there were a lot of different ways that a lot of people get in (to put potential the NYT article in context). I was trying to point out that no system can be "fair" (whatever "fair" even means) for all constituents. Generally when pretty much every group of constituents can have something to complain about in any system, then the system is doing a pretty good job of threading the needle of doing it a pretty okay job...
This has been a more interesting thread than I expected, especially since this thread seems to be primary driven by EN vets.
My new thinking is get rid of the AG brackets and let's compete based on household income. $0-$50k group, $50.1k - 100K, $100.1K - $150K, etc... That would be awesome! You would staple your tax return to your left calf.
No men or women differentiation. Each income group (IG) would be divided by "kids" or "no kids". If you have kids, their picture goes on your right calf.
I think it is brilliant. People could say "I won my IG, no-kids division at IM Chattanooga".
This has been a more interesting thread than I expected, especially since this thread seems to be primary driven by EN vets.
My new thinking is get rid of the AG brackets and let's compete based on household income. $0-$50k group, $50.1k - 100K, $100.1K - $150K, etc... That would be awesome! You would staple your tax return to your left calf.
No men or women differentiation. Each income group (IG) would be divided by "kids" or "no kids". If you have kids, their picture goes on your right calf.
I think it is brilliant. People could say "I won my IG, no-kids division at IM Chattanooga".
I agree: an enjoyable thread, and I'm surprised it has greater even legs than it had on Slowtwitch!
To the point of exceptions: multiple exceptions to the standard of "by qualification" do not make them collectively legitimate and comprise the nature of the race. Many wrongs don't add up to a right. The rules are "by qualification". If Marc B didn't qualify, then he is not there legitimately, and what he did on race day wasn't complete the "WC" as much as completed a pageant that took place the same day and time as the race, where he had a bib, bike spot, and was called an ironman. But it wasn't legit to the extent that he sees it meriting prestige, bragging rights, or honour. a clunky metaphor, I know, but his finish is the fruit of a poison tree if it's portrayed as anything except having got in as an exception in the first place. And while I appreciate the portrayal of the number of people he 'beat' in 2013, let's separate the DNFs and DNSs to give a truer version ... putting him in something like the bottom 10%, M and F.
I'm fine with someone having money and using it how they like (though I do rail against excess generally - we're consuming ourselves to extinction). I continue to be stuck on someone believing their means had something to do with earning a place, and then holding out the accomplishment as having that came through merit. I keep being reminded of a quote i saw earlier this week about George Bush Jr being 'born on third base and going through life thinking he hit a triple.'
(Finally, my notes in this thread are probably more strongly expressed than I really feel about the issue - I keep having shitty workouts this week, and then blow off steam on the internet! )
Comments
"On race day, Oct. 12, with his coach cheering him on, Mr. Blumencranz finished in 13 hours 19 minutes 56 seconds"
First world problem for sure. He could've done so much more with that money and still finished the race
"... (He) also hired a private chef to prepare his meals, then flew to Hawaii and housed not only his wife and daughter, but also his coach, massage therapist and physical therapist."
I think I bought Patrick a medium shave ice when I was in Kona.
But after reading that, im feeling more smug than ever about being such a cheap bastard.
I don't like how the author bought into the spin that they were philanthropically motivated. They're rich people who bought their way into Kona. If you really want to help youth organizations in Hawaii then donate directly without Ironman Foundation taking their chunk of it.
--GuideStar gives them a Silver rating
--IF paid $1.17M in grants on $2.13M in revenue in 2014
--Executive Director David Deschenes was paid about $115K in 2014 (seems reasonable)
--They give a lot in the communities where their races are held (of course)
--They're sitting on a ton of money ($5.4 million net assets from the 2014 Form 990)
Overall I wouldn't feel too guilty about donating to them. Now if I could just find that extra 50 grand laying around...
I'd hope that he also does some good with his money but when I think about it I'd like my kid(s) to have financial freedom to pursue some goals hopefully being more modest/practical about it. Just thinking about my past with grandparents on both sides being farmers living through the great depression in the 30's, blue collar parents (nurse and a mechanic), now me university educated with a government job. I'd sure like to think I could set up my next generation even better. Also if I look back at some of the kids I grew up with I had the $ and the PED compared to them. Its all relative as there were not any millionaire's in the trailer park growing up, at least that I knew of.
