Let’s face it. Even if most triathletes are incapable of excelling in any one sport and instead decide to be mediocre at three, we still have this elitist mindset when it comes to single sport athletes. Take the Boston marathon expo for example. While it is practically tradition across all endurance sports to don gear from other big races you’ve done on the days before a big event as a badge of honor, there is a growing trend of triathletes wearing Ironman gear at the Boston expo.
It is the clothing equivilent of screaming.
“Most of my marathons have been after a 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike…” or
“Why are you stressing out? Your race will be done after ONLY 3 hours. My ironman took me 10.”
It is why I hate it when people ask me if I’ve ever done a marathon. While I’m very proud of my race accomplishments, it is hard not to sound douchey when responding with ”only during an Ironman.”
As yesterday’s hot ass Boston weather reports slowly started to become reality and the BAA announced that it was allowing runners to defer because of the heat, Twitter blew up and the triathlon HTFU-ness was turned up to 11.
“For many people, running the Boston Marathon is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,’’ said BAA executive director Tom Grilk. “We don’t want people to feel they have to run, because perhaps it’s not the wisest decision under these conditions.”
Said race director Dave McGillivray, “This gives them a choice. They have to assess for themselves if they can handle these conditions.’’
To be honest, I was completely on board in the beginning. What a bunch of p^$$!e$! Did they not think that this race would be held OUTSIDE? Did someone convince you that this was supposed to be easy? Are you allergic to ice and sunscreen? Your race starts at 10am. Most IM marathons start at 2! The hottest part of the day!
I’m not sure what happened, but all of a sudden something clicked. BAA wasn’t doing this because they thought the athletes were fragile flowers that would wilt under the hot sun. They were doing this because they know that marathoners are kinda screwed up in the head and are capable of dishing plenty of damage to their own bodies without blinking an eye. You’ve got every type of runner, young and old, but they’ve all got that in common. Add plenty of heat to 22,000 crazy masochistic runners and something bad is bound to happen.
It isn’t uncommon to have someone die during or immediately after a marathon. It just isn’t. As conditions get worse, the entire race infrastructure gets stressed. Every single extra degree requires more water, ice and medical support to make sure everyone gets to the finish line safe.
While it is easy for iron-distance triathletes to pound their chests about the crazy conditions that they survived to get to the finish line, comparing an IM to a huge marathon just isn’t fair. 1,855 athletes finished Kona last year. 22,426 athletes started Boston this year. Every marathoner is going to require a TON more support (ice, gels, medical, water, etc.) to get to the finish line. While an IM is a far more complex race to organize, the BAA is dealing with more than 10 times as many athletes.
What I started to realize was that this wasn’t about protecting the athlete’s ego. It isn’t an issue of who has the biggest balls. It is a public safety issue. For every runner who decides to defer, they are able to be that much more confident that the resources they’ve put in place will be able keep everyone safe and healthy along the way. The BAA made a smart move in recognizing that putting added pressure on people to race when it may not be in their best interests was irresponsible. They recognize the inherent risks in running 26.2 miles in 85 degree weather with little shade. I have to respect that.
For everyone that finished today. Congratulations. You just became someone’s hero. Never forget this accomplishment.
For everyone that deferred, don’t hang your head in shame. Just tell people that you know enough about yourself that you are sure that you wouldn’t be able to hold back and keep your engine revving within safe limits and would run until your face hit the pavement in a big bloody mess. Live to fight (and run) another day.