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Poor Form WTC

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

Ironman races have become a hugely powerful marketing machine. Powerful to the point where normal people can cross their finish line and inspire people for the rest of their lives, even if they don’t know anything about triathlon. Powerful to the point where pro athletes can help put food on their table just by racing with corporate logos splashed all over their kits. (Yes, there is more to the financial side of being a sponsored athlete, but you get the point.)

Recently, Ironman decided to take a little editorial control over what they allow athletes to promote.

Notice anything different between these pictures?
The right is a picture of a poster from Ironman Louisville. The left is the original of Hillary Biscay racing IM Brazil earlier this year.

While the folks at Rev3 had a good sense of humor about the whole thing, it is definitely poor form on the part of WTC. Is WTC scared? To be honest, I have no idea why. Rev3 is still a really young company and has to market the hell out of every race new they do just to get athletes to the swim start. Ironman, on the other hand, can announce a new race and with seemingly zero promotion, they sell the damn thing out. Yet they still stoop so low as to photoshop sponsor logos off of the uniform of one of their most visible athletes?

Shenanigans.

While I’ve had some less than pleasant things to say about WTC, the Rev3 crew has always been pretty professional about their competition with the big red M. They’ve always been very honest in admitting that within the big world of triathlon, they are still a relatively small fish. They may have big aspirations, but fulfilling those takes time. They may put on races with a big feel and world-class production, but they have nowhere near the industry impact that the Ironman brand does (yet).

That is why I was extra surprised to see them sticking gum in Rev3′s hair like a school yard bully.

Earlier this year, WTC named a new CEO, which was really uniquely positioned from a communications perspective. I couldn’t help but interpret the announcement of hiring a “nice guy” to help balance the “cut throat – win at all costs businessman” that is the WTC’s previous CEO and now President. If the WTC is genuinely trying to change their image by being more of a “nice guy” they’ve got a long way to go to scrub the culture of douche-bag-ness from their company.

Support the good guys.

You F with our logos. We win the whole fing race.

How do you like that form?

(Photo credit to the original Hillary Biscay picture from IM Brazil: Jaime Vigaray)

UPDATE:

Dan Empfield over at Slowtwitch covered this story. You can read his article here: http://www.slowtwitch.com/Opinion/Hillary_Biscay_Digitally_Remastered_2298.html

While Dan does some good reporting, I think he skirts around the issue a little. He quotes at WTC spokesperson as saying…

“We do not feel that we should be promoting competing race series. They certainly are not promoting our races.”

Immediately followed by…

“We are protective of our brands and partners. But the athletes are our partners too. Our ambitions do not blind us to the needs of those in our industry, our athletes and their sponsors inclusive.”

If WTC considers pros as their partners, but still justifies scrubbing every single sponsor from a photo of Maik Twelsiek in the Louisville athlete guide, imagine what they’d be okay with if they didn’t like us so much.

Or maybe they just really don’t like Maik and Hillary…

Tags: Ironman, rev3 triathlon, revolution 3 triathlon, Triathlon, wtc | Posted in Ironman, Triathlon | 15 Comments »

What Does Your Dream Race Look Like?

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Signing up for any iron distance triathlon is a major decision. Whether this is your first or tenth, it is a major commitment of a lot of money, time training, time away from your friends and family and a HELL of a lot of energy. But something was really bugging me this week. WTC just announced two new races in NYC and Canada, and my Twitter and Facebook friends were all buzzing about signing up and instantly marking their calendars with the registration dates.

Seriously? You could not have possibly researched the race, the course, the production company or the timing for more than a solid 15 seconds before you got all hyped up and mentally committed yourself to a huge race with extremely minimal information.

Breathe deep kiddos. Let the adrenaline rush fade and let’s think about this.

