I Can't Stand the Pretentious of Triathletes

You are correct. Pretentious runners are far more acceptable.

This from a forum that uses "hobby joggers" unironically.

I know it's Friday afternoon, but was an anonymous post ranting about some anonymous posters on another message board any kind of a contribution to the positive energy in the universe? This is LetsRun, not LetsDoScreamTherapy.

They pay a lot of money for their sport. They have all the right to be pretentious.

It wouldn’t be a LR post without someone getting mad at how physics actually work… you have to be going pretty slow up a steep climb before weight matters more than aero dynamics.

If you want to circle this back to running, it drives me nuts to see female sprinters with parachute hair. I guarantee you the slow down is measurable in a race that is decided by hundredths of a second.

I am a triathlete, and even I agree with this post. We are horribly pretentious.

Triathlon is dominated by middle aged people who have taken up the sport to lose weight and fill in their otherwise boring lives. Then they can bore other people (mostly other triathletes and their co-workers) about their Ironman training. Sometimes you get younger triathletes who have a claim of being reasonably serious athletes. This type generally gets married at 31.3 years of age to their female equivalent, immediately buys a medium size dog and then exactly 6 years after this, get a kid and then another. 1.5 years after this, the woman makes a return to triathlon, doing well for approximately 9 -18 months before retiring to ex-triathlete bliss and the occasional turkey trot victory.

N.B. The dog must be light brown or blond coloured pedigree one.

Yes. That is why I find this running forum far superior. Because you will never find amateur runners claiming they know more than elite runners. This is a humble bunch always willing to admit they have a lot to learn about the craft of running.

Oldrunningguy wrote:

Yes. That is why I find this running forum far superior. Because you will never find amateur runners claiming they know more than elite runners. This is a humble bunch always willing to admit they have a lot to learn about the craft of running.

Yes indeed, we are a humble bunch, aren't we?

Are you a triathlete, or do you lurk on Slow Twitch for fun?

Most of these guys are hauling a 10-15lbs gut around with them, but they'll spend thousands of extra bucks to drop a few ounces off their bike. I used to race them (and beat them).

Triathlons are for middle and upper class white people who hate being beat by non-white people at cheaper sports. It's like Polo, but you get a workout in and not quite as expensive. Why are you surprised they are pretentious?

Vineyard Vines wrote:

Most of these guys are hauling a 10-15lbs gut around with them, but they'll spend thousands of extra bucks to drop a few ounces off their bike. I used to race them (and beat them).

The big gut gives them an aerodynamic advatage, but a gravity defying disadvantage.

butter faced wrote:

It wouldn’t be a LR post without someone getting mad at how physics actually work… you have to be going pretty slow up a steep climb before weight matters more than aero dynamics.

^^^I found the resident LRC pretentious triathlete who thinks he knows more than Pogacar about weight up a mountain in the Tour de France. Even when your "physics" model clearly doesn't match reality you claim superiority that you know it all.

The Narwhal wrote:

Are you a triathlete, or do you lurk on Slow Twitch for fun?

Mostly the latter just so I can shake my head at all the marketing drivel the triathletes soak up along with their poor understanding that reality trumps their make believe "science".

Aerobrobot wrote:

Vineyard Vines wrote:

Most of these guys are hauling a 10-15lbs gut around with them, but they'll spend thousands of extra bucks to drop a few ounces off their bike. I used to race them (and beat them).

The big gut gives them an aerodynamic advatage, but a gravity defying disadvantage.

Not the gut, it is man boobs as proven by Dan Bigham that gives an aero advantage

Tri D Bags wrote:

Aerobrobot wrote:

The big gut gives them an aerodynamic advatage, but a gravity defying disadvantage.

Not the gut, it is man boobs as proven by Dan Bigham that gives an aero advantage

It's both. An effective aerofoil is formed by the flow of air over the man boobs and gut. And moreso if the rider can squeeze the manboobs into a monoboob.

And the dog will be named "Kona."

I used to volunteer in the 1980s to help out at Triathlons when the sport was nascent. My view back then was that it was a two-point distribution: Young people with no money and no responsibilities with no opportunity cost or wealthy people who had the time and money and who could afford really nice gear. I am surprised that the sport has broadened out to the middle class as it is not a family-friendly activity if you have a 40-50 hour-a-week job.

Running still has a time advantage. You can be a good recreational runner for 4-6 hours a week of training, most of it done just by stepping out your door.

I’ve found that the amount of pretentious athletes goes up with the race distance.

If I race at the local sprint and Olympic distance races, folks are chill and laid back and willing to crack jokes. Move up to 70.3 and those people dwindle. Go to a full IRONMAN event and everyone acts like they have a seat post up their rear end. Just raced IMFL and I couldn’t believe how uptight folks were.