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Twilight Zone Experience

 
slicker
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Today I did a triathlon where about ~400 athletes participated. Triathlons operate out of transition areas. (places where one initially puts one's gear and then goes to between swim/bike and then again between bike/run and finally again at the end. Well the guy next to happens to have his wife stop by and she's noticably pregnant; so I ask her when she is due, (cause I now know preggers-speak...). (She's due on August 9th). I then proceed to tell them that my wife just had a boy this week. This causes a big smile to appear across the man's face b/c he explains that he has a triathlon that he is registered for on the day after the proposed birth. He glances at his wife and looks as if to say, "Well if his wife let's him..."

The guy then asks me for his name and I tell him, 'Hayden'. He smiles and says that Hayden will be his son's middle name: Jackson, Hayden (middle). How ...strange??? !!! My wife and I never did agree to a boys name. I pushed hard for 'Jackson', and the wife pushed hard for 'Hayden', (which I liked anyway). After my wife pushed for the baby, I didn't have the gall to even mention 'Jackson', so when the Doctor asked for a name, I immediately gave the floor up to my wife and her will be done...
 
Wanderer
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All right, I posted my congratulations elsewhere , so in this thread I'll focus on something else. I've never done a triathalon, myself. I always though it sounded rather impressive. Am I to understand that in between segments, you guys have the opportunity to lounge about gabbing in the bar transition area? For how long? I mean, I was always impressed that people were doing all these things more or less consecutively. If you get a nice break in between, doesn't that diminish the significance of the whole thing?
[ June 21, 2004: Message edited by: Jim Yingst ]
 
John Dunn
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The conversation took place in the transition area BEFORE the start when everyone is getting their gear together. Once the race starts NO ONE but racers are allowed in the transition area. Typically racers are in and out of the transition area ASAP. There's no time to talk.

The race I did was a 'Sprint' triathlon .5m Swim, 12 mile Bike, 3m run. I did it to train for the NYC Triathlon this weekend, which is 1.5K Swim, 40K bike, 10K run. (.9M, 24.8M, 6.2, respectively). More people could do Sprints, than they think. A lot of doing them is the getting over the fear of attempting the race itself.

I'm doing these races to get the open-water practice for my 6mile swim for Cancer Research.
 
Ranch Hand
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Congratulations John on your triathalon and all the best for the next..
Once when I did some training for a 10 km race - 6 miles my trainer's brother had just competed in a triathalon in Hawaii. I think that's supposed to be the ultimate. He competed for the title Iron Man. They run up volcanic active rugged mountains between cities in very humid conditions..

Someone also told me this impressive story of a 56 year old woman (housewife) who needed to lose a lot of weight and started running and just kept on running the length and breadth of England. She also competed in the trial in Hawaii. For the title Iron Woman, obviously.Competitors are selected from mini Iron Triathalons from around the world. Guess it beats ironing day in and day out. Ironic, isn't it.

WHAT: A 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run. Competitors have 17 hours to finish the race; cutoff times are applied to each segment of the race.

WHERE: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The swim segment begins and ends at Kailua Pier. The bike race travels north on the Kona Coast and then along the Kohala Coast to Hawi, and then returns along the same route to the Old Airport Park transition. The marathon course travels through Kailua-Kona to Pahoehoe Park and onto the Queen Kaahumanu to NELHA. Contestants run back into Kailua-Kona, coming down Alii Drive to the finish line.

COURSE Men - Luc Van Lierde, 8:04:08 in 1996.
RECORDS: Women - Paula Newby-Fraser, 8:55:28 in 1992.
[ June 21, 2004: Message edited by: Helen Thomas ]
 
John Dunn
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HT: IronMan - I think that's supposed to be the ultimate. Not any more. There is an ultra-triathlon that does double in everything. It is above and beyond the human capacity, but some people can do them.
 
Helen Thomas
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I just checked. Mexican Deca Triathalon 10 times Iron Man distance race held in Monterrey Mexico. The champ completed it in 437 hours.

Swiss Citypower Gigathlon - multisport stage event circumnavigating Switzerland. 7 Day Triathlon race includes 25km swim, 264km mountain bike, 759km road bike, 173kn skating, and 157km running. Individual athletes and teams are allowed to participate in a single day or 7-day races. Also the Trans Swiss Triathlon and The Swiss 7-Day Triathlon.

Can't figure out who's more mad - th eMexican competitors or the Swiss.

You are beginning to appear quite sane, John.
[ June 23, 2004: Message edited by: Helen Thomas ]
 
Don't get me started about those stupid light bulbs.
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