Wash away all those thoughts of NYC and Mont Tremblant and make yourself a list of the qualities that would make up your favorite race:

Timing: Does it conflict with any major dates on your social/personal/work calendars? How do you feel about training LOTS during the winter for an early season full iron? How do you feel about training LOTS in the heat of summer for an August/September full iron?
Course: What type of course suits your strengths best? Flat vs. hilly. Short rolling hills vs long mountain climbs. What about the types of places you like to race? Quiet country roads vs pancake flat highways vs technical descents.
Friends and Family: Will they be racing with you? Will they be able to come and cheer you on? How far of a trip is it for them? How expensive is it to get there? Would they need to take time off of work?
Race Production Company: Who is actually producing the race. And I don’t mean if it is Ironman branded or not. (WTC usually farms out that responsibility to someone else). I mean who are the people that will be recruiting volunteers, stocking aid stations, managing the timing and making sure the course is safe? Is it their first time running a triathlon? Have they successfully produced big long-distance events in the past?
Spectator Friendliness: Assuming that your family and friends are able to come and support you during the race, do they have anything to do to keep themselves entertained while you are out on the course from 10-17 hours? Is there a place for them to kick up their feet or grab a bite to eat? (Spectating can be exhausting.) Does the course allow spectators to see you fly by multiple times, or only as you come through transition.

This list could go on forever, but I think you get the point. Registering for an iron distance race needs more information than just a date and venue. Do your research or be prepared to endure the consequences.

Maybe NYC and Mont Tremblant DO look something like your dream races, but it is better to figure that out now than at mile 90 of the bike.

Tags: Ironman, ironman mont tremblant, ironman new jersey, ironman new york | Posted in Ironman, Triathlon | 7 Comments »

Rev3 Cedar Point: Race Report

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Race morning had officially arrived. After a surprisingly good sleep, I was up, hit the bathroom and downed a bottle of EFS and some Clif Shot Bloks.

I decided that the whole day was going to be focused on two main ideas:

Take the whole day one mile at a time
Enjoy every mile of my only first Ironman

Those two mantras would end up driving me for the next 140.6 miles.

Other than a minor pre-dawn freakout in transition area. I was able to keep a pretty level head as I set up my bike, organized my transition area and filled up my nutrition bottles. I was pretty happy and surprised with my attitude. I’ve been a LOT more nervous for a LOT shorter races.

I’m not sure what it was, but I was just ready to race, get out there and start tearing up the course.

Heading over to the swim start and patiently waiting for the gun to go off. Sam was an amazing sherpa and helped me stay cool calm and collected up until the second I had to leave her and dive head first into the water. Just as I was starting to head through the start gate, she handed me her cell phone. It was my mom calling from Connecticut to give me some last minute last minute well wishes. Hearing how proud she was of me to just have made it to the start line brought such a big smile to my face that I couldn’t even muster up any response beyond “Thanks Mom!” before I handed the phone back to Sam and pointed myself towards shore and the start of the race.

Swim:

The plan was to keep it nice and relaxed and not to threaten the race before I even headed out on the bike. All of the FullRev athletes (about 450 of us) went off in one big mass start. No matter how far back you hung in the pack, you were bound to run into some people. I landed some unintentional kicks an punches and took my share as well, but it eventually spread out and allowed me to focus on keeping an even pace and smooth form instead of dodging kicks to the scull.

The first loop went pretty smoothly. I even had to pee and just let it rip instead of waiting until I was out on the bike. I’d peed in my wetsuit plenty of times before, but never while actually swimming. It was always while standing in the water waiting for the gun to go off.

I figured it was a good sign that I started the race well hydrated. It is good to know the digestive system is working and doing its thing, even if nature calls when I’m only 1 mile into the race.

First loop: 41:17 (2:08/100 m)

The second loop was a little more of the same. My arms felt strong all the way through and I was having a blast. Nature even called AGAIN! I didn’t even feel like I was drinking a ton on race morning, but just like the first time, I just went with it. My pace did slow a little bit, but I exited the water feeling awesome. My time was right in the middle of my prediction and I was psyched to start the bike.

See? I’m even turning around to smile and wave to Sam as I exit the water. I told you I was having a blast out there.