So yes it seems he went a little over the top bringing all those people and spending a 100K. I guess if he has the cash all the power to him. As for $ being the next PED it can definitely get you a certain distance but having the drive and motivation to compete at the top level are needed to move his time down to the 10H, 9H, 8H range. If I won the lottery I'm sure I'd consider being in Hawaii. For me at least he respected the race, trained and came in raced and got a decent time of 13H 19'. Which given my last IM time of 16h 5X minutes I can't say anything about.
Same with the prices on IM races in general. It sucks that they charge so much, but the seem to be able to get it pretty easily. I'm glad that they have generally responded with more races, rather than higher prices.
The rules of the game are pretty clear. The WTC is for profit concern operating as an event promoter. That's it. It's not really like any league in the country.
I say good for him.
I must respectfully disagree with your assessment. In my experience, many high income earners do not work "half time." To the contrary, many work many more than a 40 hour week, but are very disciplined in their time management and make the most out of what little extra time they have. Maybe your statement would be appropriate for a trust fund baby, but the news story referenced above indicates that he is a managing director for a "privately held insurance broker and wealth management company." While I do not know his exact circumstances, I know people in that field who earn a lot, but certainly do not work "half time."
As to much of the rest of this thread, I do not understand holding it against someone who had the financial resources to take advantage of the situation presented. Ironman set the rules. This guys just played by them. That's neither his fault nor something that should be held against him.
I do think time is money, not from a "work part time" perspective, but some convenience things- being able to afford child care/dog walkers, cleaning service, etc, can make it easier. Some jobs also just have more flexibility. But at the end of the day, the choice of how to spend your time and money is yours alone (given the constraints of your circumstances).
What he did does, in my mind, debase the efforts of those who followed the rules to get a spot. He didn't follow the rules as much as he did ignore the legitimate rules, find an alternate set of rules that suited his means instead of his abilities, and followed those. And knowingly to co-opt same benefits of finishing, status, accomplishment and everything else. If you've identified something as important because it represents a certain body of Work, and you say "don't want to do the hard yards. Can I get it another way?" that's a hard turn at the intrinsic and honourable value of "work works," and a detour to "playing the system works, too."
And Al's thread title is coy ... these sound a lot like the characteristics of the "classic" PED!
I may have a Kona experience and perspective unique to EN. In early 1989, a good Tri friend of mine who had moved to Hawaii called and asked if I was still interested in doing Ironman Hawaii? Hell Yes! My friend was the top person in Hawaii for P&G. Duncan Hines Chocolate Chip Cookies, a P&G product, was a sponsor of Ironman Hawaii and served during the race. A couple of days after my friend called I received a letter from Valerie Silk inviting me to do the Ironman. For those who remember and those who have since learned, Valerie was the owner of Ironman Hawaii. At the time, I think there were only three Ironman races, Hawaii, Canada (in Penticton) and New Zealand. Many races were qualifiers, some just the Olympic distance, then called the International distance. To validate my spot, I was required to finish a triathlon of at least the International distance that summer, which of course I did. I paid the regular entry fee of $300. There was no lottery and no charity spots. You either qualified or were invited. A few years before, my Tri friend had merely entered the race, there was no requirement to qualify or be invited. Over the years, especially more recently as it becomes harder to qualify, some triathletes have given me a bit of a cold shoulder. I think I understand. The lure of Kona was strong then and certainly no less today. Who among us would decline? Even though it has been more than a quarter century since I ran down Ali'i Drive, I remember it vividly and would not trade the experiences of that day for anything. I can't criticize anyone for legally entering this race. I spent far less to bring my family than the triathlete who is the subject of this topic, but to me that is a separate discussion. I don't begrudge him wanting to do the Hawaii Ironman, but then I did it without qualifying, so my opinion may be clouded. I'd love to do Kona again, but I'm not sure these old joints can survive the training. Good luck to all my teammates who aspire to Kona.
The thing that caught my eye in this story was the statement from WTC about the *average* annual household income for IM participants. That's what got me thinking about the connection between financial resources and the ability to maximize one's potential in that race.
