Why Tri?

thebouldwhacker

So I'm aiming to do my first tri next year, I have competed in duathlons and have been cycling for years so was kinda looking forward to taking the plunge.
However after speaking to triathletes (ex and present), reading blogs, forums etc I must say I am becoming quite disillusioned about the whole thing.
I approched a club a few years ago about joining, I even helped them out with their tri so I would get to meet a few people and have a laugh. After that I got nothing, not a thank you, not a chat about starting in the sport, nothing. It goes with out saying I didn't join their club. At the time I put it down to just a bad experience but now I'm not sure.

I guess after reading threads here and hearing not so flattering stories about the sport I want to know whats the point in it all beyond personal achievement, which can be found elsewhere a lot cheaper and without drowning?
I would like someone to convince me its worth investing 20 hrs a week and all that goes with it into a sport which is being talked down so much.
My question;
why tri?

Zed Bank

No point doing Triathlons IMO, im a bit biased because im a cyclist of course but cycling is a more social sport, cyclists are the salt of the earth. Long distance cycling would make you fitter anyway.

Chartsengrafs

There is a lot of negativity around here lately, I'm not sure why that is exactly, but don't let that put you off. End of season blues perhaps.
And I wouldn't expect too much thanks for helping out at a race, these things take a huge amount of work from a lot of people. I'm sure it's nothing personal. A club is something that you need to regularly show up to before you start to get to really get to know people (as there are often people trying a few sessions only to disappear again). I'd be surprised if you didn't get a huge amount of advice from people at run sessions say, and particularly on bike spins.
Why tri? Because they're extremely good fun, and that's something that tends to get overlooked.

sconhome

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

So I'm aiming to do my first tri next year, I have competed in duathlons and have been cycling for years so was kinda looking forward to taking the plunge.
However after speaking to triathletes (ex and present), reading blogs, forums etc I must say I am becoming quite disillusioned about the whole thing.
I approched a club a few years ago about joining, I even helped them out with their tri so I would get to meet a few people and have a laugh. After that I got nothing, not a thank you, not a chat about starting in the sport, nothing. It goes with out saying I didn't join their club. At the time I put it down to just a bad experience but now I'm not sure.

I guess after reading threads here and hearing not so flattering stories about the sport I want to know whats the point in it all beyond personal achievement, which can be found elsewhere a lot cheaper and without drowning?
I would like someone to convince me its worth investing 20 hrs a week and all that goes with it into a sport which is being talked down so much.
My question;
why tri?

Short answer? This is the internet and its so easy to become a warrior on a keyboard.

Longer answer? The biggest problem most people have is with organisational issues. Its rarely a personal thing and I don't see people talking down the sport, yes to some of the ways its approached and yes to some of the attitudes around it but you get that with every sport.

Only you can decide if triathlon is for you. If you are looking to challenge yourself in training and set some goals for yourself its worth doing. Why would you look at a sport with a view of "what do I get for my 20hrs investment?" IMO thats wrong.

It seems your experience of intial contact with a club put you off, can you train by yourself? Do you need a club to motivate yourself in the sport?

For myself I took up the sport without any club involvement because I wanted to push myself. The club thing followed afterwards and really only as a social thing, but definitely was not a factor in starting triathlon.

Zed Bank wrote: »

No point doing Triathlons IMO, im a bit biased because im a cyclist of course but cycling is a more social sport, cyclists are the salt of the earth. Long distance cycling would make you fitter anyway.

Everyone has their own views of their sport. Plenty salt of the earth people in triathlon just as there's idiots elsewhere.

Debatable about the fitness thing. Long distance cycling makes you fitter for long distance cycling, it won't make you a runner!

griffin100

Zed Bank wrote: »

No point doing Triathlons IMO, im a bit biased because im a cyclist of course but cycling is a more social sport, cyclists are the salt of the earth. Long distance cycling would make you fitter anyway.

Cycling certainly does make you fitter, look at those skinny middle aged men in Lycra you see on the roads over the weekends, all very sociable and pleasant and not an ounce of fat between them Any donkey can ride a bike, it takes skill as finesse to be a good swimmer :pac

Why do tri? It's good crack, it's challenging and you can meet some great people (some are on this forum). Some of the race locations are fantastic and you'll see the coast from new angles. Being able to swim, bike and run means you can do these as stand alone races too. You're less likely to get bored as you're not stuck with one sport.

Who avoid tri? It has it's fair share of assholes, as you can see from these forums. It can be expensive with gear and race entry. Transporting all that gear around country for every race is a pain.

nerraw1111

Only one way to find out. I was in a similar position about 2 years ago. Trained for about 6 months for one, did one tri and decided it wasn't for me.

Various reasons but mainly the amount of training wasn't worth it.