Second loop: 43:19 (2:15/100 m)

Total swim time: 1:24:36

Bike:

I didn’t have any major expectations for the bike. I knew that it was probably going to be my strongest sport of the day. I just wanted to get out there, hold a nice even pace and start the run feeling good.

The course was WAY flatter than anywhere I’d ever raced, but it was also WAY windier than anywhere I’d ever raced so it was tough for me to make any sort of average speed expectations. I just went out there and did my thang.

The bike started with plenty of drinking straight water to make sure that my stomach stayed as happy as it was during the swim and was processing whatever I threw down my gullet. The first bike pee came around mile 25 and I was as happy as a clam.

As we made a turn and headed West, I started FLYING. I had a nice tailwind and a nice clean stretch of flat road ahead of me. It was beautiful. I was cruising at between 22 and 23 mph and barely working for it.

That was until I took the next turn at around mile 35. From then on it was a constant battle with the wind. No matter where the course turned, it felt like the wind was following me. No matter how aero I tried to get, I was constantly battling the wind. Doing 13 mph (and working hard for it) on a nice flat even road definitely puts things into perspective after ticking off all of those miles at 22 mph with a tail wind.

I figured there was nothing I could do about the wind and just kept an even effort level. Eat, breathe, drink, pee and repeat. The course was beautiful and I tried to just soak it in as much as I could.

I got off the bike happy with how things went and psyched to slip on my Saucony Paramounts and start running.

Time: 6:14:43 (17.93 pmh)

Snuck a little good luck chat with Sam before heading into the changing tent and off on the marathon.

Run:

I threw on my run gear, filled up my water bottle and headed out on my way.

My run plan was to sip on just water for the first 20-30 minutes until my HR settled and I could start taking in calories without letting my stomach seize up. Those first three miles felt great and I was slowly ticking off the miles at a nice even pace.

At around the mile 3 mark, I tore open my EFS Liquid Shot flask and took tiny sips each 20 minutes. Unfortunately, that didn’t last too long. By mile 6 I realized that all the water that I was sipping on was just sloshing around in my gut. Crap. I wasn’t really pushing the pace, so the only real decision to make was to start walking. It was MUCH sooner in the marathon than I had expected to have to walk, but I knew that I didn’t have the strength to grit and bear it through another 20 miles of running without being able to absorb a single carb, electrolyte or ounce of water.

Miles 6-10 were slow and painful and included a lot of walking but eventually I could feel my stomach emptying and the next trip to the port-o-potty was by far my favorite of the day. It was an awesome sign that my stomach was functioning again and taking in the goodies I was tossing down.

My run performance was quickly turning out to be way less spectacular than I had hoped, but it was cool. I run walked and made some friends along the way. Meredith’s husband Dave caught up to me and we ran together for a while for a while before he left me in the dust. Then I ran by some girls at an aid station and over heard them say “What, you aren’t going to complement him on his butt?” They definitely didn’t think that I heard them so I caught them off guard when I stopped, struck a pose and called out “What, nothing?!”

After getting their approval, I proceeded to knock off the rest of the marathon, mile by mile. My pace got slower and slower and my quads were increasing amounts of pain, but I kept on ticking off the miles. Let me tell you, I’ve never big a big fan of all that random stuff that they have at aid stations. I’m usually just a gel and sports drink kind of guy, but a cup of grapes at mile 20 of an ironman marathon may be one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted.

For the last few miles, I made a new friend from Louisville, KY and we chatted it up, took run/walk breaks together and kept on moving forward. I can’t remember his name, but having him next to me for those last miles was perfect. It helped distract myself from my legs as they slowly disintegrated beneath me.

As I approached the finish line, I really had no idea how I’d react. To be perfectly honest, I was an emotional roller coaster and thought that it was entirely possible that I’d cross the line sobbing like a baby with tears streaming from my face. Or maybe I’d have some triumphant primal scream as I tore past the finish line.

In reality, I was too busy being being just plain excited to think about anything else. I wasn’t thinking about all the hard training sessions that it took to get me there. I wasn’t thinking about all of the people that helped me get there. I wasn’t thinking about all the things that I did right and all the things that I did wrong during the race. I wasn’t thinking about how my legs were screaming in pain and could barely take another step without having me trip and fall over myself.