It also got me reflecting on something I told myself 20 years ago when I made a career shift. I was 47 y/o, and thinking about how I wanted to spend the rest of my working years. I concluded that where I was, which was quite rewarding, was getting to be more and more about the $ and the ego strokes, and not the value of my work per se to myself or to others, and that didn't feel right. Same thing has been happening to me, in a slightly different way, with Ironman in the past few years. I began thinking about how to buy speed (get a new bike, spend 3-4 weeks in Hawaii in advance of the race, etc.) and how my performances would appear to others, rather than the simple fun of just training and racing. So now I and trying to re-focus more on building and having fun with my fitness, rather than just keep collecting (?buying) trophies.
PEDs are bad for two main reasons: they cheat others out of the value of their ("clean") work and they are dangerous to one's health. I see spending maximum $ on racing IM in that light. I think the insane amount of money in our sport is soul-sapping in some ways.
Having said all this, I recognize that the two sports I'm keenest on - downhill skiing, and Ironman triathlon - are geared primarily for rich white guys and their entourages. In both arenas, I have always found myself drawn more towards the young ski bums (and their IM analogs), the OFs who have been doing it for decades, replete with duct-tapped clothing and well-used equipment, and the women who have the courage to mix it up in that world.
Time is not a PED in the sense of being against the rules, but it is the MOST significant advantage within the rules. As more and more of my age cohort are already retired, I can see the benefit not only in additional training, but especially in time for proper recovery and sleep. The top legit old folks that I know are 1) former pros and current fulltime coaches, 2) a retired lawyer who is now a personal trainer, 3) a guy who sold his successful business and is a full time triathlete, and 4) a friend same age as me without any children who retired at 56 - his wife is still working - just so he could train more.
I've put 3 kids through college and still have one more in High School - it will be awhile before I can hang it up and focus exclusively on sport -- assuming I am still able. I would like more time, but I would not change a thing about my past to get it.
He lives like a pro. Two big training sessions per day with a nap in the middle. A personal coach and all the bells and whistles. His results have been tremendous because he has DONE ALL the work. As much I would love to hate, I admire him. He is doing what he wants to do and making the most of his opportunities and advantages.
It is NOT a performance enhancing drug. It's the freedom to be that dedicated. Do you think Shawn White or Michele Kwan ever worked day jobs? No.
That's life. I look to get the best results I can based on the time/effort I invest. I must base my expectations on those realities.
The fact is we are all very blessed/fortunate here. Some of us make well above that average of $250K, some make well below. But all of us are better off than the guy in Africa that just spent 10 hours in a diamond mine to earn $2.
Just like married guys may be jealous of their single friend who makes his own rules or a married couple who wishes they had the free time and $ that their childless friends have. We all make choices and those choices have consequences. I have no judgment against the guy. Would I spend $100K on a Kona trip...no...I'd rather take 4-5 epic vacations. But it's his money, he earned it, and he can spend it as he sees fit.
Many people look at us and judge us because we choose to spend 10/15/20 hours training instead of sleeping, partying, socializing, etc. We all make choices and need to worry less about the choices others make. And it's also important to remember the grass may appear greener, but it isn't always the case.
This point was really driven home to me last week. I had the chance to meet Randall Cobb, wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers and former Pro Bowler. He made a comment about sitting at his desk in high school and how he wishes he could go back to those days. Here is a guy that makes $10 million per year at age 25, is single, good looking, has the adoration of tens of thousands of fans and he wants to go back to being a middle class high school kid in Tennessee.
As far as buying his way in... It would be different in my book if the WTC simply auctioned off ALL of the Kona slots. That would effectively make it only about $$$. The reality is that the vast majority of people still earn there way into Kona the good ol' fashioned way, then there are some celebrities who get in through a different crack, then some corporate sponsors who get in through a different crack, then some locals who get in through a different crack, and some legacy folks who get in through a different crack, and some XC folks who get in through a different crack, and some auction bidders who get in through a different crack. Should we also count an old folk who was the only finisher in his/her AG in whatever IM they went to as getting in through a crack? When you really break it down, the Kona athletes are a pretty big melting pot of of really fit, fast, motivated individuals with much higher than average amounts of disposable $$ (maybe different proportions of each of those for each athlete, but they all have some of all of them) of all ages and genders.
The only way to really make Kona simply about being the fastest Ironman triathletes would be to eliminate AG's all together for qualifying purposes and simply give the 50 allocated Kona slots for any given race to the first 50 people (men or women of any age) who cross the finish line. I think most of us would agree that would be pretty absurd... But the 5th place finisher in the M35-39 AG who finishes in 9:25:00 but misses a Kona slot because there were 4 other REALLY fast 32 yr old men that showed up who were faster might think the current system is crazy... Especially if he was faster than all of the men below the age of 34 or AND all of the men 40 and above...
