Triathletes better people than Runners

you are a troll. "They aren't into looking the part" gave you away. lame.

I don't know about some of the other things, but its clear that triathletes work harder than runners. I've spent time with both groups, and the triathletes easily outwork the runers.

I am former triathlete and now current runner, and always found that cyclists were the least friendly of anyone. They seemed to have an air of superiority to everyone else. Elitist. Runners seem to be more humble. Cyclists look goofy in their cycling gear, too. One thing to do it when racing, but during training rides - just look silly.

No $140 running shoes...just $5000 bikes, $150 jerseys, $200 wetsuits, $100 trisuits, $60 swimsuits, $150 bike shoes, etc., etc. My wife is a triathlete and I get the bill. Oh, and Zoot shoes aren't cheap either.

That said, they are generally good people. I would say that the average triathlete trains harder than the average runner, but probably about equal at the competitive level.

Triathletes couldnt possibly train as hard because swimming and cycling are way easier than running so even though they may put in twice as many hours it is still easier.

"couldn't possibly"?

I have moved on from running (both track & road) and have focused on Tri's in the past couple years. Training for a 5k/10k is not fun, and to feel like you have accomplished something takes a season's worth of races to feel like something cool was done. After signing up for a 5k and being done after 16 minutes feels kind of anti-climatic. I moved up to a marathon thinking this will be something that will give me a big sense of accomplishment. I ran Chicago as a first timer and ran 2:41. Felt a sense of accomplishment, but it wasn't what I wanted out of the experience. I was pumped and it was sweet and all, but qualifying to Boston and exceeding expectation didn't excite me. I then started competing in half irons and that gave me a sense of balance. I'm not sore all the time, but I'm putting in more work. My body as developed a much more symmetric look and I don't feel like a skinny runner. I am actually able to put down 40-50 mile weeks while biking 150-180 and swimming 4500-5000 yds per week. While only running, if I was ONLY running 50 mpw, I would feel crappy all the time.

I'm still winning or getting top 3 in local road races (WhoCares 8k, etc) but I still feel every bit a runner as I did when I was running in college. I feel better when I cross a line now, rather than spent and falling over. now I can run just as fast, put on my trainers and get 4-5 miles in after an 8k before the race clock hits an hour. Triathletes can outwork runners. This isn't meant to be a sweeping statement, but it CAN happen.

Goober wrote:

Triathletes couldn't possibly train as hard because swimming and cycling are way easier than running so even though they may put in twice as many hours it is still easier.

you are joking right? to simply say a blanket statement like that is absolutely ridiculous. while i will agree that there are elements of each sport that can be seen as being "easier" than other, that does not let you qualify the assumption that said sport is easier than another. to be elite in any of the three disciplines takes an incredible amount of work. if it was so easy to swim, there wouldn't have been such hype associated with phelps [and i might add that swimming gets progressively more difficult with less body fat so it is even harder for a large number of triathletes]. or, that is like saying merckx or hinault weren't athletes at all. yes, you can complete a triathlon without much to do but, you can do that with any sport. it is the incredible amount of work and luck even to get to the level of an elite athlete.

on the subject of the thread; i am a runner and a triathlete and, there are just as many jack asses as there are great people in either sport

Although this tread is a troll I have to add to what other posters have said and tri's are much more satisfying than races. I am also able to train more without a downside of soreness or injury.

It is a very expensive sport though.

Triathlon is not a sport for the young guys that are just getting their first jobs and saving money. The deck is stacked against us. The money associated with it is astounding. However, if you want to be included in a group for training, Triathlon clubs are great for that. Runners can tend to get a bit snobby. Road bikers are the worst though. If a Tri-guy shows up at a group run from a shop, they may not speak with them at first, but the group will eventually include them in conversation. Show up for a road ride with a tri-bike and the group takes off with one purpose: drop the triathlete. I ride with a few different groups throughout the week, and the guys that I have gotten to know have confirmed this sentiment.