I wasn’t even thinking about anything as I crossed the line. It was just elated. Huge smile. My mind was just blank, enjoying the physical experience of finishing my first ironman. I think there were just so many possible thoughts rushing thought my head that my mind just shut them down and forced out one gigantic smile.

All is good.

I broke the tape and was immediate surrounded by a hand full of my Trakkers teammates and found Sam waiting just outside the finisher’s area. I shuffled my way over to her and gave her a gigantic hug. Two seconds later we got a call from my mom who was watching me finish on the live video feed. While it sucked not having her there, it was awesome knowing that she was able to track me all day with my Trakkers GPS device (until the battery ran out just before the end of the bike) and watch me live as I crossed the line.

My chip didn’t register over the finish line, so I’m still not 100% sure on my time. I’m guessing that it is somewhere around 13:24, but I’m not all that concerned about it.
I did miss going sub-13:00 like I was secretly hoping for, but I’m not letting it get to me. I handled the obstacles that were thrown my way really well and that is all that I could ask for.

So in the end did I enjoy every mile of my first ironman? Heck yes!

Will I do another one?! Yell yeah! (but just not next year)

This year was filled with tons of epic training adventures, but far more time away from my friends, family and girlfriend than I would have liked. I’ll be definitely returning to the iron distance sometime in the future, but I’m looking forward to some shorter races where it’ll be much easier to balance racing and the rest of life.

Tags: cedar point, fullrev, Ironman, rev3 triathlon | Posted in Cycling, Ironman, Nutrition, Race Reports, Running, Swimming, Triathlon | 13 Comments »

What My First Ironman Means To Me

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

Completing an ironman means something different to everyone. I don’t have some TV-worth story about overcoming adversity, battling against all odds and accomplishing the unthinkable.

For me, there are a million reasons why I’ve come to this point. After more than 10 years of dreaming I am ready to toe the line at my first iron distance tri.

For me, there are a million reasons why I’ve come to this point, but I’m feeling strange without some singular major driver that brought me to this point. To be perfectly honest, I’m sitting here thinking “Why am I doing all this?” and am stumped. There has to be SOMETHING more than just “because I do…”

Fun? Absolutely, but there are a ton of other things that are fun that don’t require this much time and financial investment along with all the pain and time away from friends and family.

Excitement? Sure. You know that Navy commercial that says “If somebody wrote a book about your life, would anybody want to read it?” I like to think I do some pretty cool shit in my life. I’d definitely want to read a book about me and I’m not anywhere near the good part yet. I’ve still got plenty of adventure-filled chapters left! But that still isn’t a primary reason why I’m here…

Fear? The more I think about it, this is a major one. Triathlons are almost like scary movies to me. I am terrified, but can’t take my eyes off the screen. My adrenaline is pumping and I’m in a dead stare straight ahead, but won’t stop watching. Each time the fear of one triathlon distance subsided, I stepped up. Sprint to Oly. Oly to Half. Now I’ve got four half iron distance tris under my belt and they don’t scare me nearly as much as they once did. It is time to step up and be terrified all over again.

If you aren’t terrified of the iron distance, you probably haven’t read enough about the damage that can be done to a human body over 140.6 miles. Cars are designed to travel those distances. My body wasn’t. At least it wasn’t until I trained it to be. I’m still not 100% sure that it is. I’m confident that I’ve done all that I know how to in order to prepare it, but I won’t really know until I cross that finish line.

My first ironman may not be some emotional story of a cancer patient’s return to healthy like you see on TV, but it will be validation that any challenge that comes in front of me, no matter how massive, intimidating, terrifying, abusive or relentless can be accomplished.

I want prove that I’m as much of a hard core bad ass as I think I am sometimes. I wan’t to look fear in the eye all over again and say “Let’s do this.”

Tags: Ironman | Posted in Ironman, Triathlon | 4 Comments »