Why Do We TRi?
Featured in
www.transitiontimes.com November 2006
I hope this article finds each of you healthy and enjoying the successes from your 2006 triathlon season. I have been participating in triathlons for over a decade now and have also had the honor of coaching numerous triathletes at powerfulathlete.com to help them fulfill their goals. There are many people outside of triathlon that I have conversed with that have always been surprised, amazed, and shocked that we triathletes would pay a couple hundred dollars to race at 7:00 in the morning for a couple of hours or train for six months to participate in an Ironman. Furthermore, the equipment that each of us may spend annually may reach into the thousands. Considering that 99% of us will never make a dime from the sport makes this feat even more mystifying to those on the outside. To play in an adult basketball league might cost about ten dollars a game per person. To play in a tennis tournament even at the expensive clubs might cost a hundred dollars for a four round tournament. Ultimate Frisbee leagues are pretty inexpensive and games can last longer than most sprint triathlons. Therefore, this past year on order to gain more insight as to why so many of us do this, I asked various triathletes that I know (from coaching at powerfulathlete.com, from interviewing at bodymindandbalance.com, and from seeing at the races) why they participate in triathlons. Some of the responses were on the more serious side, while others were more of a lighter tone, but all of them pertinent reasons as to why we participate in triathlons. I have used the responses below to respond to the question from those on the outside who are looking in that ask, “Why do you do triathlons?” Hopefully, the following responses will encourage some of those folks to consider to try a triathlon in 2007! Here is a sample of the responses that I received:
“It allows me to get older without getting old.”
“It is just you and the course out there-no one to blame but yourself if things don’t go well and no one else to take the credit when you are having a good race.”
“I was the overweight kid in school who was never athletic. I decided that I wanted a different identity as an adult.”
“I can use the training as an excuse to not have to visit my in-laws.”
“Go to a race, look at the people, some incredibly beautiful people!”
“I want to be an example to my kids that health is important.”
“I used to be a marathoner, but I was always getting injured. Triathlons allowed me to train without getting injured as much and it actually helped my running!”
“I can eat 4,000 calories a day when training and not gain weight!”
“You need a few guys to play basketball with, a dozen for football, and more for a softball game. Triathlons give me the flexibility to train and race while working fifty hours a week with a wife and three kids.”
“When I started, it was to lose weight. Then it was to see how fast I could go. Now I do it with other friends who are new to the sport to share in the experience and to watch their eyes as they cross the finish line in their first race.”
“Triathlons let everyone be a winner regardless of where you finish in the field.”
“My third race was an Ironman at Lake Placid where we started with the pros. We started with the pros! You can’t play a pick up football game with your friends and expect to have Brian Westbrook out on the same field with you.”
“Where else can your bike be worth more money then your car?”
Cory Bank, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology.
Founder of www.powerfulathlete.com,
an online fitness training program.
Co-Founder of
www.bodymindandbalance.com, a free online wellness site.