I preferred to be running outside rather than swimming endless lengths or using a turbo. But it's worth giving it a go, at least I know it's not for me. Still interested in the sport from a spectator point of view.

MrCreosote

Give it a go. One thing- you won't need to invest 20 hours a week to know whether it's something you want to continue or not.

There are a few issues with drafting and cancelled swims and so on, but they are minor details compared to the fun of it all.

Not sure where the relentless negativity on this forum has come from, but it really does seem to be getting a bit depressing at times.

ThisRegard

MrCreosote wrote: »

Not sure where the relentless negativity on this forum has come from, but it really does seem to be getting a bit depressing at times.

I noticed that the tri people had gotten very angry recently and was wondering had I missed something spectacular in one of the deleted threads.

Oryx

Ultimately triathlon is a one man sport. If you want to compete and you don't want to get involved with others (clubs, this forum etc) you don't have to. The negativity may be because tri attracts competitive individuals and sometimes competitive egos clash.

Why would you want to do it?
The training is varied, challenging and interesting.
Three disciplines means less chance of repetitive strain injury than an individual sport.
The sport caters to all levels.
No matter how good you get, there are still higher goals
The actual races are great to race, if you suck at one discipline you may well make up lost time in another.
It is a friendly sport, in spite of some appearances.
You get to bore all your friends to tears talking about it.

tunney

ThisRegard wrote: »

I noticed that the tri people had gotten very angry recently and was wondering had I missed something spectacular in one of the deleted threads.

Somone revealed the fourth secret of fatima.

mossym

nowwhere near as experienced as most here, but my 2c..

on the social aspect, the training may be more solitary, but i;ve chatted more to people i don't know in t1 before a single race than i have at very cycling sportive I've been at.

i cycle with a group, swim and run alone mainly, although have a few i run with sometimes.

3 hours on a bike, or 3 hours split between the 3 sports? i know which i prefer. and i'd argue the point about cycling making you fitter. i know my general fitness goes down when i'm not running, mainly because it's my weakest sport so it's my biggest bang for the buck

MrCreosote

ThisRegard wrote: »

I noticed that the tri people had gotten very angry recently and was wondering had I missed something spectacular in one of the deleted threads.

Me too. I feel like the kid that missed the big schoolyard fight.

tunney wrote: »

Somone revealed the fourth secret of fatima.

Is that the one that predicts the downfall of the Catholic church after the pope is pinged for drafting in Roth next year?

hypersonic

tri is just an excuse for people with compulsive exercise disorders to explain away their behaviour.
training should be it's own reward, other wise what you need is a hobby.
on a positive note it is far easier to be a mid packer in tri than in any of the individual sports.

Oryx

hypersonic wrote: »

tri is just an excuse for people with compulsive exercise disorders to explain away their behaviour.
training should be it's own reward, other wise what you need is a hobby.
on a positive note it is far easier to be a mid packer in tri than in any of the individual sports.

I disagree. I'm mediocre at tri but higher than mid pack runner.

Youre right about the compulsive exercise though.

hypersonic

Oryx wrote: »

I disagree. I'm mediocre at tri but higher than mid pack runner.

Youre right about the compulsive exercise though.

a runner who spends too much time cross training!

Brick Session

I think tri is an individual sport and to that end i prefer to train alone. But then its very much up to the individual and what you prefer. As pointed out earlier like every sport it does attract its fair share of di**heads but they are good for the laugh factor, sure if they were not there who would we laugh at.

I say go for it for one season, make up your own mind and don't invest too much money on gear that you don't need first off.

There are loads of tri clubs out there so don't let one bad experience put you off.

kchsligo

I'm relatively new to the sport too but have to say have met a load of good decent and interesting people. You also get to test yourself out in new and challenging environments (in Blacksod right now getting ready to swim in the Atlantic!) that it'd be easy to walk away from if you didn't have other like minded people around you who are all in the same boat
Give it a go for a while and maybe, like me, you'll see that it's a great sport whether your training on your own, going out on a group session or just taking part in an event.

kal7

Please don't be put off by the chat here. The negatives highlighted are a small part of sport. I'd say most posters, on here, are trying to improve the sport and enjoyment of all athletes either at sharp end or like me a finisher/plodder. Triathlon is great sport.

A initial problem for new or prospective members is that the older members are so busy chatting to one another we don't always remember to welcome you in. This is worse now than before because the number in my tri club has gone from 30 or so to 300 in a few years, which is great sign for the sport.

rooneyjm

Its easier to get lost or unnoticed in a big club especially at the start, it takes time to get to know people like any club, in saying that the bigger clubs can organise more and varied sessions. In a smaller club you get to meet the group quicker but there are downsides and sometimes you have to train on your own (you need to self motivated in tri anyway), so there are pros and cons.