Now maybe I'm biased because I personally got in through one of the cracks in 2014 through the XC program... I certainly feel as though I earned my way in for winning my division in IMMT (and I definitely put in the training work that yr), but I would have missed the "regular" Kona AG Slot by ~10 finishing places. I am very proud that I finished in the top 55% of all competitors at the World Championships which is a higher % finish than I got in my first ever Olympic distance Triathlon... Regarding the guy from the NYT article, Marc Blumencranz, he beat ~22% of the other people in the 2013 race... If he didn't have a right to be there, what about the ~500 or so people he actually beat head to head? I do not for 1 second have any regrets about spending the time and money I did to qualify for and race in Kona, and I'm guessing Marc Blumencranz has no regrets about it either...
Btw, Randall Cobb was bullshitting you (although maybe not intentionally). It's "mo money mo problems" as the Notorious B.I.G. said. Sure. We all yearn for the simple times. But if it was REALLY possible to go back to them, doubtful many of us would choose to do so. Randall Cobb included. Although kudos for some of those guys stepping away from the game earlier than they need to in life in recognition of the impact on their health. Sorry, way off topic I know...
The comment on 'life isn't fair' is to anyone that would say this guys having all this money and using it to race in Kona isn't fair. He didn't break any rules...he just took advantage of opportunities and situations afforded to him.
And yes...I get it that Randall didn't mean he wanted to go back permanently but the fact that he wanted to go back at all (which I believe he was implying) speaks loudly. Most people would think that a multimillionaire 25 year old in his shoes would always have great days and no worries. To me it reaffirms how important it is for us to enjoy every day, experience and phase of our lives as much as possible. There may be times we feel like we didn't have much but when we do acquire more (material goods, career success, responsibility, financial liquidity, etc) those often come at the cost of less (time, flexibility, excitement, adventure, etc).
To be clear, I don't have any issues at all with ANY of the ways people qualify. Especially not with the 70+yr old who has the ability to train and recover enough to even make it to the start line, let alone make it to the finish an IM after 140.6 grueling miles. Just showing that there were a lot of different ways that a lot of people get in (to put potential the NYT article in context). I was trying to point out that no system can be "fair" (whatever "fair" even means) for all constituents. Generally when pretty much every group of constituents can have something to complain about in any system, then the system is doing a pretty good job of threading the needle of doing it a pretty okay job...
My new thinking is get rid of the AG brackets and let's compete based on household income. $0-$50k group, $50.1k - 100K, $100.1K - $150K, etc... That would be awesome! You would staple your tax return to your left calf.
No men or women differentiation. Each income group (IG) would be divided by "kids" or "no kids". If you have kids, their picture goes on your right calf.
I think it is brilliant. People could say "I won my IG, no-kids division at IM Chattanooga".
This is GOLD!!! I heart you Dino Sarti!
To the point of exceptions: multiple exceptions to the standard of "by qualification" do not make them collectively legitimate and comprise the nature of the race. Many wrongs don't add up to a right. The rules are "by qualification". If Marc B didn't qualify, then he is not there legitimately, and what he did on race day wasn't complete the "WC" as much as completed a pageant that took place the same day and time as the race, where he had a bib, bike spot, and was called an ironman. But it wasn't legit to the extent that he sees it meriting prestige, bragging rights, or honour. a clunky metaphor, I know, but his finish is the fruit of a poison tree if it's portrayed as anything except having got in as an exception in the first place. And while I appreciate the portrayal of the number of people he 'beat' in 2013, let's separate the DNFs and DNSs to give a truer version ... putting him in something like the bottom 10%, M and F.
I'm fine with someone having money and using it how they like (though I do rail against excess generally - we're consuming ourselves to extinction). I continue to be stuck on someone believing their means had something to do with earning a place, and then holding out the accomplishment as having that came through merit. I keep being reminded of a quote i saw earlier this week about George Bush Jr being 'born on third base and going through life thinking he hit a triple.'
(Finally, my notes in this thread are probably more strongly expressed than I really feel about the issue - I keep having shitty workouts this week, and then blow off steam on the internet! )